Quick look at the new notification and action center in Windows Phone 8.1

Windows Phone 8.1 is finally here. It brings with it a highly anticipated feature for managing all the alerts from different apps. That’s right. Windows Phone 8.1 now has a notification center to bring all your information into one location. It’s actually a very powerful implementation that includes an action center for quick access to settings. Let’s check it all out in this hands on video.
Configure notifications for individual apps? Check. Access from any screen? Check. This is by far one of the most anticipated features in Windows Phone 8.1. We’re very pleased with how Microsoft pulled this off.
The video says it all. Very awesome and we can’t wait for you guys and gals to get your own hands on with the notification and action center. Tell us your favorite part!
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I came. Actually gonna spend the whole day coming, lol.
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Hey Daniel how about that short swipe to only show the quick settings? I haven't seen it on any videos so what's up with that?
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What about ability to save games on,sd card .?
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From the notification center? /sarcasm
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Why don't you just "Bing It", rather than asking same stupid question in every single article. Just because I am feeling little sorry for your stupidity I am going to answer this for you this time. And the aswer is YES and NO. YES because as far as MS is concern, you should be able to save games on SD card and NO because it is up to developer of the game to allow it... so now, go figure...
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+620 ! I also hate these people, always asking the same questions in the forum instead use the SEARCH.
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Couldn't share videos via Bluetooth. A bug in black update, if you try to reduce or increase the volume, they don't do. Whatspp crashes always.
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How about actually using the shortcut buttons. Like what does Brightness do? Does it send you to the brightness setting? Or does a slider pop up?
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Daniel, please don't quit writing for acting. It's for your best :)
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I think he was just fine, very personable. You, on the other hand should quit writing. You may have just tried to be funny be it came across like an a-hole!
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Sure thing grumpy sir.
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+1 on quitting commenting. Forever.
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hahah...same here :)
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How could you hold out on us this long people....
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Beautiful!
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Can't wait !!!!!
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Confirmed.
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What device is he using in the video? Don´t recognize the shape and green tintet buttons on the side ...
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lumia 630
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No its not. Its the Nokia Lumia Icon which is only on Verizon Wireless. Look at the top if the phone and you will see the Nokia and the Verizon logo.
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It's a Lumia 630 in the video, you can tell by the on screen buttons. A lumia icon picture is used for the article though.
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630....
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The Icon has very square corners, this device was more rounded corners.
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is there any app for video lock....most of the app in windows store only able to lock image....video not possible....is any app for video lock???pls reply.....
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Awesome!!
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is there any app for video lock....most of the app in windows store only able to lock image....video not possible....is any app for video lock???pls reply.....
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Thats it! Release it or im commiting suicide tonight!
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Whoa. RELAX!lol
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Can I have your phone if you do?
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He's an Indian man, I'll take it please, low shipping charge to pay
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Don't do it! We need all the WP users we can get!!!
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What about the developer preview?
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That looks like it has learned something from Android. It-WP
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Please allow to add hotspot on/off to the quick menu!!!!
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It's in there, did you not see it?
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I'll have to wait until I get home from work to watch the video, thanks for the heads up, pretty exciting!
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Ah sorry, completely forgot about different time zones for a second ;-)
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When can we expect it??
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So it's essentially Android style notifications and quick settings. Nonetheless it's a welcome feature. One of the things I've wanted very much is easy access to certain settings on the handset, happy to finally see it.
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This will look so nice when I get it with my green Lumia 930.
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My only problem with colored Lumias is that they don't really look good when used with a theme besides the phone color. I like to switch it up every few weeks but I'm a sucker for design. To each his own though, right?
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Windows Phone is becoming a fine young man already... They grow so fast :_ )
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I sure do they hope they allow NFC to be toggled on/off, here.
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+930
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Nice! Pull down notifications, independent volume controls, wallpaper, voice assistant! Welcome to Android, circa 2009!!!
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Lol
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You mean kind of like how they just now got Android to run okay on lower end hardware like WP circa 2010? Having features first means nothing if your OS runs like trash on anything that isn't high-end.
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I am a android guy still first then a WP guy but even on high end Android devices I get stutter and slowdowns and pretty all the time bad battery life. Lets just the the small 2000 Mah battery in my ativ s neo wouldn't last a whole day in my android device. No chance. I have a 3200 mah in my device and be happy if I get 15 hours out if it.
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Same experience with my SGS2 and Xperia S here. They both went laggy after a while.
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My beloved HTC One is starting to stutter after getting 4.4. And sending MMS is infuriating as you can't type right afterward while the phone sends a message in the background. It displays a fucking loading screen for 5 seconds. I'm falling back in it with WP and out of love with Android.
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Still no file manager ?
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+1000
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Yes file manager is a must. I need to manage my attachments etc, sometimes need to look for a document etc
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Bout time! Pure Awesomeness!!!!
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Lol wow a decade later we finally got the android and IOS look like notifications
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But we only have 4 options for quick settings... smh... why only 4? Are there not more settings that people need to quickly access? Was it too hard to do 8? Still not convinced to stick with WP...
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well, they are 5 on 1520
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkDSQDCtjDU @1:19 -
Nice find. I didn't notice the same 5 options when he was demonstrating on stage... Guess I gotta wait till I get the developer preview...
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Yeah,but is it conformied 10th april ?
there is still couple of things i want to see, like :
Scrubbing (slider) in videos like proper youtube player
and couple more things -
On multiple MS sites they say "Early April" for the Developer Preview. Last I heard the rumored date was April 10th - I'm hoping that holds true.
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I guess they figure if you need more than 4 or 5, you might as well take your needy butt to the Settings app :)
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A decade? WP only been out since 2010.
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Not to be a downer, but...now that we're catching up, is there a way to get ahead?
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And this is what will keep me with windows phone. I have been going back and forth between IOS and WP8 and the only annoyance on WP has been if I don't catch a toast notification, I have no idea what it is unless I see a number on a tile and open up the app. Which is about as stupid as when BlackBerry released a tablet without email. Thanks MS, I'm sticking with ya.
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^this. Missed toasts was my biggest issue with WP.
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Love it! But redesign it please..
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There's always something to complain about huh can't be glad that we finally got it?
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That's human nature. When WP8.1 comes with those much needed features like separate volume controls, action/notification centre, background tiles, etc, then people will complain as to why it took so long and at worst, start moving the goal post again and demand some more features (e.g. take pictures while filming). Rinse and repeat. Same old, same old.
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looks really good.....REALLY GOOD...im excited for this update, good thing nobody wanted to buy my 920 lmao
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That look nice, and could hardly wait to get my update.
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so windowsphone central had the update with them all along........and uploaded the videos only today.....if they had it before why cant we have it atleast now........
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We didn't have that device legally ;)
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Superb!! Cant wait longer now!!
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No mobile network toggle...is bothering me... :P
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And no 2G/3G/4G toggle which is the only one I could find useful. Still, nice for other people with different needs.
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THIS! +1020
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Can we add flashlight to those toggles?
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No :(, it will probably be added later on though along with other toggles like hotspot etc.
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Hotspot is in there, he even mention it!
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Oops lol my bad :P
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Nice intro!
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it's ok. the look is clunky as it is WP inspired. do I wish they would revamp that old 2011 UI....
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The only thing I wish for is that the Action Centre could support more quick settings. For instance, we could just scroll through the quick settings to see more settings. That's so basic I'm surprised to see it being left out. Anyhow, I loved the overhaul. Can't wait to experience it!
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Lolz I think they can't really do that , it would call stealing ideas.
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No data toggle?! That's the one I would the most!
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This is MS we are talking about, They took 3 years for separate volume controls, This idea will hit them in a few years I'm sure. PS: Not a troll, whatever i have stated are facts.
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"This idea will hit them in a few years" Lol that is not a fact :P
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I know right?! Pisses me offff seriously. How could they have overlooked that -_-
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On the action center, what happens when you tap on, say, the wifi tile? Does it toggle wifi on/off or does it take you to wifi settings to slide the switch on/off? I'm pretty sure it's the former but have not seen anybody do that in any of the videos I've seen.
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In the first view of notification center he had a list of emails that essentially took up the whole screen which can be annoying to scroll through if you have a lot of notifications for multiple apps. Why is the only option to clear the notifications and not just minimize them. in this example, you should be able to click on Outlook and have it minimize the notifications for outlook and bring the next set of notifications up which would be Instagram Beta. Why do you have to clear the notifications if you want to reduce the clutter as opposed to minimze them? Why can't MS think this through a least just a little bit??
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Awesomely awesome!
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We're not worthy....i bow!
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Sweet
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Can u swipe down from the lock screen to get to the action center? Posted via the WPC App for Android!
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He said any screen.
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I just want to know if they've fixed it so SMS can still have a toast but be private. On a 1520 every toast is clearly readable (message contents) to anyone nearby.
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Yes! Anyone know if they've finally fixed this?
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Still wish there were more than four....kinda like on android (at least Samsung ones) were you can swipe yo the right in that little section to see all of them..
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Lumia 1520 got 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkDSQDCtjDU @1:19 -
Is there a drop date? And will it be released for HTC 8x
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WOW.. my 1520 said thank you
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I LOVE that you can setup custom sounds for different app notifications!
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Brightness control... I wish they had a bar to adjust it in the notification center. Like ios maybe? Rest of it looks good.
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I was kinda hoping it wouldn't be a slide down to launch because it seems so similar to my wife's GS4. I know MS owns a lot of patents and has license deals with most android OEMs but I was wondering who owned the patent for the "Swipe down from top to access notifications" patent? Seems like every little action is patented so I was thinking it would be pretty cool if MS was actually the original patent holder so when my friends say, "Oh, my phone already does that" I can say that MS invented it! lol
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sweet!!
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No option to turn On/Off the 3G?
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Unbelievably not it seems.
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As a former WP user interested in coming back to the platform, one feature relating to notifications I'm most interested in are notification reminders. Sometimes I'm busy when my phone goes off in my pocket and then I forget to check it when I'm freed up. Or I'm back and forth in the house and I miss the first alert but a subsequent one catches my ear. Has this feature been added yet or any news on it being added?
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This is the same setting I'm looking for.
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Too bad it's only 4 toggles, hopefully they'll update and make it maybe 6 or 8, aside that, is looking very good.
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I thought we would get actionable notifications?????? What happened to replying to a message inside notification center?????? This was the reason they called it ACTION center right?? I haven't seen it!
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That's what I am waiting for too. Plus, the notifications from one app (shown in the video) pretty much take up the whole screen? They should have add an expand button.
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No , action center is the center for you to control the brightness wifi ect, and when you click a message it would open the app and you can reply
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But I've seen something long ago where you could reply to a notification inside the actioncenter..:( and they always spoke about the action center would be MORE than just a notification enter!
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http://www.wpcentral.com/screenshots-windowsphone-81-app-list-sorting-no... Just as a reference, I think this is fake or maybe we should wait another 18months.
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Anyone else notice in the video that the signal, battery, etc never leave the screen? Is this permenant in Windows Phone 8.1?
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im wondering about that too. i wanna hide them!
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They don't seem to automatically hide from view in after a few seconds in 8.1 like they currently do. They go away when opening Cortana and other apps but I'm not liking that they're stuck there when on the start screen. Looks cluttered.
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@Sam Sabri: I believe you can't see a Data toggle option because you don't have a SIM in the device?
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I think you are right..... it may be enable only after sim card inserted.....
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Having only 4 buttons in the notification center is NOT what I was expecting. I was hoping we could slide left and right for more buttons.
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I want that too, 4 aint enough
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yeah, absolutely, I need to have at least the following coz i use them frequently. Wifi, Data(looks like its not there anyway), Location, Internet Sharing, Bluetooth, and rotation. At least 5 options would have been better. Such big toggle options for what, you could have easily made them smaller
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Those shortcuts at the top are so Andriod like... :/
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Looks like a great time to finally upgrade my WP.
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O o , can you turn it off for the lockscreen? I don't want people to look at my messages even tho it's locked
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no data? :(
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let them be slow but quality should be maintained related to app crashes and slow getting data.
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no slow motion for video?
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Where is the fucken file manger
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So no data in quick settings? I still have to use apps for switching between WiFi and data :/
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I was hoping for an autoswitch function. If it finds your near your wifi hope spot it turns off mobile data and switches on WiFi.
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I guess this could conceivably work with geofencing. Your idea of having the wifi simultaneously off and detecting wifi networks is unlikely, however.
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Are the notifications actionable straight from the Notification Center? Or is it just a static notification and clicking it takes me to the relevant app?
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Really wishing for a Data toggle, hope it can be seen once a sim is inserted.
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Hasn't android already patented the scroll down from top option to show notifications.
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One thing nobody is showing about the action center is this.... What happens when you tap on a notification??? its just a tap... could have shown it before demoing the clearing of the notifications.... Can it be tapped at all??? and if i tap one is that cleared and and the rest remain... asking because I saw that swiping removed all the notifications under one app...(a swipe cleared all Outlook notifications) which is cool.. but what does a tap on a notification do?????.... Somebody please... answer me.... [Had too much coffee through the 3+ hr live stream + exited about WP8.1... i'll calm down in another day]
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Also, he said there are a few ways of accessing the notification center and then only showed one. What are the other ways? It would be cool if you could ask Cortana, "what did I miss?"
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Hm.. And again.. No one has ever explained why there is so much wasted empty space at the top! :-/
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Also... The Joe Belfiorie demo video on the 1520 shows 5 toggle tiles/quick settings in the action center... See the video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KkDSQDCtjDU#t=79 ) pause at 1:19 it goes away fast... All other video demos show 4 tiles even the 5inch 930... so is the number or toggle tiles/quick settings tied to screen size or can we opt for 5 like we can opt 3 columns of tiles? does any one know?... If its tied to screen size i sure hope at least the 5inchers get 5 quick settings too and not just the 6inch screens.
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Hmmmm...good eye...+1520
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Have mobile date quick setting in quick look?
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I like the notification/action center...hoping that it improves over time...like giving us the ability to swipe away specific notifications not just a group of notifications. I also would like the ability to have all the quick settings there - like samsung does with the scrollable quick settings...and the buttons look awkward to me aligned to the left...
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Some great work done for the Windows Phone platform. This notification center is most welcome. However, there is still a major feature missing and that is a notification light that flashes to alert us when we receive notifications.. Many of us have seen that the windows logo can flash but that feature is linked to the battery charging when the battery is extremely low. This technically could be used via a firmware update and modifications to the SDK probably, to have this same light flash when we get notifications. Most lumias have this light and I am just going to guess it is not something limited to the Lumia 925. What do you guys think? Ultimately a dedicated notification light would be best however I would be satisfied with a flashing windows logo for the current phones..
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Not to be a stick in the mud, but the action centre behaves too similarly to Android and iOS. Sure the quick settings is a much welcomed feature, but I preferred more originality like swipe to the left to view notifications as an example instead of swipe downwards Android/iOS style.
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Ah, you're no stick in the mud, bro :) I will say, though, that I am as glad as all get-out that they did not add a swipe to the side to access this. all that side swiping people do on iPhones. Yuelch! The WP interface is awesomely simple. and this swipe down adds a much requested feature with very little impact to the interface. bravo ms
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This is going to make a lot of people happy. I'm just glad to see the OS growing and adapting.
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I'll be that guy. While I've often wished for the quick settings feature, I've never felt like I needed a notification center (I am glad that those who wanted it are getting it.) Now, maybe once I have it, I'll love it. But I've never felt like I was missing anything. If I don't have an app pinned to my start screen, I don't want its notifications. So for me, and the few like me, will this notification center just become a new point of maintenance for me? I like clean lightweight-ness. Just knowing that notifications are piling up in the 'center will move me to clear them out (so more work for me.)
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This will kill a lot of "battery" and "wi-fi shortcuts" apps.
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Any Idea about the dedicated file manager for WP 8.1
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Well so all this noise and not one can tell me what happenes when we tap on a notification or if we can tap at all.... Im speechless
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So you can't tap on a notification to bring you to it in whatever app/service the notification is for? Or once you clear said notification from whence it came it disappears from the notification center?
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Still no data toggle? Well at least there's a wifi one now.....
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when i try to close the wifi from the notification center it opens the wifi settings. why i can't close it from the notification center?
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Any idea how to add other apps to the notification center? Only Google mail, messaging, calls, store and WhatsApp are showing up in there :(
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I think I was expecting Microsoft to be a little more original and NOT copy iOS and Android. But I guess if that's what the people want, it's not entirely Microsoft's fault...
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It will be nice to have the toogle in quick action for mobile network data also.... hopefully it will be there.
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Actually this is a big minus. I only wanted the update so i can quickly toggle between wi-fi bluetooth location and mobile data
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i can not find action center in lumia 1520 and cortana olso any one help me please
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Hi.. I am using Lumia 720 and I have updated to Windows 8.1 recently. I was not able to open the Notifications and Actions menu. Can someone please help me? PS : I have already tried going to settings->notifications+actions and enabled the Show notifications in action centre.
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Great!
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Ok, I have a question. On the screen shots (and on my phone 640 xl) there are numbers under the clock (2/25 and 2/26), what do those mean? Sorry if its a silly question, but I have googled it, yahoo'ed it, and searched it to no avail. Thanks, Tom