Survey says many readers use this Android notification feature, but not everyone trusts it

The notification system is a core part of the Android experience. Without my phone pinging me about a new message, the latest duck reel, or a juicy new sales promotion, I’ll more than likely miss it all. When I do miss these, or accidentally swipe them away, I can rely on Android’s notification history feature to keep me up to speed.

Introduced with Android 11, it’s now one of the best Android features. I certainly think so, as does my colleague, Hadlee Simons. Do you agree? And, more importantly, do you use it?

We ran a reader poll to find out; here are the results.

We received over 5,200 votes on this one, and there’s a clear winner. 29.8% of the votership use notification history “all the time,” while another 29% use it “now and again.” In total, that means nearly three in every five respondents use this Android feature. That’s a fairly large portion of voters, considering that the feature arrives deactivated by default on some devices.

For some readers, notification history is a huge accessibility benefit. As amberstoneart writes:

I am neurodivergent and have to set alarms to remind me to take medication. I forget A LOT. The history feature is a godsend. I can see what time my alarm went off and if I MAY have taken my pill- like, oh, that was 15 minutes ago and I just kicked the cat off my lap so I definitely didn’t take it, or I totally forgot to set my next alarm. […] It’s been incredibly helpful and I’ve been using it for years.

Of course, as with every feature, notification history has its detractors. 14.5% of respondents don’t use it and don’t plan to in the future, while 26.7% don’t use it but are considering it.

Some consider it a security risk. Commenter djwhyte writes:

Just keep in mind that notification history is also another way for people to spy on your information. Even if you delete a text message, the notification history for it would still be there.

Either way, it’s clear that the majority of respondents would prefer to see this feature activated from the get-go, or at least offered during Android’s initial setup steps. I’d certainly welcome this addition.