Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

To those unhappy with iOS 6, where can Apple realistically go with iOS 7?

Definitely a better multitasking UI (I said UI, not the API or how it works). Double-clicking the home button to bring up a row of icons -- which you can only see 4 at a time -- isn't cutting it.

And a better way for apps to communicate with each other. 'Work on a file in one app and open it in another' kind of stuff.
 
Badandy said:
I'm mostly wondering what mentality someone must have to be so easily offended at what was a perfectly non-threatening, non-aggressive remark. It wasn't snide and it wasn't condescending. I'm guessing other MR members wouldn't take my post the way you just did. I'm not trying to make this a super big issue, but how can people engage in meaningful dialogue if they are so easily aggrieved?

I tried to make my list something that Apple could/would realistically do rather than saying "I want a file manager".
Click to expand...

Apologies for snapping, I'm often on the defensive on here due to the nature of previous discussions which often turned into off topic sniping. This place, unfortunately, isn't the most forgiving or patient of forums.
 
For what it's worth, I'm pretty content with the way that things are now. What could Apple do to make the experience better? Most of the developments that they could take on have less to do with iOS and the iPhone itself, and more to do with external services. Siri, for example, still has a ton of potential that hasn't been unlocked; aside from the obvious (app launching and other, more advanced, actions), what if Siri gains multi-system capabilities? Use your iPhone to tell Siri to perform an update on your iPad or to launch an application on your computer, for example. I think we're headed that way, but Apple will have to develop more on the back-end.

Siri aside, the craze around NFC would theoretically allow the iPhone to be used for much more, too. Passbook could take on a whole lot more usage with NFC. The iPhone could become a true "digital wallet."

But for iOS itself, what can be improved? I hear people clamoring for a UI overhaul or for the option to perform more customizations, but I don't necessarily view this as an improvement (in my subjective opinion). Add multi-touch gestures to the iPhone, similar to the iPad (assuming the iPhone can support it), but that's about it.

Interesting topic, though. I'm sure Apple has a bunch of ideas that they're working on, but thinking through these exercises shows me why I'd probably have little talent for product design :)
 
My iOS 7 wish list

- A completely redesigned home screen with live icons and dynamic content (I'm so sick of grid view)
- Dashboard Widgets
- Revamped multitasking that doesn't involve double clicking
- Biometric passwords
- Ability to stream movies and TV shows via the iTunes.app
- AirDrop
- Preview.app
- Keychain.app
- Photobooth videos
- Alex voice

And I want Siri to become more like knowledge navigator ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRH8eimU_20

And why the hell can't we get iTunes Extras at least on the Apple TV?
 
Siri
-Translate
-Price Check
-Voice Memos

FaceTime
-Group Chat

Notes
-Add photos and attachments

Multitasking
-Mission Control (iPad)
-Multi-gestures (iPhone)

Notification Center
-New widgets/buttons

Other
-Live Weather and Clock icons
-Increased Folders count
-Updated backgrounds (more sleek)
-Updated banners (silver)
-Stocks app (iPad)
 
OP, I disagree with you about a file system being on a 'wishlist'. iOS isn't just about the iPhone. The iPad is a much more capable content creator and manager than the iPhone is and I think Apple must deal with this if iOS is to continue its dominant position.

I do think that user customization has to be at the top of the list of iOS7. Apple is being way too anal about it for no good reason.

In general, I think the posts so far indicate that there are few faults to be found with iOS5 or even iOS6. Sure, Apple Maps in someways is a letdown from Google, but that will change over time.

As always, it's up to Apple to tell us what we need from iOS7!
 
The iPhone is all about the apps. Apple needs to come up with hardware improvements and frameworks that allow for new and better apps to improve iOS.

The biggest problem with iOS at the moment is that there isn't a way to share generic data between apps; apps are typically quite designed for single tasks, but there's no way to call in other apps to work on your document.

Here's an example: I want to use a drawing app to draw a picture inside of a Pages document. Right now I close pages, go to the drawing app, draw something, export to camera roll, close drawing app, open pages, import picture from camera roll. Then, if I want to make a change, I have to do it all over again, leaving behind old data in my camera roll.

It'd be great if those drawing apps could register themselves as image providers (for a format pages understands), so that I could tell pages to import a picture from, say, ArtStudio. Pages will create a canvas for the imported picture and send me in to ArtStudio to edit it. When I'm done, I can be returned straight to pages to continue working with my document.

Maybe this is a bit of a simple example, but it fits the general pattern of needing to take the thing you're currently working on and open that same instance of it up in another app. Without this, you're limited to creating on an iOS device to whatever a single app will support (there's a minor exception for stuff that can be shared via the camera roll, but that's a cumbersome workaround more than anything).

It's fine to have apps managing their own data, but often you really need to have more than one tool in your toolbox when trying to work on anything on iOS devices.

----------
Ugg said:
OP, I disagree with you about a file system being on a 'wishlist'. iOS isn't just about the iPhone. The iPad is a much more capable content creator and manager than the iPhone is and I think Apple must deal with this if iOS is to continue its dominant position.

I do think that user customization has to be at the top of the list of iOS7. Apple is being way too anal about it for no good reason.

In general, I think the posts so far indicate that there are few faults to be found with iOS5 or even iOS6. Sure, Apple Maps in someways is a letdown from Google, but that will change over time.

As always, it's up to Apple to tell us what we need from iOS7!
Click to expand...

Steve jobs made it clear at the icloud announcement that "we now consider our document strategy complete on iOS". That, in my mind, spelled it out: no finder.

In interviews, I remember him saying that the file system was the single hardest thing to teach new computer users, and that after they grasp that they're fairly confident with computers. It hit me as something I always noticed, too.

Apple wants to get rid of the file system. There won't be a finder in iOS. If they were thinking about doing one, they would have done it by now (it's iOS 6 already). People need to stop hoping Apple just didn't get around to it yet or something; it's purposefully absent.
 
Wishlist:

Notification Center Toggles for Wi/Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode, etc

Bite SMS quick reply in some form or fashion, the current model is just incredibly inefficient

Added support to apps in Notification center.

New locking system instead of pass code. Give us an option, something that is simple yet hard to crack (Maybe biometric with Authentec, but I bet thats 2-3 yrs away)...not quite android lock, but something as simple in terms of simplicity by not removing your finger from the screen to unlock.

Open up iCloud to drag and drop like dropbox. Compete with google drive and allow cloud editing on Keynote and Pages on iOS devices.

iTunes Library subscription such compared to Spotify, with offline playlists.

Passbook - allowing sites such as slickdeals or coupons.com to click add to passbook so we don't have to e-mail or print coupons, just let it be seamless.
 
Really one thing I've wanted for a while is just an up swipe for multitask bar on the iPhone. Like notification center, but on the bottom.
I definitely don't want big widgets and crap flooding my home screen. I'll check stuff when I want to :)
 
WeegieMac said:
I know iOS 6 is only just being prepped for release to the public, but while I'm happy with the update there are a lot of people here who are not. With this in mind, what do you think we can look forward to with iOS 7 next year?

I'm not asking what peoples' wish lists are, I mean what do you think Apple can/will add to the OS over the coming twelve months, because rest assured they will be starting work on it soon enough at Cupertino HQ.

I think iOS has matured, Apple adding it's own Maps app (along with the end of the YouTube license) has seen Google all but eradicated from the platform outwith basic search. Given the nature of Apple's iOS updates, what do you guys think Apple could add?

I personally struggle to see what's next for iOS and the iPhone in general, because it looks like both the hardware and software have matured to such an extent (the 5 is a thinner, taller 4/4S with a different back panel design).

My next iPhone will be the 5S, due to contractual reasons with O2, but I was discussing with friends in work the other day what Apple could possibly do next and thought I'd stick a thread up here.
Click to expand...

I don't think anything, iOS 5 was the last update where they actually did larger OS tweaks. In iOS 6 the only updates that they did to the actual OS are facebook integration and some other very small things. Everything else was updates to apps (that should be updated via the AppStore not held until an OS update) or server side changes (Siri).
 
I am a bit on the fence about widgets and gimmicks like live wallpaper. When I take my phone out and unlock the screen, it is to launch some app for a certain purpose, I almost never have any time to admire my home screen.

I would like a more streamlined way of accessing some of the more common functions, like toggling wifi/bluetooth/airplane etc. Maybe a variant of the notifications bar which can be accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen?

I won't mind a swiping multitask gesture like on the ipad. Maybe a swipe of your thumb from the right of the screen to the left brings you to the next app?
 
Purant said:
Better multitasking, the current one is pretty bad.

More customization.

More options/customization on the notification center.

A native file manager.

Better playlist controls for the music app.

Better tabbed browsing for safari. Chrome seems to have managed to do it better.

A better way to manage your apps. The pages paradigm is cumbersome if you have a lot of apps. How about shortcuts that are on the first page that can take you directly to the 6th page for example).

These are from the top of my head, I'm sure if I actually spent time thinking about this I would come up with more.

There has also been a lot of other people posting ideas and suggestion on what they want on the new iOS, but you choose to ignore them I guess.
Click to expand...

I sometimes forget vanilla iOS users lack these features. A jailbreak solves them all.
More Customization: (Not sure what you have in mind specifically) Springtomize can change essentially every visual aspect of ios. From the size of your app icons, to the tint of your screen, all the way to if you want seconds to display on your lockscreen clock.

Notification center functionality: SBsettings is what you need, from my current notification center I can control Bluetooth, airplane mode, cellular, wifi, location services, take simple notes, control brightness, kill background apps, and even reboot my device

Native File Manager: ifile can be used here, i'll link you to the description page because they explain it best http://moreinfo.thebigboss.org/moreinfo/depiction.php?file=ifileData

Playlist controls: I'm not a big music guy, and i'm not sure exactly what you mean by "better", i'm sure there is something out there for you.

Tabbed browsing: Still not sure what you mean by "better", but there is one hell of a lot of tweaks for safari. I personally prefer chrome (for which you can add downloading capability and other features) so I don't screw around with those tweaks either

Pages: Not sure if there is a tweak for this specifically, but you can make it so pages have the ability to scroll vertically(Springtomize), have no locked grid (put apps anywhere-tweak called "gridlock"), make it so folders have pages and use the full screen (tweak called "FolderEnhancer"), even customize the scrolling animation between pages (tweak called "Barrel")

And I almost forgot multitaking, for this you have a few options:

Tweak called "Backgrounder" gives you true unpaused backgrounding. It can be tough on RAM (which is why apple doesn't imlement it), but if you want apps to continue running as if they were active, but while in the background, this tweak does it.

Another option - tweak called "Quasar" This one is best explained via video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cYWha8YFi8

It's actually very light on RAM (which you can monitor in real-time with SBsettings), but comes with a hefty price tag ($10)

Not saying jailbreaking having these features excuses apple from not having them, but you can't say that you don't have a choice when it comes to functionality of iOS.
 
True multitasking.

You can argue all you want that it's not coming, but it will. It's far to useful of a feature to be ignored forever. These aren't phones, the phone is an app, on one of the iOS devices. They are multipurpose computing devices, musical instruments, security cameras, data loggers, network analysis tools, cookbooks, music players, flashlights, t.v. remotes, bluetooth keyboard/mice, VNC/FTP clients, you name it it does it. It's the sonic screwdriver of the real world, and more than a few of the possible tasks could benefit from being run in the background without a time limit. You can expect multitasking, probably with an alert asking for permission, and you can expect the api to grow in support for apps interacting with each other, similar to what audio copy/paste has already done for music apps.
 
A full file system may never happen, but only the geekiest users would desire this anyway. Most of us could make do with a very simple document manager. Basically something like the Photos app for other types of files.


As for multitasking... Well if it's such a big drain on battery, then how about features which are only enabled while your device is plugged in? In fact iOS 5 already has one example of this: automatic wireless syncing.
 
Last edited:
Being jailbroken on iOS 5 showed me a lot of tweaks that could seriously add to the user experience on iOS, and not just simple, flashy novelties:

  1. Zephyr: Swiping up to exit and hold-swiping to bring up the task switcher just "feels" more comfortable than using the home button. Swiping back and forth between apps can be nice too, but I realize this can be tricky depending on what apps you use, so this can be left out.
  2. SwipeSelection: Swiping back and forth on the keyboard to move the text cursor (shift key enabled also selects text). INFINITELY easier /quicker than trying to tap and hold using the magnifying glass.
  3. BrowserChooser: Chrome's been a big hit for many. If OS X can allow default browsers, why not iOS? (I realize that's a rhetorical question, as it'd probably never be implemented. So you can disregard this one. Just saying it'd be nice.)
  4. CleanStatus: Do I NEED to see what carrier I'm on at all times? Or a rotation lock icon? And I'm cool with just seeing battery percentage with no icon. iOS status bar can get clogged really quickly.
  5. Status Bar Notification Icons: I know, I know. This directly contradicts my last point. But status bar space could be put to better use. Icons for new email, SMS, missed calls, etc. visible from the status bar at any time would be a nice addition.
  6. NCSettings: Small widget for Notification Center to toggle common settings on and off. I adjust brightness and toggle wifi, data, etc. a lot. It'd be nice to not fumble through a maze of menus to do so.
  7. NCQuickDismiss: Adds close button to notification banners. Swiping it away could even work too. Should have to wait or bring down Notification Center to do this.
  8. LockInfo / IntelliscreenX: Viewing Notification Center as-is on lockscreen would be really nice. Future calendar dates, weather widget, etc. Not just certain things.
  9. Move Spotlight to Notification Center: I know a lot of people don't use / like Spotlight on iOS for whatever reason, but I ALWAYS use it as an app launcher. I'm lazy; don't feel like fumbling through my pages & folders of apps most times. As opposed to leaving an app, and swiping all the way left, it'd be nice to access it quickly from anywhere via a Notification Center search widget. Don't need it? Just disable it in settings.
  10. BiteSMS: Been covered already. But composing / replying to texts via popup window and going about your business is sweet and would be very much appreciated.

I could get into more but those are some pretty big ones to me, most of which I could realistically see being added to iOS that even the common user would appreciate.
 
They should make notification centre more interactive and allow messaging / email reply from the notification centre. This is a must.

Mission control type task switcher with gesture control on 4S and 5, to incorporate notification centre AND task switching with 'snapshots' of active task windows as tiles rather than app icons (you've seen the videos). This CAN be implement due to the nature of ios multitasking and the process snapshots it takes when task switching for zooming animations

offline / flight mode parsing for Siri commands (ahem voice control) in multiple languages for the likes of switching apps, making phone calls turning features like Bluetooth on or off. I still don't know why we don't have voice control as an offline option.

blacklist option on do no disturb
* to block / review/ automatically trash messages calls from specified numbers

multiple group options and multiple dnd time brackets.

this could all be implemented in 6.1
 
basically, this :

http://www.redmondpie.com/new-ios-6-concept-features-mission-control-dynamic-badges-and-everything-else-we-want-apple-to-make-video/
 
Make the new redesigned store faster. They are horribly slow right now
Get rid of some skeuomorphism...
Worst offender the stitching in notes (when in landscape), but the list is long:
-find my friends
-calendar
-game center
-podcast
-music app (iPad version).
About the music app, wouldn't be great if the make it more similar to the new iTunes for Mac? That's really elegant, while the iPad one is just ugly. I look forward to that
 
Allow for the individual removal of notifications - I would like to remove one or two notifications from a certain application, but not all of them. The notification bar can often get clunky at times.

Better notifications - Sometimes, I forget that I have a notification. Instead of the banner appearing every couple of minutes or so, which sometimes slows my device entirely, have an option to change the status bar when I have a notification. These option can be customizable, as well as the color(s) used.

Widgets on the search screen - I always wondered what the screen on the left of the main home screen was for. Having an entire screen dedicated for application searching is a bit ridiculous when you have a dozen or so applications on one screen. Make that screen not only a search screen, but also a widget screen. Make APIs to allow third party developers to make widgets. This will open an entire new category in the App Store.

If the above idea is implemented, add the options to remove the weather and stock widgets and add a quick-toggle for WiFi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode, etc. in the notification center. It's annoying to have to click through the settings to turn a feature on or off. I'm not a huge fan of widgets, but realistically, I could see myself using this feature to safe myself a few seconds.

Also, the video posted above offers nice ideas for iOS 7. I would like to see those ideas implemented too, but I would rather my ideas above to be implemented first.
 
Most of the things i want are covered by previous post :) i will add these one: let me delete/disable stock apps !
 
I just want contact pic before the name in the sms and phone app. Why is this not an option from the begining?! It's my main reason to jailbreak (see Copic).
And the ability to display the nickname for my favorites and caller id.
 
Last edited:
Greetings all.

I used to have a HTC Desire before I switched to an iPhone 4S. I loved tweaking Android - downloading new launchers, changing icons, adding loads of widgets, sticking task managers on to kill off apps in the true multitasking environment etc. Android is immensely powerful and the level of customization possible is absolutely mindblowing. It also has tons of features.

But I was never satisfied. It felt like Windows - rough around the edges and requiring me to do lots of work to keep it running well. My main motivation for trying different app launchers was to improve the clunky standard interface. When new features were released, they often took some effort to get working properly, assuming that they did. Battery life was poor due to the live widgets and true multitasking. Multitasking apps would run in the background and knacker the performance and battery, requiring a task manager to kill them off.

In comparison, IOS is totally user friendly, stable, fast, consistent and full of great software. It matches perfectly to the hardware and new features are only introduced when they are seamlessly integrated to the rest of the OS and fully working.

Where it falls down is that there is little scope for customization and the basic look and feel has always remained the same. This is the trade-off for consistency. But I'd ask those who want it changed and think it is boring if they have ever looked at a car and thought "hmm... they're still using those damn circular discs and internal combustion engine. It's about time they changed it". Why change something that works?

As to where they go with IOS 7, it's hard to say. Technology is not moving so quickly at the moment and we are in the mature period for this OS and most of the associated products. Maybe they could change the look of the icons a bit? I certainly don't want widgets, I can't see the point when an app is one touch away and normally will provide more information than a widget anyway.
 
I am among those that felt a bit underwhelmed by ios 6, I can't think of much in particular to change that would make me more satisfied but there are 2 things that would improve usability a great deal:

1. Swipe up to access the multitasking area (talking about iPhones now) and some easy way get back to the home screen without needing to resort to the home button. I think the current way of trying to do any multitasking is very cumbersome. Having to switch between touch and button navigation is really not smooth, regardless of how intuitive and familiar the home button is.

2. Some sort of document sharing between apps. I'm not asking for a full file system, just a simple way of document management. Right now the most fluid situation is if both apps support Dropbox integration, then it is almost possible to work with.
I read an article a while back that someone linked to where the author pointed out that iOS already has this: but only for images. All it would take would be a general file respository that works like the camera roll, apps can open those files and save files there, those files can be added to emails etc. And since iOS already knows what file can be opened by what app, there doesnt need to be a lot of changes to accomplish this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back