Android Hacks for the Notification LED Light

Phone LED Capabilities

Verify the LED light color capabilities before considering installing LED hacks. The LED's capabilities are limited by the phone's hardware. Some Android devices do not even have a LED light, while others only have a single color LED. To reduce battery drain, some Androids only activate the LED when the screen is turned off. You can sometimes find this information by reading specifications or reviews. If you can't find the info, contact the device manufacturer's customer care department and ask the representative the capabilities of the LED light. Some devices also require root access to change the notification LED settings.

Light Flow

Light Flow allows you to set LED flash color and frequency for a variety of phone functions and third-party applications. If your phone has a camera LED but not a notification LED, Light Flow allows you to use the camera LED as a notification light. If you have multiple notifications on your phone, the app can cycle the LED between the different colors to alert you of the type of notifications. Light Flow comes in two versions. The Lite version is free, but it takes up to 12 blinks for the LED color to change if you have multiple notifications. The paid version changes every flash, and also includes built-in support for social media services.

Blink

Blink also allows you to set notification colors and flash frequency. The app's main advantage is it allows you to select LED colors based on their red green blue values. Blink also allows you to test the LED by selecting colors from a gradient color wheel. For example, if you select a blue shade and your phone's LED color doesn't change, the LED doesn't have the capability of showing blue.

NoLED

NoLED is an app for Android devices that do not have a notification or flash LED. It displays an icon or bright flashing light on the Android lock screen. The app allows you to customize the color and type of icon for different notifications. It supports all the standard phone functions such as text messages, voicemail alerts, and missed calls. You can also set notifications for most third-party applications through the Monitored Apps setting. The drawback is it drains the battery faster than the other hacks, because the screen must remain on for the notification icons to display.