Customer Reviews (100)

Milan Pužić • 2025-03-24T20:01:37.153Z

Super useful app

Hunter Help me my mum is pooping • 2025-03-24T12:13:34.978Z

makes notifications actually manageable

Adrian • 2025-03-24T03:53:49.912Z

Anytime I meet a new person who loves customizing their android phone this is the app I recommend! Obviously the initial draw for me was being able to have custom sounds notifications for any and every notification the phone sends but I stick around because this app can auto dismiss any annoying notifications that you can't otherwise turn off!

Summary of Key Insights

BuzzKill is a highly customizable notification management app that is generally well-received by users. Its strengths lie in its ability to filter, customize, and manage notifications in ways that the native Android system does not allow. Users appreciate its ability to reduce notification overload and ensure important notifications are not missed. The main weaknesses appear to be intermittent functionality issues, occasional app crashes, and some limitations in the rule logic and UI intuitiveness. The overall sentiment is positive, reflected in a high average rating.

  • Overall Rating: Positive
  • Average Rating (estimated): 4.49 stars (weighted average based on review distribution)
  • Score Distribution: 68% 5-star, 12% 4-star, 5% 3-star, 6% 2-star, 9% 1-star

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 100 reviews
  • Time Frame: Not explicitly stated, but assumed to be recent based on review content (e.g., Android 14 mentions).
  • Analysis Methods: Primarily qualitative analysis, focusing on identifying recurring themes, sentiment expressed, and feature requests. Quantitative analysis involved calculating the weighted average rating and analyzing the score distribution.

Key User Pain Points

  • Intermittent Functionality Issues: Several users reported that the app stops working after a period of time, requiring a reboot or reinstallation. This is a major pain point as it defeats the purpose of the app.
  • App Crashes: Some users experienced crashes, particularly during rule creation.
  • Rule Logic Limitations: Some users find the "if this then that" logic too simplistic and desire more complex conditional rules (e.g., nested triggers, AND/OR conditions).
  • UI Intuitiveness: Several users mentioned a learning curve and difficulty in understanding how to create and tweak rules, or found the UI not to their liking.
  • Notification Delivery Issues: Some users reported delays or failures in the app processing notifications according to configured rules.
  • Incompatibility Issues: Some users reported that the app does not work as expected with specific devices (e.g., OnePlus Watch 2, Pixel 6, Poco M2 Pro) or Android versions (e.g., Oxygen OS 15).
  • Wear OS Companion App Issues: Some users are having issues enabling the companion app on their Wear OS devices.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Light Mode: Several users requested a light mode option for the app's UI.
  • Call Filtering: Users want the ability to create rules based on phone calls, not just notifications.
  • More Complex Rule Logic: Requests for more complex rule conditions (e.g., AND/OR, nested triggers).
  • Multiple Actions per Rule: Users want to be able to trigger multiple actions with a single rule (e.g., mute and dismiss).
  • Dismiss Notification Widget/Button: A widget or quick action to dismiss notifications directly.
  • Improved Vibration Pattern Builder: A more intuitive and user-friendly vibration pattern editor with copy/paste, presets, and easier editing capabilities.
  • Notification Category Filtering: The ability to filter notifications based on their category.
  • Summarize Task Improvement: Users are looking forward to the summarize task being moved out of beta.
  • Ability to Stop Current Reminders: Users want a quick way to stop reminders for specific notifications without dismissing them.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Customization: Users highly value the app's extensive customization options for notification management.
  • Notification Filtering: The ability to filter out unwanted or redundant notifications is a major selling point.
  • Custom Sounds and Vibration Patterns: Users appreciate the ability to set custom sounds and vibration patterns for specific contacts or apps.
  • Auto-Dismissal of Notifications: The auto-dismissal feature for persistent or annoying notifications is highly praised.
  • Cooldown Feature: The ability to prevent repeated buzzing from frequent messages is valuable.
  • Developer Responsiveness: Some users reported positive experiences with the developer's support and responsiveness.
  • Privacy Focus: The app's privacy-first approach (no internet access, no trackers) is a significant advantage.
  • Ease of Use (for some): Some users find the app easy to set up and use, especially for simple rules.
  • Tasker Alternative: Users find it to be a simpler alternative to Tasker for notification management.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

  • High Priority:

    • Address Intermittent Functionality Issues: Investigate and fix the root cause of the app stopping working after a period of time. This is the most critical issue affecting user satisfaction.
    • Fix App Crashes: Identify and resolve the causes of app crashes, especially during rule creation.
    • Improve Stability and Compatibility: Thoroughly test the app on a wider range of devices and Android versions, including OnePlus, Pixel, and Poco devices, and address any compatibility issues.
    • Improve Notification Delivery: Address the issues with notification delivery delays or failures.

  • Medium Priority:

    • Enhance Rule Logic: Consider adding support for more complex rule conditions (e.g., AND/OR, nested triggers).
    • Implement Multiple Actions per Rule: Allow users to trigger multiple actions with a single rule.
    • Improve UI Intuitiveness: Redesign the UI to make it more intuitive and easier to use, particularly for creating and managing rules.
    • Add Light Mode: Implement a light mode option for the app's UI.
    • Enhance Vibration Pattern Builder: Make the vibration pattern editor more user-friendly with copy/paste, presets, and easier editing.

  • Low Priority:

    • Add Call Filtering: Explore the possibility of adding rules based on phone calls, considering the technical limitations.
    • Add Dismiss Notification Widget/Button: Provide a widget or quick action to dismiss notifications directly.
    • Add Notification Category Filtering: Allow users to filter notifications based on their category.
    • Improve Summarize Task: Move the summarize task out of beta with improved functionality.
    • Add Ability to Stop Current Reminders: Provide a quick way to stop reminders for specific notifications without dismissing them.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • AI-Powered Notification Summarization: Develop an AI-powered feature that intelligently summarizes notifications, providing users with a concise overview of important information.
  • Context-Aware Notification Management: Create a system that automatically adjusts notification settings based on the user's context (e.g., location, activity, time of day).
  • Notification Prioritization Based on Relationships: Implement a feature that prioritizes notifications based on the user's relationship with the sender (e.g., family, friends, colleagues).
  • Proactive Notification Management: An app that learns user behavior and proactively suggests notification rules to optimize their experience.

Trends and Observations

  • Android Version Specific Issues: Several reviews mention issues related to specific Android versions (e.g., Android 14, Oxygen OS 15), suggesting a need for continuous testing and updates to maintain compatibility.
  • Device-Specific Issues: There are reports of issues on specific devices (e.g., OnePlus, Pixel, Poco), indicating the need for device-specific optimization.
  • Positive Sentiment Despite Issues: Despite the reported issues, the overall sentiment remains positive, suggesting that the app's core functionality is highly valued.
  • Feature Requests Focused on Granularity and Control: Users consistently request more granular control over notification behavior, indicating a desire for a highly customizable experience.

Conclusion

BuzzKill is a valuable app that addresses a significant pain point for many Android users: notification overload. While the app has some weaknesses, particularly regarding stability and UI intuitiveness, its strengths in customization and notification filtering make it a worthwhile purchase for many users. By addressing the prioritized action recommendations, the developer can significantly improve the user experience and solidify BuzzKill's position as a leading notification management app.

Original App Link

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samruston.buzzkill