Apple’s Notification Center for macOS Monterey has been redesigned with ease in mind. Its appearance has been simplified into a single column, from which all information is available with a single click.
Long-term users of iPhones will recognize many of the changes already compared to iOS14 – the mobile Notification Center has long-since resembled this new version. And Apple has also introduced a fabulous new selection of widgets, aimed at keeping you up-to-date and organized.
As with any update, you can sit down and play around with your device until you find the answers you’re looking for. Or you can simply absorb our guide to optimizing notifications below and save yourself some much needed time!
Comparisons with Catalina
All new updates come with features which may appear inconvenient to users well-versed in a previous platform. One of these can be found in accessing the Notification Center itself, as the old icon has been removed. Now you can access the center by clicking on the date and time. Once you’ve overcome that particular hurdle, you’ll find a more inclusive and accessible digital experience than ever before.
Catalina’s preference for allowing users to delete mail messages as they occur in real-time has also been replaced. OS Monterey requires you to access a dropdown menu (‘Options’) to achieve the same result.
In just the same way that you might do a Glip v Flock comparison when comparing team collaboration apps, you might decide at first glance that you preferred things the ‘old way’. However, if you spend a little time getting to know Monterey’s Notification Center, you’ll find the new options available to be super-convenient.
Monterey’s Notification Center: The Basics
If you’re brand new to the macOS, the Notification Center keeps your important information together in one place. This may include your emails, text messages, calendars, and calls. It can also include widgets – small apps such as fitness trackers, weather reports, or news items.
All new updates come with features which may appear inconvenient to users well-versed in a previous platform. One of these can be found in accessing the Notification Center itself, as the old icon has been removed. Now you can access the center by clicking on the date and time. Once you’ve overcome that particular hurdle, you’ll find a more inclusive and accessible digital experience than ever before.
- Once you’ve received a notification, simply click ‘show’.
- To respond to messages, click ‘reply’.
- To answer calls, click ‘accept’.
- To delay a notification, click ‘snooze’. Just like an alarm clock, you’ll receive a repeat notification, 15 minutes’ later.
You can stop notifications at any time by accessing system preferences>notifications. Choose the specific app you wish to stop notifications for, and simply untick the ‘allow notifications’ box.
Finding Your Notifications
Once you’ve accessed the notifications center by clicking on the date and time, you’ll see any new notifications at the top. From here, it’s as easy as starting a call using the best conference call headset available. You’ll find that all of your notifications are stacked together in groups. This makes for a cleaner appearance and a more organized set-up.
You can also change the stacked appearance from one app to another, depending on personal preference. Simply click on system preferences>notifications>whichever-app-you-wish-to-unstack and you’ll be able to tailor notifications to that app at will.
Changing Notification Settings
Most apps require you to change them through the system preferences tab mentioned above. But you can change the likes of Mail through the center’s own ‘Options’ menu. Just click on the arrow that appears when you click on a specific notification, and you’ll see most of the same options that you’ll find when accessing system preferences.
Let’s say you’re looking at the best sales apps, Monterey allows you to optimize every application that you run.
Using Widgets
Scroll to the bottom of your Notification Center and you’ll find your existing widgets. These are like collaboration tools to help you manage your daily life and interests more efficiently. Choose from showing alerts only in your Notification Center, pop-ups when your screen is locked, or a sound playing to tell you of specific notifications.
You can also add new widgets to your device through the App Store. Simply open the store and type in a search for ‘notification center widgets’. It’s not quite advanced automation, but it’s simpler to use than ever before. You can also alter your existing widgets by right-clicking on them.
Monterey and Desktop Speed
Of course, optimizing notifications won’t get you far if your system can’t handle the new platform.
If you’re experiencing glitches, from slow loading times to the Notification Center sticking, it’s likely your device is at fault, rather than the new update itself. Monterey requires a lot of memory to run, so pay some attention to cleaning up your device.
Remove any power-hungry apps from your home screen and disable any that you’d normally have running in the background. Remember, Apple is always at the forefront of inventions, from its original iPhone to its smart clothing, and some things need a lot of energy to run.
If this has little effect, consider a full cleanup of your device’s files and operating system. There will likely be leftover information used pre-Monterey which your device no longer requires. Once Monterey has the space it needs, you’ll really be able to make the most of its potential.
Conclusion
In updating the Notification Center for Monterey, Apple has opted for a simplified approach, presenting all your information in a single, ‘at-a-glance’ column. Of course, nothing’s perfect and it’s impossible to please everyone with a single update! But hopefully our guide has shown you the benefits made available by the changes.
Just as IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS marketing agencies are revolutionizing cloud-based software with every update, Apple continues to strive for perfection. By allowing you to optimize your notifications to suit you, Apple has made further steps to devising the perfect personal digital assistant.
Jenna Bunnell - Senior Manager, Content Marketing, Dialpad
Jenna Bunnell is the Senior Manager for Content Marketing at Dialpad, an AI-incorporated cloud-hosted unified communications system that provides cheap VoIP phone services and valuable call details for business owners and sales representatives. She is driven and passionate about communicating a brand’s design sensibility and visualizing how content can be presented in creative and comprehensive ways. Here is her LinkedIn.