Android's notification system is one of its biggest advantages over iOS, but that doesn't mean everyone is satisfied with how Android's notifications have turned out. For example, Android 8.0 Oreo's notification channels were designed to give users more control over alerts, but they're also a mess to deal with if an app creates more than a dozen channels (I'm looking at you, Telegram.) Going way back to 2014, Android 5.0 Lollipop introduced a major change in the way priority notifications are shown to the user. Rather than overlaying on top of the status bar as a ticker, Lollipop introduced heads-up notification dropdowns. The notification ticker is long dead and the heads-up notification now reigns supreme, but the developer of the popular automation app Tasker found a way to recreate the old notification style.

I personally prefer the notification ticker since it takes up way less space on the screen and also doesn't tempt me to immediately respond to every notification. Notification fatigue is becoming a real problem, and many companies are responding with digital wellbeing tools to curb our smartphone addictions. If you miss this old notification style, then you can recreate it by following the instructions below.

How to recreate the Notification Ticker in Tasker

You'll need to sign up for the beta versions of Tasker and AutoNotification on Google Play, install both apps, and then install the AutoTools plug-in as well. None of these apps are free beyond their initial trial periods, but they're worth getting if you're a power user who is interested in automation.

Tasker Developer: joaomgcd
Price: 3.49
4.6
Download
AutoNotification Developer: joaomgcd
Price: Free
4.3
Download
AutoTools Developer: joaomgcd
Price: Free
4
Download

Once you've installed these apps, you can import this project by opening this page on an Android device. If you have any questions, then I recommend posting them on joaomgcd's thread over on our Tasker Tips & Tricks forum.