The tyranny of iOS notifications

Joshua Topolsky:

As I mentioned, instead of utilizing that new, taller screen to give you notifications removed from areas of the phone you regularly need to access (you know, like menus in apps), the notifications continue to pop down over the upper portion of the screen. The result is that you feel trapped, waiting for the message to disappear before you can access buttons you need to get to, or forced to swipe to the left on the message — a hidden function which scurries the dropdown away.

Trapped and forced swipe left on the message. What a burden!

Plus, the swipe gesture isn’t really a hidden function. It was clearly stated during the announcement of Notification Center.

Topolsky writes an excellent review, but that observation seems a bit of a stretch.