Text of Alerts

The text in an alert should be succinct. This will help get the information across to consumers, even though they might not have much time and might not be able to give the device their full attention. If an alert has a long text, consumers must be given as much time as they need to read the message.

MIDP Implementors

Strongly Recommend: Display alerts that require scrolling as modal alerts. app developers can request either timed or modal alerts, but if they give an alert so much content such that it must scroll, make the alert modal.

app Developers

Recommend: Avoid having a timed alert become a modal alert by keeping messages for timed alerts short, such as from one to three words. Given the many screen sizes of devices and the different fonts they may use, there is no guarantee that a timed alert will never be turned into a modal alert. Keeping messages short and testing the app on a device with a small screen (such as one with 96-by-54 pixels) gives an app developer the best chance of keeping timed alerts timed.