Apple’s Latest IOS Update Introduces a New Way to Receive Notifications.
Over the years, the hardware differences between iPhone and Android have become increasingly narrow, but things used to be quite different. At one point , many mainstream Android devices featured dedicated LEDs that would light up when a notification was received. This was a passive way to see if you had something on your phone without turning on the display and risking distraction.
The iPhone never had this specific feature, but Apple has provided a workaround for those interested in a similar experience. For years, you could go into the Accessibility settings and turn the iPhone’s LED flash into a notification light. Every time you received an incoming message, app notification, or call, the camera flash would fire, ensuring you wouldn’t miss an important update. This can be useful for both the hearing impaired who can’t rely on audible alerts, and for those who keep their phone on silent but want a visual cue for a new notification.
For the first time in years, Apple is updating its flashing notifications feature. iOS 26.2 , released Friday, now includes the ability to configure your iPhone’s display to flash when new notifications arrive. You can choose to flash only the display, or use this feature in combination with the LED flash, which I think is most convenient for those who prefer this option. This way, it won’t matter whether your iPhone is face-up or face-down: you’ll always see the flashing notification indicator.
The display flash doesn’t work as you might expect, especially if you’ve used LED flashes before. I expected my iPhone to flash brightly several times, mimicking LED notifications. Instead, when a new notification arrives, the screen brightness instantly increases for a few seconds, then decreases again. It works—you’ll definitely notice the display brightness increasing if it’s not already at maximum—but it’s not as eye-catching as an LED flash.
How to set up Flash for notifications on iPhone
To get started, open the Settings app on your iPhone, then go to Accessibility . Scroll down to Hearing , then select Audio & Video . Scroll down and tap Flash for Alerts .
If you’re running an older version of iOS, you’ll only be able to enable the “LED Flash” option. However, users of iOS 26.2 and later will also see the “Screen” option. Select this option if you want the screen to flash when new notifications arrive, or “Both” to enable both LEDs.
You’ll also find two settings that affect how these pop-up notifications work, regardless of which of the above options you choose. First, you can choose whether your iPhone uses pop-up notifications when locked. If you disable this option, you’ll only see these subtle notifications when your iPhone is unlocked. Second, you can choose whether to use pop-up notifications in silent mode. I’d leave this setting enabled, as it seems most useful when your iPhone has no other way to alert you to new notifications.
It’s also important to note that using an Apple Watch can complicate this feature somewhat, at least in my experience. While testing this feature, I had trouble receiving notifications on a locked phone without first viewing the information on the watch. If you have an Apple Watch and its notifications mirror your iPhone’s , you’ll get the most benefit from this feature when your iPhone is unlocked.