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AuraDisplay vs NotifyBuddy: Which Notification LED App? (2026)
By the llcloud team 5 min read
The short answer
Pick NotifyBuddy if you want a simple LED-style dot you can move around the screen and you are happy to switch off Ambient Display for it. Pick AuraDisplay if you want a ring around the camera or an edge glow that works alongside your phone's Always On Display, with colors set from each app's icon and no ads.
NotifyBuddy, by XanderApps, brings up a black screen with an LED-looking animation when a chosen app notifies you, and asks you to turn off Ambient Display. AuraDisplay draws a ring around the camera cutout or a glow along the screen edge on the lock screen and Always On Display, keeps the light steady on AOD, and has no ads. Both are free to install with paid extras.
NotifyBuddy started as a fix for one phone. Its developer missed the notification LED and built a stand-in, first discussed on the XDA forums for the OnePlus 6T. AuraDisplay solves the same problem with a different idea: a ring around the camera cutout or a glow along the screen edge, drawn on top of the lock screen and Always On Display. This comparison uses each app's Google Play listing as of October 2026.
How do AuraDisplay and NotifyBuddy compare?
| Feature | NotifyBuddy | AuraDisplay |
|---|---|---|
| LED-style dot you can move | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ring around the camera cutout | ✗ | ✓ |
| Glow along the screen edge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Works alongside the phone's Always On Display | ✗ Asks you to turn Ambient Display off | ✓ |
| Color per app | ✓ You pick | ✓ Automatic from the app icon, custom with Pro |
| Color per contact | Not listed | ✓ Pro (BETA), in seven messaging apps |
| Missed call light | ✓ | Through the Phone app's notification |
| Change LED size | ✓ Premium | ✓ Ring and edge thickness, free |
| Downtime or quiet hours | ✓ | ✓ Pro |
| Several apps at once | Not listed | ✓ Pro, up to three |
| Charging indicator | Not listed | ✓ Pro |
| Ads | ✓ Contains ads | ✗ None |
| Paid features | In-app purchases | One-time Pro purchase |
What does NotifyBuddy do well?
NotifyBuddy keeps things small. Setup is three steps on its listing: turn off Ambient Display and battery optimization, grant notification access, then pick the apps you care about by giving each a color. The app name changes to that color so you can see it worked.
It then does one thing: when a chosen app notifies you, it brings up a black screen with an animation that looks like an LED. You can change the animation time, the colors and the position of the light, turn on a light for missed calls, and set downtime. Premium adds a bigger or smaller LED. Its listing also has notes for MIUI phones, such as allowing AutoStart and "Show on lock screen".
If you remember the blinking dot on old phones and want exactly that, NotifyBuddy gets closest to the look. It has been on Play for years and is still updated, with its listing showing an update in August 2026.
Where does NotifyBuddy ask more of you?
The main trade is Always On Display. NotifyBuddy's light lives on its own black screen, and its setup asks you to disable Ambient Display. You give up the clock, date and icons your phone's AOD would show in exchange for the dot.
The listing describes it for AMOLED phones, where black pixels are off. On an LCD, a black screen still lights the backlight, so the dot loses its point. The free version shows ads, and the listing says a premium purchase unlocks all features. That is a fair way to fund an app, but worth knowing before you set it up.
Colors are per app only. The listing does not mention per-contact colors, several apps at once or a charging light.
What does AuraDisplay do differently?
AuraDisplay keeps your phone's own screens and adds a light to them. It shows on the lock screen, while unlocked, and on Always On Display.
- Ring or edge, per app. A ring wraps the punch hole, pill or notch, or a glow runs along the screen border. Mix both on one phone. Edge mode works on any phone, even one without a cutout.
- Colors from the app icon. WhatsApp glows green and Gmail red before you change anything.
- Fits your cutout. The ring finds your camera and you can nudge its position and scale. A self-test during setup lights the ring with a real notification.
- Steady on AOD. The AOD panel refreshes about once a second, so AuraDisplay holds a static glow there and animates only while the screen is on. Our guide to notifications on Always On Display explains the 1Hz limit and burn-in.
- No ads. The free version has the ring and edge for any app, icon colors, the Pulse animation and adjustable thickness. Pro is one purchase and adds per-contact colors (BETA), custom colors, Dual Edge, Flash, Wave, Orbit and Static, up to three apps at once, quiet hours, auto-dismiss, battery-aware dimming and a charging indicator.
If you want a light along the border instead of around the camera, see our guide to edge lighting on any Android phone.
What are AuraDisplay's limits?
There is no movable LED dot, so if the classic look is what you want, NotifyBuddy does that and AuraDisplay does not. On AOD you get a steady light, not an animation. Seeing the light with the screen off needs an AMOLED screen with AOD switched on.
AuraDisplay needs notification access and an accessibility service, which is how Android lets an app draw over the lock screen. It reads only the app name and icon color. Like any background app, it can be closed by a phone maker's battery manager. A force-stop turns its accessibility service off, and AuraDisplay sends a notification so you can turn it back on. Our explainer on why Android kills background apps and the Xiaomi guide cover the settings that help, and the same applies to NotifyBuddy, which is why its listing mentions AutoStart.
Which should you choose?
- Choose NotifyBuddy if you want the closest thing to an old LED dot, you have an AMOLED phone, and you do not mind turning Ambient Display off or seeing ads in the free version.
- Choose AuraDisplay if you want to keep your Always On Display and add a ring or edge glow to it, with colors set from app icons, a light that fits your cutout, and no ads.
- Want more effects? Our comparisons of AuraDisplay and aodNotify and AuraDisplay and Always On Edge cover apps with more styles and AOD tricks.
Both are free to try. For every option, including what your phone can do with no app at all, read our guide to getting a notification light on Android. On a Galaxy, start with the Samsung notification light guide.
Sources
Questions
Is NotifyBuddy free?
NotifyBuddy is free to install. Its Play listing shows that it contains ads and offers in-app purchases, and it says a premium version bought inside the app unlocks all features, such as changing the LED size. AuraDisplay is free with no ads, and its Pro upgrade is a single one-time purchase. Check the current price in your own Play Store.
Why does NotifyBuddy ask me to turn off Ambient Display?
NotifyBuddy shows its light on its own black screen, and its setup steps ask you to disable Ambient Display and battery optimization for the app. AuraDisplay works the other way round. It draws on top of your phone's own Always On Display, so you keep the clock and icons AOD shows and add a ring or edge glow to it.
Does NotifyBuddy work on LCD phones?
NotifyBuddy's listing describes it for phones with AMOLED displays. On an LCD, a black screen still lights the whole backlight, so the effect is less like an LED and uses more power. AuraDisplay's lock screen light works on any Android 8.0+ phone, but its Always On Display light also needs an AMOLED screen with AOD turned on.
Can AuraDisplay animate on Always On Display?
No, and no app that keeps AOD in its low-power mode can animate smoothly there, because the AOD panel refreshes about once a second. AuraDisplay holds a steady glow on AOD and runs its Pulse animation, or Pro styles such as Wave and Orbit, while the screen is on. A new notification can take up to about a second to appear on AOD.
Can either app give a contact its own color?
NotifyBuddy's listing describes colors per app, not per contact. AuraDisplay Pro adds per-contact colors as a BETA feature in WhatsApp, Google Messages, Samsung Messages, Telegram, Viber, Messenger and Instagram. It depends on what each app shares about the sender, so a contact may sometimes light in the app's color instead.
