My strategy here is to default notifications off for everything other than calls and texts.

And then manually open Gmail to check mail, manually open Instagram when I feel like checking notifications, etc.

It’s such a better experience when you’re opening an app because you want to, and not because a notification is baiting you.

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futuraperdita 35 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I feel like a lot of people that are looking for a nostalgic device can get the experience they need by uninstalling most applications and then turning off all notifications first. In doing so, you don't end up with a device that is much different than an old Treo 650 - PIM functionality, messaging, and no growth-hacking loops.

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nine_k 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Allowing GMail to only show a notification when an email is categorized as "important" is an acceptable compromise. (Setting up a bunch of filters to manually control the "importance" helps a lot, too.)

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ghaff 12 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I actually have an Apple Watch that I mostly use for hiking. I just use a $30 Timex most of the time that I don't need to charge.

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BeetleB 12 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

iOS or Android?

Can you default it to off and not have any popups (during run/install) asking you to enable permissions to notify? Or do you have to decline once per app?

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cj 12 hours ago | parent [-]

iOS. Do a 1 time clean up by manually turning everything off. And then decline for every app you install after that.

I can’t believe I used to be one of those people who got every single email delivered to their smart watch.

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BeetleB 11 hours ago | parent [-]

> And then decline for every app you install after that.

That's what I already have. And that's what I find painful. I don't want to have to decline at every install. I want a setting that is the default, and no prompts to grant permissions when I install.

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xboxnolifes 4 hours ago | parent [-]

How often are you installing apps that it's that frustrating?

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BeetleB 3 hours ago | parent [-]

It's the principle.

I get that you think it's not a major inconvenience, but if I now throw yet another (pointless) popup for you each time you install an app, are you OK with it?

When I install something on my PC (Linux), I never get such a prompt. If any Linux distribution started giving a prompt on each install, power users will stop using it.

	▲	xboxnolifes an hour ago \| parent [-]
		If I installed apps on linux at the frequency I installed apps on my phone, which is a few apps per year, I wouldn't care at all. That being said, I get fewer interruptions installing apps on my phone than I do on most linux CLIs, since on my phone I just press install and it installs, no question. The real problem is first-launch pop-ups/notifications/settings, and linux apps can have as many first launch popups as my phone does.