Home  /  Which notifications?
Notifications, honestly

Which WhatsApp, Signal, Outlook and calendar notifications actually show on the glasses?

The question usually arrives as a list: "Will WhatsApp show? What about Signal, Outlook, my calendar?" The instinct is right — but it slightly misreads how the glasses handle notifications. The real answer is simpler, and more freeing, than an approved-apps list.

There is no secret list of "supported apps" — and once you see why, the question mostly answers itself. The Even G2 doesn't decide app-by-app who gets through. It simply mirrors what your phone is already choosing to show you.

Short answer: The Even G2 keeps no list of blessed apps. It mirrors your phone's notification stream — so, broadly, any app that already posts a notification on your phone can surface on the lenses, subject to that app's notification settings and your OS. WhatsApp, Signal, Outlook, calendar: if it buzzes your phone, it can reach the glasses. The honest caveats: we can't certify exactly how each app's message is formatted on the small display, and on Android aggressive battery optimisation can delay alerts. So the real test is your own key apps.

How notification mirroring actually works

The glasses have no data connection and no account of their own. Through the Even Realities app and the system's notification access, they read your phone's notification stream and pass it to the display. It's a mirror, not a second inbox. So the unit that decides "will it show?" isn't the app's brand — it's the question: does this app already post a phone notification you can see?

If a message lands on your lock screen today, it's a candidate for the lens. If you've silenced an app on the phone, the glasses have nothing to mirror. That's the whole logic, and it is pleasingly transparent once you hold it in your head.

Which apps surface — the honest version

Because it mirrors rather than curates, there is no fixed whitelist. WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Outlook, Gmail, SMS and iMessage, Slack, Teams, calendar reminders — all post standard system notifications, so all are candidates for the display. Two gates decide it in any given case:

  • The app's own notification setting. Did you allow that app to notify you on the phone? If not, there's nothing to mirror.
  • The system-level notification access. The Even app needs permission to read notifications. Without it the lenses stay dark — for every app at once.

Turn off either gate and that app goes quiet on the lenses. That isn't a limitation so much as your control: you decide, per app on the phone, what earns a place in your line of sight.

What we can't promise: the formatting

The lens display is small and monochrome. It shows a compact version — roughly the sender plus a preview line. We can't certify how every individual app truncates or renders, especially apps with grouped notifications, images or unusual layouts. Some read cleanly; some may show only "New message." That is exactly why we tell you to test your own apps rather than trust a table that can never quite match your particular setup.

The Android caveat worth knowing. Some Android skins save battery aggressively by suspending background apps. If alerts ever arrive late — or not at all — on the glasses, it's almost never an incompatibility; it's the phone throttling the Even app. Whitelisting the app from battery optimisation usually fixes it. iOS is more uniform here; Android is where this bites. It's a settings tweak, not a reason to return the glasses.

Test your own apps

Rather than guess, settle it in five minutes with exactly the apps you care about.

  1. List your must-have apps. Usually it's three or four that genuinely matter — not the thirty on your home screen.
  2. Confirm each one notifies on the phone. Settings › Notifications — is the app switched on?
  3. Grant the Even app notification access, so it's allowed to read the stream at all.
  4. Send yourself one test from each. A WhatsApp, a Signal message, an Outlook email, a calendar alert — and watch the lens.
  5. Judge the formatting. Does it show enough — sender plus preview — to actually be useful to you?
  6. Android only: exclude the Even app from battery optimisation, then re-test the timing.

The most honest way to do this is in the Zürich showroom with your own phone and your real apps — no purchase, no pressure.

So: buy, skip, or test first?

Buy without worry if your key apps are mainstream messengers, mail and calendar, and you mostly want eyes-up awareness of who is trying to reach you. That covers the overwhelming majority of cases.

Pause if everything hinges on one niche app whose specific rich format must render perfectly, or if you need guaranteed instant delivery on an aggressively managed Android. Test that exact case before you commit.

Test first is the easy advice here: bring your phone, install the app, and fire test notifications from your real apps. While you're weighing it up, the AI glasses database lets you compare models, and if you're still considering the whole idea, start with the plain-language what-are-AI-glasses explainer.

Disclosure: AI-Eyewear is the authorised Swiss reseller of Even Realities. We'd rather you test your own apps for free than buy on a hunch.

Frequently asked

Do WhatsApp and Signal notifications show on the glasses?

As a rule, yes. Both post standard system notifications on the phone, and the Even G2 mirrors that stream. The conditions are that the app is allowed to notify you on the phone and that the Even app has notification access. How each individual message is trimmed on the small display we can't certify app by app — so test your key ones yourself.

Can I choose which apps appear on the glasses?

Yes, indirectly, and exactly where you already control it: in your phone's notification settings. Allow an app to notify you and it becomes a candidate for the lens; silence it and the glasses have nothing to mirror. There is no separate approved-apps list — your phone settings are the control panel.

Why do notifications arrive late on my Android?

Almost always because of battery management. Some Android skins suspend background apps, which delays how quickly the Even app relays the notification stream. That is a setting, not an incompatibility. Exclude the Even app from battery optimisation and the timing usually returns to normal.

Does the display show the full message text?

It shows a compact version — typically the sender and a preview line — not a whole conversation. The lens display is small and monochrome, meant for a quick glance rather than reading long messages. Exactly how much appears depends on the app and your settings, which is why a short self-test is so revealing.

Bring your apps. See for yourself what shows.