Exactly! Same here.Yeah this has always irritated me about Windows. Especially when background apps start and take focus but not have an active window. I have had things take over in Windows while I am typing my password which is not good!
Exactly! Same here.Yeah this has always irritated me about Windows. Especially when background apps start and take focus but not have an active window. I have had things take over in Windows while I am typing my password which is not good!
I feel your pain!
But could you give us more specifics, with a concrete step-by-step example of when and how this occurs? I'm a bit confused by what's going on.
For example, if I launch a HUGE spreadsheet in Excel and, then, while I’m waiting for it to fully load, decide to work on a Word document, Excel will take over once it has fully opened the document. That makes sense, at one level. After all, I asked it to open the big file! And, it's showing me it's ready.
I suppose what you're seeking is the way iOS often (always?) works — if I’m updating a bunch of apps from the App Store, while I’m waiting, I can start working in, say, Pages, and, IIRC, once the downloading is finished, I'm never bothered.
In the infrequent times the take-over happens on the Mac, it seems it's the system’s way of saying, “I'm done. Here's what YOU wanted to look at, use, or work on!” Thought of that way, it makes sense.
Besides the solution is a fast one. Just click on the icon on the dock of the app you were working in — or on one of its windows — and you are right back where you were when you were interrupted!
I find it hard to believe no one else in this thread has faced this problem before. I get what you are talking about. Sadly, I don't have a proper solution to this problem. My updated workflow involves using 1 or 2 apps(side by side) in their own space. So if an app comes up and tries to steal focus, there is a whole transition to the desktop page, which is pretty hard to miss, take it as a sign to stop typing and use mouse or CMD + Tab to go back to previous app.
finish your email, then open another app... seems a workflow challenge more than a weird tech issue.
If there is a feature, like automatically updating the app or auto saving documents, then disable it. If there is no feature you can disable then you will have to quit the app while not in use so it doesn't move from background to foreground. In some cases you will not be able to avoid it and you will have to adjust your workflow a bit to avoid the combination of variables which cause the issue.No, that does not work. There's no "feature" to disable. It's not about quitting the app, it's about apps stealing focus from the app I'm currently in.
can't you open those apps in advance of writing an email? and/or just leave them open? as with all things, if something doesn't work exactly as you'd like, you can find a workaround (which is, at least, better than nothing)Does not always work like that. I often need other apps while I'm writing emails/documents.
Happens to me a few times every week. It’s not a specific workflow thing; will happen in a variety of situations from an app loading slowly to a reminder about a process that’s running.Thank you! I'm surprised nobody else has experienced this either. Maybe it's my workflow. Maybe I work really fast at times and have a number of apps open. I'd still prefer apps NOT to steal focus. I know you're open, I'll get back to you when I'm done here, lol. ?
No, as I don't always know what I'll need in advance.can't you open those apps in advance of writing an email? and/or just leave them open? as with all things, if something doesn't work exactly as you'd like, you can find a workaround (which is, at least, better than nothing)
THIS!!! The most irritating thing about this is when you're typing something or filling in a form, and then an app pops up and takes over. Yes, it only takes a few seconds to minimise it. Yes, it's not the end of the world. But it's still highly irritating - and that's my biggest issue here. It's about me losing focus myself when this happens.Happens to me a few times every week. It’s not a specific workflow thing; will happen in a variety of situations from an app loading slowly to a reminder about a process that’s running.
Bugs the hell out of me and I’ve yet to find a solution.
One of my biggest complaints about Mac and iOS these days is that it too easily defers to the computer about running. If I’m typing in a field, the only thing that should interrupt that is ME.
you have the option, at least in the present moment, to deal with the issue in a constructive way, and find a workaround. griping about it won't fix it. just a thought!No, as I don't always know what I'll need in advance.
Yes, but sometimes in life, if one does not complain about things that could be done much better, things don't improve.you have the option, at least in the present moment, to deal with the issue in a constructive way, and find a workaround. griping about it won't fix it. just a thought!
complaining on an internet forum is not the same as, say, reporting it in the feedback app (if you're on the betas), or, at least, posting it here (a longshot, but still more useful than a forum post):Yes, but sometimes in life, if one does not complain about things that could be done much better, things don't improve.
complaining on an internet forum is not the same as, say, reporting it in the feedback app (if you're on the betas), or, at least, posting it here (a longshot, but still more useful than a forum post):
mac os feedback
you should probably read my posts before attacking me. i suggested a workaround. i also suggested the feedback app as a place to report the problem, and put the apple os feedback link up as well.If the griping bothers you so much, you have the option to unsubscribe from a thread where people have been asking for solutions to a point of frustration. Just because it doesn't bother you doesn't mean other people aren't perfectly entitled to complain about it in an internet forum.
Happens to me a few times every week.
I get your point. It aggravates me though if I’m interacting in some way with a window — say, typing — and what we’re calling the focus of the OS gets pulled to a different one.Same here. It does makes sense. If you run a new app it means that you are want to use it and therefore you want to interact with it so it needs focus. So most of the time it does work to my benefit.