I think bigger screens on Android phones work because of homescreen widgets

[Liquorpuki]

Widgets is a big reason I'm. Staying with Samsung. I love mine.

Same here

The whole static icon grid is a throwback from the palm pilot days where you couldn't dynamically display info

Now you can, Android does it with widgets, Windows Phone does it with LiveTiles, but Apple still sticks with an old static grid and sticks anything dynamic in a long information dump

 

[spinedoc77]

Sure - I guess.

I suppose I'd much rather take the extra half a millisecond to click on the icon and get the full app experience versus some neutered widget version (as far as interaction goes).

And as far as functionality, I don't subscribe to the idea that widgets make for a more functional OS.

As for quick dial, iOS 8 introduced recents and favorites into the multitasking window. Double click shows me my recents.

Anyhow, good on people who use them. Perhaps it was just my use case never quite adapted to them being there, but I really got no value out of the customization and location of widgets on my home screens....just saw clutter.

And because most of the ones that will show any amount of information take up a lot of the screen, I ended up having multiple pages of widgets which introduced additional swipes to get to them.

Lock screen widgets (at least natively) were somewhat annoying to access with the lock on.....I never got into 3rd party lock screens. More stuff I didn't feel I should have to tweak.

I'm just an iOS guy through and through I suppose. Just works for me.

EDIT: I will say that when I first saw the concept in the OP, I thought it was pretty cool. Part of the reason I don't like Android widgets is they all have different styles and themes....perhaps that's a small thing, but it matters to me. The simplicity of the concept make widgets more appealing to me.

Even so, I'd likely only use the weather one....maybe Sportscenter? Music controls are ALWAYS a swipe up away so I see no reason to have something on your home screen.

The nice part about many widgets is they are far from neutered. You can do the most important functions the full app does right on the homescreen. That's besides having the at a glance information that you don't need to open the app for. Are you going to sit there and open 8 apps just to get the information, or glance a single time and get 8 sources of information at once? Me, I'd rather glance a single time instead of opening 8 apps.

My widgets also don't take up a lot of space, but then I've got the huge note 3 screen. I can fit all of those widgets I mentioned on my homescreen, but I like to see more info so actually have them spread out over 2 home screens. You can resize them any size you like, and you can even remove the padding and spacing with nova launcher to make them really fit in well with no wasted space. I also have room for plenty of icons if I want them.

But it's all good, I'm not trying to convince you, I'm sure iOS does it well also. It's just differences in how we use phones, but android widgets make the OS MUCH more functional in my uses.

Edit: Just read your edit, the mishmash of android widgets is a valid point. While I like my phone to be functional over beautiful I will admit it's jarring to see so many different styles. Still, I like functionality.

 

[pdqgp]

I suppose I'd much rather take the extra half a millisecond to click on the icon and get the full app experience versus some neutered widget version (as far as interaction goes).

And as far as functionality, I don't subscribe to the idea that widgets make for a more functional OS.

So does iOS now finally offer widget that will allow you to forward your phone or do you have to dig into a menu tree still?

How about a live camera feed widget for your home security system?

I never got into 3rd party lock screens. More stuff I didn't feel I should have to tweak.

It's not about having to tweak because as you know, you don't have to. It is however, about options; because if you do, the OS isn't telling you tough luck you can't.

Part of the reason I don't like Android widgets is they all have different styles and themes....perhaps that's a small thing, but it matters to me. The simplicity of the concept make widgets more appealing to me.

Music controls are ALWAYS a swipe up away so I see no reason to have something on your home screen.

Same on Android, but having a smaller to medium size widget that only takes up about 1/8-1/4 of your screen can be convenient and again, is there if I WANT it to be.

 

[SHNXX]

Very nice. Honestly I don't like the widgets on my android phones but this looks useful

 

[Typswif2fingers]

As many have noted, not having widgets on Apple phone is really the reason why many are not going to it. Certainly applies to me. The operating systems are very similar, however having too many restrictions imposed by the poorly dressed geeks telling me what I ought to do or not is a good reason enough not to switch to Apple, in terms of phones anyway (I am quite happy to use their hardware for PCs and have OS10, W7 and W8 on it). The quality of Apple products was never really in question. It is the lack of options.

Someone made a comment that Android widgets are all different. I never thought about it until now, but some sort of option to make them more similar would be probably a nice thing (if nothing else but to get more of dogmaticised Apple phone users who like their life to look all the same over and away from Apple phone ). On a serious note, that wouldn't be a bad thing to have "look and feel" options for widgets (say, System standard, and then different options for more personalisation, not sure if this exists).

But yes, Apple phones are decent, it is the operating system which is a bit crap, static, boring and all that. I left it at 3g.. I hear it still looks the same, only more pale and flat.

 

[SHNXX]

Like many features that are only found in one platform, it could be a great feature but I just can't get over the annoyances that the android phones have due to either software or hardware issues.

That's why when I travel with my galaxy, i just use it as a wifi hotspot for my iPhone which is locked to Verizon.

 

[Stuntman06]

Widgets are like apps in that there are a lot of them that may not be much use to you, but there may be a few that are really useful to you. May apps I use do come with the most useless widgets, at least for me. There are a few that have widgets I really like. Also, some app are widgets only because they allow you to quickly do things with a single tap of the screen instead of going into your phone settings.

I personally find that the bigger screen is great for use with third party launchers. I use Nova Prime and I configure it to have an extra row of screen objects compared to the standard launcher on my phone. It allows me to have fewer home screens. My old 3.7" phone had 7 home screens. My current 4.8" phone has only 5 home screens because Nova Prime allows me to make better use of the extra screen size.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I wish I had widgets on my new IP6. With the larger screen it would be great to have a weather widget across the top of my home screen.

It would look too much like Android if they were to do that and personally I can't stand cluttered screens with widgets. I'm not against choice but I think widgets is something iOS can do without. They would only be accused of copying Android anyway. We've had years of people demanding bigger screens on iPhone's and now they have finally delivered on this demand, its being criticised and we get div's complaining that iPhone users said they never needed them bla bla bla. I like iOS 8 and am happy with the subtle improvements they've made.

 

[jamezr]

It would look too much like Android if they were to do that and personally I can't stand cluttered screens with widgets. I'm not against choice but I think widgets is something iOS can do without. They would only be accused of copying Android anyway. We've had years of people demanding bigger screens on iPhone's and now they have finally delivered on this demand, its being criticised and we get div's complaining that iPhone users said they never needed them bla bla bla. I like iOS 8 and am happy with the subtle improvements they've made.

I agree with your points. But if the option to have widgets were there and you do not like widgets....you don't have to use them. That is the beauty of choice......

 

[pdqgp]

I'm not against choice but I think widgets is something iOS can do without. They would only be accused of copying Android anyway. We've had years of people demanding bigger screens on iPhone's and now they have finally delivered on this demand, its being criticised and we get div's complaining that iPhone users said they never needed them bla bla bla. I like iOS 8 and am happy with the subtle improvements they've made.

In terms of both widgets and screen size, the reason Apple gets heat for "copying" is because for 7yrs Apple and it's followers claim "innovation" is what they are all about yet the reality of both Widgets and Screen size, Apple really did more copying that innovating.

Some would say that's to be expected as what else could they do, but it says something when even your competition and non-users have expectations that you innovate and actually do something better. That's actually a pretty strong compliment. That said it's up to Apple though to actually do just that and in both respects they pretty much let people down.

I'm not slamming them mind you but the reality is all they did with the 5s and both 6's is make a bigger phone. The didn't even maximize the ratio of usable screen space to size either. Again, not really what I personally would expect them to have done.

What you're hearing in my voice as an Apple fan is a bit of disappointment. I would go back to Apple vs Samsung/Android if they would blend the reasons I switched with their product and OS. Until then, I am fine where I'm at as the competition has more to offer. I know Apple listens to the marketplace as like you I see the updates in iOS7 and iOS8 as great progress, but both fall short of winning me and many users over. Specs on paper are one thing and while it's yet to be seen who on paper is better and who in the real world is better. In the end though it doesn't really matter who wins the specifications war, it's who meets the needs of the user.

I love performance cars and sports sedans, but the real VALUE is my trading off a bit of this for that and finding the solution that meets my needs in the real world for what I do with my devices. Car wise, I'll trade off a bit of performance for luxury and a bit of luxury for larger saving$. In the world of smart phones, I'll trade off a bit of the unified ecosystem for the ability to have choices and have it MY WAY.

I do believe that Apple will eventually catch up and meet those needs. In the meantime though, the competition will be getting better too. Apple needs to do better than just keeping up and really just barely keeping up. They need to "leap frog" with their next 1-2 OS and product releases. That's what many have come to expect from them. Did that drive and capability die with Steve? It seems to have based on what we're seeing.

Just my two cents.

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I agree with your points. But if the option to have widgets were there and you do not like widgets....you don't have to use them. That is the beauty of choice......

Agree. The ability to customize and have choices is greater for some than the experience of what apple deems a unified ecosystem created their way.

Me, I love the Honda Accord, but I really don't want my car to blend in and be the best of the mainstream world. I'd rather go with a more customizable and slightly different, more MY WAY type of vehicle that might cost a bit more to operate, but allows me to have the experience I want not what they manufacturer and others want.

 

[Technarchy]

It's too early for me to have a real opinion on how Apple handles widgets. There are also not very many available.

I've thought in the past that centralizing them in notification center made sense.

Guess we will find out soon enough.

 

[jrswizzle]

It's too early for me to have a real opinion on how Apple handles widgets. There are also not very many available.

I've thought in the past that centralizing them in notification center made sense.

Guess we will find out soon enough.

Agreed - it will take some time for devs to hone and release their widgets.....

I can say at this point, the only one I'm even waiting for is the Sportscenter one....

I guess I'm one of the few who prefers the in-app experience despite the extra milliseconds of time taken to open said app.

I get that the choice can be there for those that want it. I'm all for that. Not saying Apple SHOULDN'T do widgets in the homescreen.....just offering up a different point of view.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I really don't like the idea of widgets being in the notification panel. It looks cluttered. At the moment there aren't enough available for me to properly evaluate them.

I do prefer on screen widgets.

 

[Dontazemebro]

I have an obsession with widgets as well. Either everything needs to be uniformed or I use none at all. So I do understand that point. From my plethora of Android knowledge over the years, I've learnt that the best widgets to go with are those that offer a transparent background as an option. This way you don't have to sacrifice the general look of your device. Actually the best ones are those that allow you to custom tailor it to your design, but it takes some time. Thus if you're willing to put in that time and you value the results, widgets are very useful.

 

[jamezr]

It's too early for me to have a real opinion on how Apple handles widgets. There are also not very many available.

I've thought in the past that centralizing them in notification center made sense.

Guess we will find out soon enough.

If they are in the notification center and you have to open the notification center to see your widgets......doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a widgets? If I have to swipe something to see the information. I might as well open the app. the beauty of a widget is it is on your screen. So all you have to do is glance and the information is there...no need to do anything else. No need to open an app.

 

[Technarchy]

If they are in the notification center and you have to open the notification center to see your widgets......doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a widgets? If I have to swipe something to see the information. I might as well open the app. the beauty of a widget is it is on your screen. So all you have to do is glance and the information is there...no need to do anything else. No need to open an app.

I kept one widget on my home screen on my S5. Google play music widget, which Apple basically handles well in control center.

All my other widgets were off to the side and required swiping to view. So for me the action is no different.

That's not the issue for me. The question is can the format of widgets in notification center offer a high enough level of content and interactivity to be valuable. As of right now we don't know because support is limited.

 

[gotluck]

so, on iOS, once you pull down the notification tray: is there a widget tab and a notification tab or something?

I lean towards the school of thought, that if I have to pull down the tray, why not just open the app

FWIW I really enjoy the standard calendar widget, because it is always there to remind me not to forget what I'm supposed to be doing

 

[spinedoc77]

I really don't like the idea of widgets being in the notification panel. It looks cluttered. At the moment there aren't enough available for me to properly evaluate them.

I do prefer on screen widgets.

This is my feeling as well, widgets in the notification panel are a negative. I'd rather have missed alerts and notifications there, just a very quick summary, maybe just the last half a dozen events to provide me a very quick status. Looking at my widgets I would get a much broader status, and then finally I could open the app to get the most info. Although I've found I rarely ever need to open the full app as the widget has as much information as I need.

 

[tbayrgs]

so, on iOS, once you pull down the notification tray: is there a widget tab and a notification tab or something?

I lean towards the school of thought, that if I have to pull down the tray, why not just open the app

FWIW I really enjoy the standard calendar widget, because it is always there to remind me not to forget what I'm supposed to be doing

Exactly--two tabs, Today and Notifications

Agreed that it's not as accessible as widgets that are on your first home screen but you can only fit so many on a single home screen, at which point you have to scroll right or left to access additional widgets on other home screens. At this point, I see no difference from a swipe down to open the Notification shade/panel. I also find vertical scrolling to be faster than hortizonal swipes to access more than one screen (i.e. home screens or app drawer screens)--was why I liked Sense's implementation and also NOVA's ability to have a vertical scroll--of course, just my preference.

I'd still say Android's implementation is a bit better as you have the ability to resize the widgets and customize the content.

 

[tbayrgs]

This is my feeling as well, widgets in the notification panel are a negative. I'd rather have missed alerts and notifications there, just a very quick summary, maybe just the last half a dozen events to provide me a very quick status. Looking at my widgets I would get a much broader status, and then finally I could open the app to get the most info. Although I've found I rarely ever need to open the full app as the widget has as much information as I need.

You can open the associated apps directly from the notification panel in iOS as well--from both the widget (Today) and notification tabs.

Nice element is I have quick access to all of those widgets in the iOS pull down panel directly from the lock screen as well, if I choose.

To be clear, not stating iOS is better, just that I think it's not as bad as many have presumed.

 

[gotluck]

Exactly--two tabs, Today and Notifications

Agreed that it's not as accessible as widgets that are on your first home screen but you can only fit so many on a single home screen, at which point you have to scroll right or left to access addition widgets on other home screens. At this point, I see no difference from a swipe down to open the Notification shade/panel. I also find vertical scrolling to be faster than hortizonal swipes to access more than one screen (i.e. home screens or app drawer screens)--was why I liked Sense's implementation and also NOVA's ability to have a vertical scroll--of course, just my preference.

I'd still say Android's implementation is a bit better as you have the ability to resize the widgets and customize the content.

Good stuff, I'm excited to see how much freedom Apple is really going to give developers as this gets fleshed out.

 

[tbayrgs]

Good stuff, I'm excited to see how much freedom Apple is really going to give developers as this gets fleshed out.

Yeah, a decent start. My hope is that with the ability for developers to add to the pull down panel, I don't see why Apple wouldn't allow integration of these very same types of widgets/content right on the home screens, especially considering all the new screen real estate.

Go ahead and limit style/size to fit with the overall design of iOS--I don't care. I'd just like to be able to add more content to my screen.

 

[vaultwit]

It would look too much like Android if they were to do that and personally I can't stand cluttered screens with widgets. I'm not against choice but I think widgets is something iOS can do without. They would only be accused of copying Android anyway. We've had years of people demanding bigger screens on iPhone's and now they have finally delivered on this demand, its being criticised and we get div's complaining that iPhone users said they never needed them bla bla bla. I like iOS 8 and am happy with the subtle improvements they've made.

This is up for debate, but I would venture to say that for years people demanded not for bigger screens on iPhones, but rather, bigger screens accompanied by the best use for them. Why do people want bigger screens, just so they can have a bigger device that takes up more room in their pockets or purses? No, people want bigger screens for the benefits and the usefulness of having a bigger screen.

By just adding an extra row of icons (to the extra row of icons added on the iPhone 5), Apple is just wasting precious potential to make the homescreen much more functional. Sure a big screen gives more view of a website when browsing, or shows more messages when texting, but these things are just the bare minimum of what a bigger screen can allow for. Samsung goes as far as letting you float applications around the screen like Windows... I'm not saying Apple needs to go that far, but widgets on the homescreen isn't anything revolutionary.

Is Apple known to be a company that aims for bare minimum? I don't know, but as long as they keep having a homescreen that is just a dumpsite for small, uniformaly sized app icons, that's what they're doing. And of course, if a user doesn't like widgets, they can just keep using icons like normal. As some here have mentioned, it's all about having the option.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

This is up for debate, but I would venture to say that for years people demanded not for bigger screens on iPhones, but rather, bigger screens accompanied by the best use for them. Why do people want bigger screens, just so they can have a bigger device that takes up more room in their pockets or purses? No, people want bigger screens for the benefits and the usefulness of having a bigger screen.



By just adding an extra row of icons (to the extra row of icons added on the iPhone 5), Apple is just wasting precious potential to make the homescreen much more functional. Sure a big screen gives more view of a website when browsing, or shows more messages when texting, but these things are just the bare minimum of what a bigger screen can allow for. Samsung goes as far as letting you float applications around the screen like Windows... I'm not saying Apple needs to go that far, but widgets on the homescreen isn't anything revolutionary.



Is Apple known to be a company that aims for bare minimum? I don't know, but as long as they keep having a homescreen that is just a dumpsite for small, uniformaly sized app icons, that's what they're doing. And of course, if a user doesn't like widgets, they can just keep using icons like normal. As some here have mentioned, it's all about having the option.

I'm not against having options but I didn't dump android for iOS for them to start copying them by implementing features I didn't like. It's purely a selfish viewpoint I know and if I had the option to opt out, I have no problem with that. Personally though I think the fact iOS offers something different and scaled down is a positive. It's not over complicated and having apps on one screen is good for me. Whatever though

 

[spinedoc77]

You can open the associated apps directly from the notification panel in iOS as well--from both the widget (Today) and notification tabs.

Nice element is I have quick access to all of those widgets in the iOS pull down panel directly from the lock screen as well, if I choose.

To be clear, not stating iOS is better, just that I think it's not as bad as many have presumed.

I didn't want to give the impression I thought iOS widgets were bad at all. I think it's probably just what we are used to and I'm sure I could get used to the iOS ones in due time. I just think android ones are more productive with the info they provide at a glance, but the I'm sure the iOS ones will evolve. Truly it's not a staggering difference and I hope no one makes it out to be, mainly just personal preference at this point.