Pixel 11 Pro Brings Back Notification Light with HiLight Feature

The Google Pixel 11 Pro has brought back a feature that many thought was lost forever: the notification light. A notification light, also known as HiLight, is an array of RGB LEDs around the rear camera flash on the phone's back. It only lights up when the phone is face down on a flat surface and does nothing while the phone is in your hand or pocket.

Google made room for this feature by dropping the infrared temperature sensor that was present on previous Pro models. HiLight can be assigned to favorite contacts, triggering a matching pulse when they call. However, it's currently limited to calls from those specific contacts and does not support text messaging or third-party apps at launch.

A developer has already created an open-source app called HiLight Studio that allows the LED array to be used for any app notification, but this is experimental and requires side loading or an ADB command. The article's author notes that while having a phone face down with HiLight may not completely eliminate cognitive distractions, it's still a better trade-off than the alternative.

The feature has been welcomed by some as a revival of a previously useful tool, particularly in situations where constant checking of notifications is necessary but undesirable. The notification light was first introduced on the Pixel 3 and later used for Do Not Disturb triggers, but ultimately fell out of favor with Google's decision to remove it.