This app is like Google Inbox for your smartphone notifications

By AJ Dellinger July 30, 2015

Notifications are handy, but you probably spend more time swiping them away than actually using them. That’s a problem, and Snowball aims to fix it. Think of it like a priority inbox for your notifications. Instead of getting alerted to every little thing that triggers random apps you have installed, Snowball allows you to pick what really matters to you. Things like notifications about automatic app updates? Those are gone. But score alerts from your favorite team or a new comment on a Facebook photo? Those can cut to the front of the line.

Teaching Snowball what you want to see and what you want hidden is as easy as navigating Tinder dates. Swipe left to hide it, swipe right to prioritize it. Over time, Snowball will know what you care about. Don’t worry—hidden notifications aren’t gone for good. You can still access them in a separate part of the app should you want to see what’s happening on your device; they just won’t be pushed on you in an annoying fashion.

Recommended Videos

The new app from mobile developer Squanda expands upon an idea put in place in a beta version of the app. Originally, Snowball was a unified messenger service that brought together popular texting apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, Snapchat, and Google Hangouts and put them all in one place.

That framework is still in Snowball. You can reply to messages from the aforementioned apps and others right from within Snowball. This also works for YouTube videos and web links, which pop up on a card-style interface inside Snowball. Other information is set to be added in the future as well, with the intention of turning Snowball into a one-stop shop for what you want to know.

The new version of Snowball is available to download for Android devices.

Topics

Contributor

AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…

Mobile

Check your inbox — Google may have invited you to use Bard, its ChatGPT rival

ChatGPT versus Google on smartphones.

AI chatbots have been the subject of much public fascination as of late, with the likes of ChatGPT continuously making headlines. But now, Google is finally getting in on the trend by soft-launching Bard for select Pixel users.

Bard is Google's AI chatbot that was previously unavailable to the public, but according to a report from 9to5Google, the company is inviting some of its most loyal and dedicated customers to give it a try.

Mobile

These Android apps are spying on you — and there’s no easy way to stop them

Illustration of a giant eye stalking through a phone

Android’s security woes need no introduction, but another threat that hasn’t received its fair share of awareness relates to spyware and stalkerware apps. These apps can secretly be installed on a victim’s phone to monitor their activity and can be exploited to harass victims of domestic abuse and engage in online stalking. All someone needs is physical access to the victim's phone to install these apps, which is not too difficult in cases of domestic abuse.

Call it an app-fueled version of AirTag stalking, but on steroids, because these spyware apps can steal everything including messages, call logs, emails, photos, and videos. Some can even activate the microphone and the camera, and secretly transfer these recordings to a remote server where the abuser can access it. Since Google Play's policies don't allow stalking apps, these apps are sold via third-party websites and need to be sideloaded.

Mobile

Your Tinder profile is about to change in 3 huge ways

An image of two iPhones displaying the new badges coming to Tinder.

Tinder's dating app gives users a quick look into a potential match's life before they decide if they're compatible via swipe, but now even more information will be on full display. Following an update that went live today, desired relationship types, a person's pronouns, and relationship goals will now appear front and center on user profiles as badges found directly underneath a person's name and age.

The updated information has been added in order to improve clarity for all users. According to a survey conducted by Tinder, 73% of Tinder users say that they're looking for someone on the app who knows what they want and are clear about it. The newfound focus Tinder is taking on clarity when it comes to what sort of relationship type a person is looking for is meant to help streamline interactions, and cut out any matches that come from misaligned expectations.