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Not Really Loving iOS 14
- Thread starter sird28
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Its a free update and you dont need to use those functions if you dont want
I would like to be able to customize the App Library but what I do like about it is that clicking on a big icon in a folder immediately opens the app.
One thing I love about the combination of these two is that it makes the pages of your home screen a lot more like watch faces - you can have one for working out, one for work, one that has a bit more formal look and feel, and so on. The very reason they have the new 'watch face sharing feature'. Now I can have a 'news' page with a stock ticker, apple news, and a few other apps. A work page with what I need there. Unlike the home screen before, there is no requirement that each page be 'full'. It is possible they may even allow the same app icon to appear on multiple pages before release (I might put podcasts on both a 'listening' page and a 'news' page)
Anything doesn't fit in a solid category? I just let it live in library. I dumped _all_ applications off my home screen into library, and I've been surfacing them back up as wanted/needed.
I don't look at the labelled groups in library as an attempt to auto-categorize your apps - you can have an app appear in three or more of those groups! Rather, the whole interface is meant to let you discover, search and manage all the apps on your phone. This is vital with App Clips, which will auto install and uninstall on the phone for use.
What I don’t get is why there aren’t more live app icons like the clock and calendar. The weather app for instance could easily change its icon to show the current weather where you are. it’s just a small UI tweak but would make iOS feel more alive and useful.
The clock, calendar, weather, and stocks apps are really the ones which could update to show information that shouldn't instead be within a badge. The app both needs to have dynamic data to display, and to be first party (by apple) because such live updating of an icon needs to be done by the home screen (springboard) app itself.
The clock and calendar can update with the effect not even being immediately noticeable.
Stock if it updates is not immediately useful, as it is not clear what index or stock it is following or what the scale is.
The weather icon would be changing look and color, which can cause people to have trouble visually scanning for the icon. Unlike the system setting for current time, there is no preferred weather setting in the system - so you would need to surface this (like they did in the settings for the weather widget)
All that said, there are some 'live' icons in third party apps, but it is a switch between a set of static icons bundled in the app. The icons are switched between using push notifications. I think the feature was mostly added so that games didn't need to push full updates to change the icon to indicate some seasonal event.
The idea is that it's good for people who can't be bothered to sort their apps and want to simply download apps they like and let Apple decide how to group them. Then you just scroll down until you find the folder it randomly (I'm sure it'll get better) decided to put it in.
So yeah, I'm not using it
I've been sorting my apps since I got my first iPhone (4s) so the app library doesn't interest me in the least. That being said, I can see how it would be useful for less technologically-savvy iPhone users - my parents, for example.
I have so many apps that I will not waste time to put them in folders. When I tried that some time ago was just because i was bored, and then i couldn't find anything anyway.
Plus the extra tap to open the folder. Swiping to the next page is faster and more natural (based on where your thumb is sitting)than opening a folder.
The automatic organization is fine - i still cant find anything if they are in a folder.
The suggestions though work well, so mostly what sits on top is what i had in the 2nd page on iOS13.
I am getting used to the big widget.
But, the fastest way to open an app that was not in the 1st or 2nd page, had been search for me and siri suggestions.
just swipe down and thats it.
Apple clearly builds on this experience (they have the clickstreams after all)
Plus the extra tap to open the folder. Swiping to the next page is faster and more natural (based on where your thumb is sitting)than opening a folder.
The automatic organization is fine - i still cant find anything if they are in a folder.
The suggestions though work well, so mostly what sits on top is what i had in the 2nd page on iOS13.
I am getting used to the big widget.
But, the fastest way to open an app that was not in the 1st or 2nd page, had been search for me and siri suggestions.
just swipe down and thats it.
Apple clearly builds on this experience (they have the clickstreams after all)
In my experience so far the App Library is a pointless extra step getting to the alphabetical list. It's organisation/sorting is not very good, feels kind arbitrary, and you'll have to search to find the app you want, so it isn't really easier to use than a poorly managed home screen. The alphabetical list is better as we all know the alphabet quite well. Generally though, I'm still just pulling down on my home screen and searching if an app isn't on it.
Regarding widgets - I think a nice solution would be to turn the today view into just another home screen, but still keep it to the left of the default home screen, but let you add more going left. That way if you want to emulate the current behaviour just leave it as default - widgets screen is left of the default home screen. Other users could expand on it, effectively having Today Views (plural) when they swipe left, and app views when they swipe right (or vice verse, or their own mix).
Regarding widgets - I think a nice solution would be to turn the today view into just another home screen, but still keep it to the left of the default home screen, but let you add more going left. That way if you want to emulate the current behaviour just leave it as default - widgets screen is left of the default home screen. Other users could expand on it, effectively having Today Views (plural) when they swipe left, and app views when they swipe right (or vice verse, or their own mix).
Sheesh dude: one’s ability or willingness to organize apps reflects in no way on their technological savviness.
I wouldn’t exactly ascribe the beta 1 implementation of a radically new feature as how it’s going to end up. It may not be your cup of tea, but I suspect it’s going to get a lot better at what it’s trying to do, both as they further develop the concept and as machine learning kicks in in organizing the apps.
iOS 14 is awesome. As is Big Sur, watchOS 7.
I guess if you don’t like it, you can always stay on android
I guess if you don’t like it, you can always stay on android
I like the fact you can hide all the pages of apps. I never use the folders beyond my main screen. I always pull down and use spotlight search for the app as it’s quicker than hunting through folders. I work the same way on my Mac.
I would prefer to be able to disable the App Library and just have the lexicographically sorted list on the last screen.
Power users use search to launch apps. Tapping around in folders is amateur hour. Being more organized just means even more taps than searching.
I'm going to take issue with this statement too: every individual has their own workflow preferences. Some like well organized folders, others use search, others just know where everything is (I fall in a mix of the latter 2 categories). There's no one right way. That's why this is a nice add by Apple: it gives people yet one more way to find and open apps.
iOS 14 is not going to make everyone happy but it’s definitely a welcome change for those of us who were ready for more than the static homescreen icons. But I think the best thing about these changes, is that Apple isn’t forcing anyone to change the way they use their iPhone. The classic home screen is still there and widgets are optional.
I for one love the potential of these changes and if battery life on beta 1 is any indication, Apple figured out how to make these widgets work without completely destroying the battery life. That’s no small feat.
I for one love the potential of these changes and if battery life on beta 1 is any indication, Apple figured out how to make these widgets work without completely destroying the battery life. That’s no small feat.
I'm not convinced of iOS 14 just yet - I already have all my apps organised into folders and they're all on my second screen anyway. I have my first screen blank and just have my 4 most used apps in the dock along the bottom.
I used the beta as well and I have to agree. Once the novelty of the widgets wears off, it's more or less the same. That's not necessarily a bad thing if it brings performance improvements. I'll take an iOS 12 redux over a half baked mess any day.
It's a mature OS, there's not much reasonably that can be done that'll be new and exciting.
I'm pretty happy with it. It's mostly clean and well-functioning (outside of a few bugs), which these days is a win for Apple.
I'm pretty happy with it. It's mostly clean and well-functioning (outside of a few bugs), which these days is a win for Apple.
I am really enjoying iOS 14 so far. I have two smart stack widgets on one home screen and my most used apps, everything else go to the App Library. I do have a question about a feature I have noticed. Next to the notch, just to the right, there is an orange or green dot that shows up when using certain apps. What is that dot? It looks like a notification light, except it‘s simply an animation in the home screen. I attached a screenshot of what I am talking about. Look at the small orange dot located just to the right of where the notch is.
Orange dot - microphone in use (or was very recently)
Green dot - front camera "
Green dot - front camera "
Totally agree and have posted about this a few times, it's a mess. The widget screen, or Today view as it seems to be known, had a clear function and was where your most important glanceable information was. It's accessible from the lock screen for this very reason and one swipe away from the home screen.
Now you'll put your most important glanceable information on the home screen, leaving Today view to hold the less important stuff, which is of course accessible from the lock screen 🤷♂️. It makes no sense at all. And just to confuse things further you have legacy widgets tagged on the bottom of this screen with a completely different method of editing them, oh and Spotlight search on the top.
This screen simply no longer needs to exist and would be better replaced with App Library, or at least give us the option to turn it off.
Not sure I've ever seen so much opinion-given-as-fact and guesswork in a post before. Nicely done!