The bell you see on Google+ and on the top bar across other services is where you can catch up on activity within the social platform (circle adds, +1's, photo tags all show up here). +Mr. Jingles is Google's very own mascot for Google+ notifications, you'll have spotted him when you've read or dismissed all your notifications on the G+ web or mobile apps.
At some point last night, Google flicked on the switch that renames "Google+ notifications" to "Google notifications". The name change suggests that Google+ and the social elements of Blogger and YouTube will not be the only ones to make use of Mr. Jingles, and the newly added G+ icons affixed to each Google+ related notification is further proof of the notification area opening up.
During the last few weeks, Google has been removing features from Google+ that aren't well known or underused in the name of streamlining the platform, and although they're not axing Google+ notifications, I can't shake the feeling that they're trying hard to de-emphasize Google+ as a service.
Google I/O is now just a mere few hours away and the rumours are coming in thick and fast. +Android Police has leaked a new Google Photos app which shakes off the tight Google+ integration. +Sundar Pichai did suggest in an interview with Forbes that Google+ may be broken up into components (Stream, Hangouts, Photos). See where I'm going here?
What are your speculations on the recently renamed "Google notifications"?
Thanks +Erik Piehl Sylvén, +Mohamed Magdy and others