The incessant ding, ding, ding, and tap, tap tap of Notifications on my iPhone and Apple Watch often pushes me to the brink. What can be so important that I need to know now?
Oh, Chelsea and Arsenal are caught in a tight match and I should tune in? Brilliant, let me drop everything and do that. Someone just tweeted a wicked burn on Twitter about the latest Batman movie ? I should stop working on this story to weigh in. There's a new YouTube trailer for After Ever Happy? I must drop everything to watch it now.
I get all these notifications and more on my iPhone (and all connected iCloud devices) and this is despite the fact that I usually say "no" when a new app asks me to allow notifications.
Over the last few years, Google, Apple, and Microsoft have sought to manage this tidal wave of attention-seeking through grouping notifications into stacks and, especially, Focus features. We tailor our current focus on iOS , Android , and Windows , and the system will block and tackle these notifications for us.
Sadly, this usually only results in me missing text messages from my wife, so I consider Focus a bit of a fail.
Now, however, at least Twitter and, possibly, Apple, have gotten the message and are taking steps to address the notification problem.
Apple is reportedly working on an update of indeterminate size for Notifications in iOS 16. Twitter just purchased the Mobile Marketing company OpenBackHQ, which focuses on helping companies create relevant, personalized, and real-time notifications.
If nothing else, Twitter's Head of Consumer products Jay Sullivan seems to get the overriding issue with current Notifications. In announcing the OpenBackHQ acquisition in a series of tweets, Sullivan called "irrelevant notifications" "a distraction."
No one, however, is talking about killing Notifications, a nuclear option that even I'm not sure we need.
The problem is, even with companies like OpenBackHQ helping Twitter tailor these notifications back into usefulness, we're not addressing just how far the abuse has gone.
Apple might be, as we reported, working on a Notifications overhaul in iOS 16, but as a company that's both managing platform and a wide variety of services that feed into the Notifications pipeline, it's unlikely to do anything that truly curtails the flow of all these pings, dings, and taps.
When there's a new Apple Arcade game, Apple lets me know.
A new episode of Severance arrives on Apple TV+, Apple lets me know.
I have another few pennies added to my Apple Cash via a purchase made with the Apple Card, Apple lets me know.
Apple is not the only abuser here. Every single app and service wants the right to send you notifications. Even news services, which should know better than to ping you with anything less than breaking news, frequently stretch the definition of importance and share middling updates on news that probably won't ever affect your life. (Apple News does this every day).
Turning down the volume
There is, however, some hypocrisy in my argument. As an ardent Twitter user, I sometimes use these news alerts to drive a tweet. Granted, I filter and only share what I consider important and broadly applicable news. But the occasional "just interesting" slip in there, too.
We need more than Notification redesigns and systems that tailor those updates to our interests. What's needed is true discipline. There should only be certain apps that can notify you of anything and even then, there should be a better (and more obvious) threshold lever.
When my children were small, they used to inform me of every bit of concern and minutiae in their lives. I listened attentively but then started to help them stop alerting me to tiny concerns that they could either handle themselves or could wait for later. I'd ask, "Is this really important right now?" usually they'd think for a moment, shake their head and maybe save all the updates for a dinner table download.
I want a way to set broad Notification controls that ask, "Is this really important right now?" If not, there is no notification. By that benchmark, I bet we cut out 90% of all pings, dings, and taps. It's not the end of Notifications, but it might be close enough for me.
Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show has a new Disney Plus launch date
The Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show has had its release date moved – but don't worry, it hasn't been delayed for a long period of time.
Announced by Ewan McGregor – who returns to play the iconic Jedi Master – in a video posted on Star Wars ' multiple social media channels, Obi-Wan Kenobi will now launch on Disney's streamer on Friday, May 27 .
While that may be disappointing news for some fans to hear, there is a light side to this Sith-style news: when Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney Plus , the first two episodes will be available to stream on launch day. That's worth celebrating, then.
Take a look at the official announcement below:
"Hello, Star Wars fans," McGregor says. "Thank you for all your incredible support and response to Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have some important news: our premiere date is moving – just a couple of days – from Wednesday [May 25] to Friday, May 27.
"But here's the exciting part: the first two episodes will premiere together. So make sure you tune into both episodes from Obi-Wan Kenobi, streaming Friday, May 27 exclusively on Disney Plus."
The new release date comes just three weeks after the show's first trailer was revealed online . In it, we received our first look at Obi-Wan's standalone adventure, including some of the new good (and bad) characters we'll meet, locations we'll travel to, and the TV series' plot. The teaser even spawned a raft of memes, with fans using the scene where Obi-Wan looks through a pair of binoculars to see something amusing on the horizon.
Obi-Wan Kenobi will see McGregor reprise his role as the Jedi Master 15 years on from the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The show, which is set 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, will see Obi-Wan watching over a young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, until the Galactic Empire calls calling in search of any remaining Jedi to kill. Facing the possibility of Luke being discovered, Obi-Wan will likely lead them on a planet-hopping game of cat and mouse – which will eventually lead him to a reunion with former padawan and Luke's father in Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader.
Hayden Christensen also returns as the legendary Sith Lord, while other supporting cast members including Joel Edgerton, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, and Moses Ingram. For more Star Wars-based content, check out our dedicated hub on every Star Wars movie and TV show that's coming soon .
Analysis: what's the reason for the launch date change?
No official reason has been given for Obi-Wan Kenobi's altered release date. However, we have a major theory behind the change: Ms Marvel .
Previously, we've discussed the fact that the upcoming Marvel TV show would clash with Obi-Wan Kenobi and, as such, both properties would compete with each other for the attentions of Disney Plus' subscriber base. That's because Ms Marvel launches on Disney's streaming platform on Wednesday, June 8, which would have meant that its first four episodes would air at the same time as Obi-Wan's final four instalments.
Now, though, the Marvel Phase 4 project and Star Wars prequel series won't be going up against one another for viewers' attention.
That's a smart move on Disney, Lucasfilm, and Marvel's part. As an entirely new Marvel live-action property, Ms Marvel likely would've struggled to gain traction if it clashed with Obi-Wan's highly anticipated solo adventure. Giving the two shows room to breathe, then, is an obvious move to make, but a welcome one nonetheless.
We don't expect that Disney will start launching new shows on Fridays again – it had originally followed Netflix and Prime Video's leads in releasing new TV series, such as WandaVision , before the weekend arrived. That strategy changed in June 2021, though, with the launch of Loki .
We suspect that Disney will keep its Wednesday release day strategy for the long haul. But, in order for Obi-Wan and Ms Marvel to get as many views as possible, moving the former's release date to a different weekday makes total sense. However, it'll now go up against a hit Netflix show in Stranger Thing season 4 . Place your bets on who'll win this lightsaber duel.
Nonetheless, we've reached out to Disney to clarify why Obi-Wan Kenobi's launch date has been moved, and we'll update this article if we hear back.
Halo TV show may have found its showrunner for season 2
Former Fear the Walking Dead executive producer David Wiener is reportedly in line to helm the Halo TV show's second season.
According to numerous outlets, including Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter , Wiener is Paramount Plus's number-one choice to take over from season 1 showrunner Steven Kane.
Speaking during the Paramount Plus Television Critics Association (TCA) panel on Tuesday (February 1), Amblin Television co-president Justin Falvey suggested that Wiener could be the person to replace Kane. However, according to Falvey, that would only occur if the show is renewed for another season, adding: “Our intention is to produce several seasons of the show.”
If Wiener replaces Kane in the hot seat, he'll be the third incumbent to helm the iconic video game series' TV adaptation. Kane was initially brought on board to assist original showrunner Kyle Killen, but assumed total control after Killen's departure in 2018. Now, Kane is also leaving after a solitary season.
Revealing why he was walking away, Kane said: “As much as I enjoyed working on it, it’s a long time to be away from my family [filming in Hungary], and my kids were in the final years of high school, and I didn’t want to leave again. While making Halo will go down for me as a career highlight, I could only do it for one season.”
Halo is set to launch on Paramount Plus on March 24 in the US, but no international release date or platforms have been revealed yet. For more Halo TV show news, read up on why fans are unimpressed with Cortana's new design , as well as how the show fits into the franchise's core canon .
Analysis: wounded, but continuing the fight
Kane and Killen's departures are the latest blows to a TV show that's already endured a tumultuous, multi-year development cycle.
Halo's TV series has been in the works for eight years – District 9's Neil Blonkamp had originally wanted to make a movie based on the gaming franchise before that project fell apart – and has suffered numerous setbacks during that time.
The sci-fi show has lost its two original showrunners, replaced its first director in Rupert Wyatt due to scheduling conflicts, and has even switched platforms from Showtime to Paramount Plus.
Natascha McElhone, who had signed up to portray Dr. Catherine Halsey and Cortana in the live-action series, was also forced to pull out of playing Cortana due to the ongoing pandemic. Master Chief's AI companion will be played by original game-series voice actor Jen Taylor instead.
So the Halo TV show has undergone plenty of changes, and faced many challenges, since 2014. And, like other protracted TV adaptations, including Hulu 's recently cancelled Y: The Last Man , there's no guarantee that it'll be a success, despite an approach that Falvey labeled as "being patient."
Still, Halo's TV series, much like its protagonist, isn't ready to give up just yet. It may have been wounded by numerous boardroom and on-set battles, but it seemingly won't go down without a fight.