Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Are there still any big-name apps that aren’t optimized for iPad Pro 12.9”?
- Thread starter Farrgazer
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The list is too long to mention. Apple itself hasn't optimized iOS for the bigger screen... and in one place where they did, they took a step back in iOS 11.
The widget screen on the 12.9 Pro in iOS 10 was 2 columns in landscape mode. That was a beautiful layout and a very functional screen. in OS 11 they set it to a single column. It is so bizarre to see my iPad Mini 4 (still on iOS 10) have 2 columns of widgets while the 12.9 Pro has a single column.
Last edited:
I got to see the widget screen and was quite disappointed.
You said the list is too long, but can you name any off the top of your head?
Yeah, I didn’t realize “optimized” could be read differently. UX can be subjective, so I was thinking more like “are there any iPad apps that ‘blow up’ to cover the 12” screen and create borders like how iPhone-only apps do when you run it on an iPad. Split screen capability would be a plus too.
Good point on split screen. I wish Duolingo has this, so I can open Notability on the side and take notes when I’m learning. Duolingo is also another app that uses way too much white space for the 12.9, and the fonts could be larger.
It depends on what you mean with optimize. Apps like Facebook aren’t updated for 12.9 screen, very blurry with huge buttons.
A lot of other apps are updated for the 12.9 inch display without any graphical advantages. The only way the iPad Pro is better is with 2 full screen apps
A lot of other apps are updated for the 12.9 inch display without any graphical advantages. The only way the iPad Pro is better is with 2 full screen apps
I thought the term full screen implies that there is only one app visible - it takes up the full screen.
Huh? Safari on my iPad has a totally different UX/UI than my iPhone. On the iPad it has an almost Desktop type feel with tabs across the top and buttons as well, whereas it's horribly apparent on my iPhone that...well, that it's an iPhone UX/UI...
They probably meant full UI vs. iPhone UI. Split window on the 12.9 Pro offers 2 apps in full ui side-by-side. On the smaller iPads, each split window app is in iPhone UI.
What I believe was meant by optimized had nothing to do with split screen. Like you could tell when you first got an iPhone 6, you could see apps that were not yet optimized (only optimized for 5 & 5s) for the 6 screen by the way the top status bar (time, signal) changed to larger text. With the 12.9" iPad Pro, its the same thing. Apps for iPads that are not optimized for the bigger screen still show full screen, but it looks more magnified, like my example of the Facebook App. If you open up the Facebook Messenger app, that was optimized for the larger screen.
Nothing to do with the UX/UI - Safari on the 10.5” and 12.9” iPad Pro still renders mobile web sites on a screen that size. It is not optimized at all, a significant reason why they can’t be used as a laptop replacements for anyone who uses online web applications, i.e. SaaS systems of any kind for business, like accounting/finance, CRM, HRM, etc. These devices should have their browsers set to be identifying themselves as desktop class machines, and not mobile at all.
Again I say - huh? I'm on my iPad now using the desktop version of MacRumors within Safari...
I agree 99% of the website I go to on the 12.9 iPad is the desktop version. If it is not, there is something seriously wrong with that websites browser detection.
This is the largest issue I have by far using my Pro. Elab websites sites hate iOS Safari...Mac works great though...not just flash but most websites are just broken on “iOS” Safari useragent but functional on Mac. My iPad Pro is as powerful and more so then most Macbooks so the Safari inconsistencies needs to be fixed
Yes, and that can actually be detected using the Develop Menu in Safari. Choose "Responsive Device Mode" and you can see how the webpage you are on looks on an iPhone, iPad, iPad Pro, etc.
Apparently iPhone X is not added yet though
@thunng8 - No, you are seeing the tablet version of this site, just like I am on the 10.5” Pro I am typing this response on. On MacRumors, this is not a big deal at all, but try using most any business class browser based web application system as I mentioned in my last post, and the frustration levels start to rise VERY quickly.
@bradbomb - To use the Web Inspector on iPad, you have to plug your iPad into a Mac and enable it through the Develop Menu on MacOS Safari, so that really isn’t relevant at all regarding iOS Safari being optimized for the 10.5” or 12.9” screens of the iPP’s natively.
My post wasn’t whether iOS Safari was optimized for the screen, it was in reference to the post who said some websites on the iPad still pull up their mobile version. I was saying there was a way to check websites on the Mac to see if the website would load correctly on the iPad without actually using the iPad. Also, Safari itself is definitely optimized for the iPad Pro 12.9” screen. Same way Mail definitely is.
How did a topic on native apps on the iPad Pro spin out to websites being loaded correctly on an iPad
That's how dialogue is
we segue from one thing to another. I admit, the direction was unexpected, but I did learn a new feature about iOS Safari.