[Notifications] [Messages] Notifications should go away when cleared on another device

[Peter Bittner]

As a user
I want notifications (about new emails, Telegram messages, etc.) be cleared automatically when I act upon them on another device (e.g. I read new Telegram messages or emails on my notebook)
so that I don't have to clear all notifications on my mobile phone too (and the indicator light stops flashing on my bq E5).

[Peter Bittner (peter-bittner)]

This feature may technically be related to #1388189, https://bugs.launchpad.net/canonical-devices-system-image/+bug/1388189

[Pat McGowan (pat-mcgowan)]

@peter once delivered the notifications are no longer connected to the state in the network server.
is the clear all option not sufficient?
The push plugins for each service would need to also get updates on existing messages not just new arrivals.

[Peter Bittner (peter-bittner)]

"Clear all" does remove the notifications from the indicator, but the apps (e.g. Telegram) will still show a number indicator on their icon in the launcher. Also, "clear all" requires interaction with the phone. The phone's LED doesn't stop blinking when I read all unread emails on my PC.

Think "convergence" in a different sense. Not one device and OS across all form factors, but several devices acting on the same pieces of information in parallel. Think smart watches. If I read all chat messages on my smart watch why doesn't the phone (that the smart watch is just a front-end for) not make its LED stop blinking? As a smart device I'd say, it has to!

Same goes for all other applications and device combinations. If I read my Telegram messages on my PC the Telegram client on my phone should make all read message appear read, and remove the number indicating "nn unread messages" on its launcher icon. Same situation with the mail client, the calendar (notifications), other chat clients, etc.

Probably this is a system design issue and requires drafting an API to allow clients to deal with real-time sync information. What does the current API look like? -- Fire-and-forget push messages will not do the job, that's for sure.

[Peter Bittner (peter-bittner)]

Interestingly, it works the other direction: (at least with Telegram)

When you read a message with the Ubuntu Touch Telegram app (on the phone) then the red "1" indication counter on the Telegram tray icon (of the Telegram desktop client) goes away. That's how's it's supposed to work on the phone too.