iPhone Any chance the Phone app finally gets updated?

[Tig Bitties]

Curious if Apple will finally update the Phone app? Which has needed an overhaul for years now, as it feels like a decade old app that's been untouched.

Incoming calls hijacking your phone, where it should come in as a banner heads up, with the options to Accept or Decline, and not take up the entire screen. Also not sure, but does it have the T9 dialer? Meaning when you start typing a phone number it will show that contact before you enter the full number.

It's shocking Apple hasn't done this yet, which should have been in like iOS 7.

 

[DerMario]

Never forget the lack if contact pictures in the list.

It’s awful!!!

 

[PastaPrimav]

The idea that incoming phone calls should be relegated to simple banners is beyond absurd, and I'm sure brings with it all kinds of legal and social impact concerns for Apple. This isn't just software.

And no, making it "an option" is not the answer for bad ideas.

There is a new feature iOS 13 that lets you silence all unknown calls. That should be more than enough to address this strange concern of not wanting to answer calls.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Do it similar to how Android has done it from day one, over a decade ago .

On Android if your currently using your phone, like in middle of typing a text, or composing an email, and a phone call comes in, it shows up as a header banner, with options for Decline, Screen Call, or Answer. That way it doesn't disrupt what your currently doing on your phone.

And if the phone is just sitting on your desk, and a call comes in, then yes it's full screen, takes up the entire phone, which is ok at that point.

 

[Tig Bitties]

I'm not the only person to bring this topic up. I've seen this mentioned on numerous web sites over the years, with ideas on how people want core iOS apps updated. I find it mind boggling how Apple has just totally left this untouched and has done zero with the Phone app in years. Like I said, this specific thing has been brought up tons of times when people do a wish list for iOS apps they say need revising.

 

[jonblatho]

Curious if Apple will finally update the Phone app? Which has needed an overhaul for years now, as it feels like a decade old app that's been untouched.

Incoming calls hijacking your phone, where it should come in as a banner heads up, with the options to Accept or Decline, and not take up the entire screen. Also not sure, but does it have the T9 dialer? Meaning when you start typing a phone number it will show that contact before you enter the full number.

It's shocking Apple hasn't done this yet, which should have been in like iOS 7.

This isn't coming in iOS 13, but Craig Federighi acknowledged this feedback in an email that some Reddit user posted (and said it won't come in iOS 13).
[doublepost=1563926844][/doublepost]

The idea that incoming phone calls should be relegated to simple banners is beyond absurd, and I'm sure brings with it all kinds of legal and social impact concerns for Apple. This isn't just software.

And no, making it "an option" is not the answer for bad ideas.

There is a new feature iOS 13 that lets you silence all unknown calls. That should be more than enough to address this strange concern of not wanting to answer calls.

BREAKING: The way PastaPrimav uses their phone is how everyone else should use their phone, too, and every other approach is weird and bad.

There are often occasions where I'm using my devices and would prefer not to accept even a "known" call, from a contact. They can text me or leave a voicemail; in general, unless it's a known and time-sensitive matter, I won't answer it. I shouldn't have to outright decline calls—which can be considered rude— or wait for it to go to voicemail for this.

In fact, this banner-based approach is already how Apple does it on macOS. Throw that "legal and social impact concerns" garbage where it belongs.

 

[Tig Bitties]

There's been a great Jailbreak tweak that makes the Phone app work like Android's with the banner header for incoming calls, but it's even better. And been in the JB scene for years and extremely popular. Man, Apple should just buy that tweak and apply it to stock LOL.

 

[adnbek]

The idea that incoming phone calls should be relegated to simple banners is beyond absurd, and I'm sure brings with it all kinds of legal and social impact concerns for Apple. This isn't just software.

And no, making it "an option" is not the answer for bad ideas.

There is a new feature iOS 13 that lets you silence all unknown calls. That should be more than enough to address this strange concern of not wanting to answer calls.

I hope this is a joke. You must be joking, right? Right??

This is MUCH needed!. You’re filming a video with the camera and a call comes in, your video gets cut off. You’re in a FaceTime call and a phone call comes in, your FaceTime is interrupted. You’re watching a video and a call comes in, your video is replaced by the phone app yet again hogging the screen. You’re writing an important email or a text message and a call comes in... you see where this is going. At least I hope you do...

You get the point yet? And what is this nonsense regarding legal or social ramifications to Apple?

 

[scfrazer2019]

I hope this is a joke. You must be joking, right? Right??

This is MUCH needed!. You’re filming a video with the camera and a call comes in, your video gets cut off. You’re in a FaceTime call and a phone call comes in, your FaceTime is interrupted. You’re watching a video and a call comes in, your video is replaced by the phone app yet again hogging the screen. You’re writing an important email or a text message and a call comes in... you see where this is going. At least I hope you do...

You get the point yet? And what is this nonsense regarding legal or social ramifications to Apple?

How about you are driving and have several turns coming up and a call comes in which takes over the phone and CarPlay and you miss your turn.

 

[AppleHaterLover]

Craig Feferighi has been on the record noting that they’re aware of this criticism (i.e. calls hijacking your screen) but they can’t change it for iOS 13.

With the average person getting 20+ robocalls a week, it’s about time for them to create an intermediate solution that does not stop all calls (DND) and allows you to quickly check whether you want to answer that call or not.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Is it something that could be in 13.1 ? Or has to wait till iOS 14 revamp ?

 

[jonblatho]

Is it something that could be in 13.1 ? Or has to wait till iOS 14 revamp ?

Not impossible, but unlikely. Point releases, if they have new features at all, usually have new features that don’t impact existing APIs or potentially require developer effort to update. Take Night Shift, Portrait Mode, and Apple Music for example…all shipped in a point release.

The incoming call UI isn’t quite so simple, though, because it’s not used solely by the Phone app. It can be summoned by any app that supports CallKit, and so it could require some (likely modest) developer effort to update their apps to take advantage of a banner-based, rather than full-screen, incoming call UI. To take advantage of it, apps may have to link against an updated iOS SDK and it could even break existing code.

There’s also always the possibility that, regardless of the developer effort involved, Apple’s marketing team wants to save it as yet another feature for iOS 14, even if it’s just to throw it on the “word cloud” slide at the end of its segment of the keynote. (I highly doubt they’d make a big deal over it, as doing so would implicitly and very publicly admit that they made a mistake.)

 

[Dranix]

Craig Feferighi has been on the record noting that they’re aware of this criticism (i.e. calls hijacking your screen) but they can’t change it for iOS 13.

With the average person getting 20+ robocalls a week, it’s about time for them to create an intermediate solution that does not stop all calls (DND) and allows you to quickly check whether you want to answer that call or not.

Has to suck to be american. Haven't got a single robocall in 44 years here in Germany x_X

 

[DukeSilver79]

Has to suck to be american. Haven't got a single robocall in 44 years here in Germany x_X

Heck, I've even gotten robo calls from myself lately. That was bizarre the first time it happened.

 

[Dranix]

Aren’t they illegal in the us?

 

[MisterSavage]

I hope this is a joke. You must be joking, right? Right??

This is MUCH needed!. You’re filming a video with the camera and a call comes in, your video gets cut off. You’re in a FaceTime call and a phone call comes in, your FaceTime is interrupted. You’re watching a video and a call comes in, your video is replaced by the phone app yet again hogging the screen. You’re writing an important email or a text message and a call comes in... you see where this is going. At least I hope you do...

You get the point yet? And what is this nonsense regarding legal or social ramifications to Apple?

Yeah this is one of the most common complaints I read. It also happens with CarPlay with iOS 12. You're using maps to direct you to a place and when you get an incoming phone call it takes over the whole screen completely blocking maps from you.

 

[PastaPrimav]

I hope this is a joke. You must be joking, right? Right??

This is MUCH needed!. You’re filming a video with the camera and a call comes in, your video gets cut off. You’re in a FaceTime call and a phone call comes in, your FaceTime is interrupted. You’re watching a video and a call comes in, your video is replaced by the phone app yet again hogging the screen. You’re writing an important email or a text message and a call comes in... you see where this is going. At least I hope you do...

You get the point yet? And what is this nonsense regarding legal or social ramifications to Apple?

No absolutely is not a joke, and you demonstrate unimaginable ignorance to not understand any of what you responded to. You post your ridiculous use case as "proof" of something while ignoring literally everything else. What a great addition to a product team you would make.

I'm very familiar with non-software people like yourself being utterly incensed and confused when their bad ideas are revealed to have endless reasons why they can't be done...and all the belligerence that follows
[doublepost=1563982068][/doublepost]

Is it something that could be in 13.1 ? Or has to wait till iOS 14 revamp ?

It will not ever exist in the way you imagine, for reasons already explained. So you can forget it.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Why is it legally okay for Google and all of the Android phone makers to have the Phone app operate this way then? Android's phone app has worked this way from the beginning for over a decade and there's no legal or emergency issues.

And it's also a very popular jailbreak tweak that's been around for years .

I think people in the thread have made some very valid posts and reasons why the Phone app needs to be updated .

 

[PastaPrimav]

This isn't coming in iOS 13, but Craig Federighi acknowledged this feedback in an email that some Reddit user posted (and said it won't come in iOS 13).
[doublepost=1563926844][/doublepost]
BREAKING: The way PastaPrimav uses their phone is how everyone else should use their phone, too, and every other approach is weird and bad.

There are often occasions where I'm using my devices and would prefer not to accept even a "known" call, from a contact. They can text me or leave a voicemail; in general, unless it's a known and time-sensitive matter, I won't answer it. I shouldn't have to outright decline calls—which can be considered rude— or wait for it to go to voicemail for this.

In fact, this banner-based approach is already how Apple does it on macOS. Throw that "legal and social impact concerns" garbage where it belongs.

You obviously don't develop software, which is clear by your flippant disregard for anything other than your very narrow desire.

For a real software company like Apple, whose devices are part of the lives of billions of people, they have to seriously consider the implications of changing something as dramatic as incoming calls. You understand nothing about this, instead you the echo "bla bla bla I want I want" sentiment of the typical KJETGIT user.

None of this is remotely comparable to how it is handled on macOs. macOS isn't a phone. It doesn't receive its own calls from a cell carrier. It is an optional extension of your iPhone where you are simultaneously receiving the call.

Did it ever occur to you that it might not be entirely up to Apple? That cell carriers undoubtedly have a say in what incoming calls look like? Of course it didn't.

There are SO many ways to address your "concerns" with the existing functionality and features that it is obnoxious to have to even point it out, so I won't.

 

[StumpyBloke]

Why is it legally okay for Google and all of the Android phone makers to have the Phone app operate this way then? Android's phone app has worked this way from the beginning for over a decade and there's no legal or emergency issues.

And it's also a very popular jailbreak tweak that's been around for years .

I think people in the thread have made some very valid posts and reasons why the Phone app needs to be updated .

There is no legal reason whatsoever that Apple can’t change the call screen...absolutely none! They simply choose not to at this time. This is one of their most requested changes and I think, without fail, it will come at some point. Apple being Apple, they are very slow to adapt any changes, but invariably do get there.

Also, I think it’s pretty obvious to most that it wouldn’t take a genius to understand a call is coming in when you see a banner top or bottom, rather than full screen. I think we just need patience unfortunately.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Agreed it seems like the most wanted iOS app update. Every year before WDC the Phone app is always a topic of discussion.

 

[MisterSavage]

Agreed it seems like the most wanted iOS app update. Every year before WDC the Phone app is always a topic of discussion.

That and a volume control change taking up a huge part of the center of the screen. Thank goodness that was addressed in iOS 13.

 

[TimFL1]

They don‘t have to completely revamp the incoming call screen, all they have to offer is a way to swipe up a call into the notification centre so you can continue using your phone while someone calls.

 

[Hi Tek]

What do you guys think has been ongoing longer? :

Fix the Volume indicator (fixed in iOS 13..) Vs. Fix the incoming call hijack

 

[uecker87]

You obviously don't develop software, which is clear by your flippant disregard for anything other than your very narrow desire.

For a real software company like Apple, whose devices are part of the lives of billions of people, they have to seriously consider the implications of changing something as dramatic as incoming calls. You understand nothing about this, instead you the echo "bla bla bla I want I want" sentiment of the typical KJETGIT user.

None of this is remotely comparable to how it is handled on macOs. macOS isn't a phone. It doesn't receive its own calls from a cell carrier. It is an optional extension of your iPhone where you are simultaneously receiving the call.

Did it ever occur to you that it might not be entirely up to Apple? That cell carriers undoubtedly have a say in what incoming calls look like? Of course it didn't.

There are SO many ways to address your "concerns" with the existing functionality and features that it is obnoxious to have to even point it out, so I won't.

I do develop software for a living and I cannot believe you are trying to double down on this. This gets implemented at least by iOS 15 (honestly shouldn't take that long, but well Apple takes awhile to do some things).

The carriers are not handcuffing Apple on the way their Phone app works. If anything, Apple has MORE pull over Android OEMs on most carrier related things (take VoLTE and WiFi calling as must be enabled features for all iPhones in the US).

You can act like you are some all-knowing person and that your way is the correct way... but you would be mistaken.