What prevents Apple from adding T9 feature to the dialer app?

[Abu_Khulzat]

T9 in a dialer app is essential and it is a standard on all Android devices. Why Apple is not adding such a basic feature to its phone app? I used to use Kuai Dial tweak on a jailbroken device, so that was so much easier, so much more user friendly experience on the phone app.

What should users do to make apple add these kind of features to iOS?

 

[aristobrat]

http://www.apple.com/feedback

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

I have made a feedback, but I can't believe that this issue hasn't been raised for 10 years that iPhone is in the market

 

[C DM]

Nothing prevents them really aside from them not considering it being something that they need/should have in their phone app.

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

But Apple positions itself as a user oriented company. Lacking of T9 is one of the main reasons for me to keep going back and forth between Android and iOS.
Now I am using iPhone again and when I want to call someone, I have to go to contacts, change keyboard language, then start typing the name using relatevly small letters of the keyboard. When you have to do this fast, it is very inconvenient ant time consuming. Using dialpad's big keys is much more easy and you skip several steps ( going to contacts, changing language).
So where is the user friendliness of an idevice?

 

[Shirasaki]

I finally realise what your T9 mean but I don't think this is really necessary, at least for me.
I don't like T9 because I need to keep pressing on a key multiple times to get the letter I actually want. Very ineffective when typing something long. In phone app though, situation might be better.

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

I finally realise what your T9 mean but I don't think this is really necessary, at least for me.
I don't like T9 because I need to keep pressing on a key multiple times to get the letter I actually want. Very ineffective when typing something long. In phone app though, situation might be better.

I am talking only about the phone app where you need to enter person's name really fast. T9 is best in this situation

 

[Shirasaki]

I am talking only about the phone app where you need to enter person's name really fast. T9 is best in this situation

I have an idea. You can enable Japanese - kana keyboard and try to type something. That keyboard is a typical T9 keyboard. Long press a button will show up other kana candidates. You don't need to understand what you are typing, but you can see if you are used to that implementation.

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

I have an idea. You can enable Japanese - kana keyboard and try to type something. That keyboard is a typical T9 keyboard. Long press a button will show up other kana candidates. You don't need to understand what you are typing, but you can see if you are used to that implementation.

I already use 4 languages and adding one more will make it even more difficult )))
Thanks for your suggestion though

 

[C DM]

But Apple positions itself as a user oriented company. Lacking of T9 is one of the main reasons for me to keep going back and forth between Android and iOS.
Now I am using iPhone again and when I want to call someone, I have to go to contacts, change keyboard language, then start typing the name using relatevly small letters of the keyboard. When you have to do this fast, it is very inconvenient ant time consuming. Using dialpad's big keys is much more easy and you skip several steps ( going to contacts, changing language).
So where is the user friendliness of an idevice?

They are that, and it's likely in their opinion and perhaps research and observations that for the vast majority of the typical users that they try to appeal to, something like that is not only not necessary but likely something they don't even care about much or even at all. To top it off Apple is well known to do things in a way that they see as the way they should be done in.

 

[Shirasaki]

I already use 4 languages and adding one more will make it even more difficult )))
Thanks for your suggestion though

I also use 4 languages and Japanese is among one of them.
All you might need to do is to try out how T9 might work in real.

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

They are that, and it's likely in their opinion and perhaps research and observations that for the vast majority of the typical users that they try to appeal to, something like that is not only not necessary but likely something they don't even care about much or even at all. To top it off Apple is well known to do things in a way that they see as the way they should be done in.

I clearly understand your statement, therefore I am trying to speak about this issue here to make others, who feel that this is needed feature, to speak up too, so hopefully Apple will change their view. We have to do something at least to try to change this...

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

I also use 4 languages and Japanese is among one of them.
All you might need to do is to try out how T9 might work in real.

I know how it works, because I keep switching back and forth between iPhone and Android devices. T9 in the dialer is one of my favourite features that Android phones provide

 

[C DM]

I clearly understand your statement, therefore I am trying to speak about this issue here to make others, who feel that this is needed feature, to speak up too, so hopefully Apple will change their view. We have to do something at least to try to change this...

This has come up before a number of times, but not nearly as many other things have been and still are coming up--many of those things have been reported and still nothing has been done about them. That said, give that there's not much else to be done and nothing to lose, submitting feedback is certainly not a bad idea, even if it might likely not result in anything.

One other thing to consider is perhaps some sort of a third party app that would support something like this.

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

This has come up before a number of times, but not nearly as many other things have been and still are coming up--many of those things have been reported and still nothing has been done about them. That said, give that there's not much else to be done and nothing to lose, submitting feedback is certainly not a bad idea, even if it might likely not result in anything.

One other thing to consider is perhaps some sort of a third party app that would support something like this.

Yeah, I have already submitted a feedback on the site you have posted. And regarding 3rd party apps, there are indeed some solutions that I have tried, but since you can't make it a default app, it makes another layer of inconvenience.
Thanks for your suggestions! Will keep a hope that Apple adds this trivial feature to iOS

 

[pika2000]

T9 was designed when phones only had numeric keypads. When we were living with feature phones, I hated it. Sure, some people have mastered the keys and developed muscle memory that they can text without even looking, but that is not user intuitive.
Now we have a smart device, practically a computer with bitmap GUI. It is more intuitive to simply search for a person's name with normal keyboard then tapping into a T9 interface. Instead of looking from your own paradigm and claim Apple is not user oriented, note that Apple is making a phone for everybody else, not just yourself.

 

[Shirasaki]

T9 was designed when phones only had numeric keypads. When we were living with feature phones, I hated it. Sure, some people have mastered the keys and developed muscle memory that they can text without even looking, but that is not user intuitive.
Now we have a smart device, practically a computer with bitmap GUI. It is more intuitive to simply search for a person's name with normal keyboard then tapping into a T9 interface. Instead of looking from your own paradigm and claim Apple is not user oriented, note that Apple is making a phone for everybody else, not just yourself.

The only reason I chose to use Nokia E72 rather than android device is it has a full keyboard, and I absolutely love it.

Nowadays, all sort of virtual keyboard is good, but the actual feeling on typing on it is a lot less appealing than typing on that indeed tiny but efficient keyboard.

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

T9 was designed when phones only had numeric keypads. When we were living with feature phones, I hated it. Sure, some people have mastered the keys and developed muscle memory that they can text without even looking, but that is not user intuitive.
Now we have a smart device, practically a computer with bitmap GUI. It is more intuitive to simply search for a person's name with normal keyboard then tapping into a T9 interface. Instead of looking from your own paradigm and claim Apple is not user oriented, note that Apple is making a phone for everybody else, not just yourself.

If you have 4 languages in the keyboard it is not that easy to call a person. Try to count number of clicks required to this task:
1. Open contacts
2. Change language that you use for contacts (this might take up to 3 taps if you have 4 languages)
3 start typing the name.

So up to this point you might make 5-6 taps.

Whereas with t9 dialer, you
1 open dialer
2 press a digit corresponding to a letter.

And it is much easier to do this with one hand, because number pad keys are bigger than keyboard keys.

If you are driving or your other hand is busy, using a keyboard is very difficult _or this task.

You will know the benefit of this feature only if you start using it. I use Android besides iPhone so I know that is a big deficiency in the side of iPhone. Most of Android users will find it that way. Apple is trying to attract Android users, so it should give them something better for the essential task every smartphone provides, which is calling

 

[Shirasaki]

Whereas with t9 dialer, you
1 open dialer
2 press a digit corresponding to a letter.

You say you have four languages set. Then how do you use T9 keyboard and type anyone's name without switching the language? Rely on iOS smart recognition?

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

You say you have four languages set. Then how do you use T9 keyboard and type anyone's name without switching the language? Rely on iOS smart recognition?

Dialer number pad is tuned for your default language in Android. You can change this from settings, some dialers work with two languages simultaneously.
Therefore you dont have to switch languages on dialpad, it is absolutely independent from your keyboard. Every number corresponds to 3 or letters. So to call Bob, for example, you will have to press 2-6-2 . This is similar concept to this. If you go to Apple website and find their number, you won't, it will be like this 1-800-Apple
This is T9

It is much more easy to use when you get used to it.

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

Dialer number pad is tuned for your default language in Android. You can change this from settings, some dialers work with two languages simultaneously.
Therefore you dont have to switch languages on dialpad, it is absolutely independent from your keyboard. Every number corresponds to 3 or letters. So to call Bob, for example, you will have to press 2-6-2 . This is similar concept to this. If you go to Apple website and find their number, you won't, it will be like this 1-800-Apple
This is T9

It is much more easy to use when you get used to it.

On iOS there is a simple dialer , smart dialer apps. They all work they way I described, but the problem is that you can't make them default calling app

 

[pika2000]

So to call Bob, for example, you will have to press 2-6-2 .

It is much more easy to use when you get used to it.

How is pressing 2-6-2 for Bob intuitive?
This was necessary when we only have dial pads on our phones. We have smartphones now. Why do consumers have to learn this un-intuitive way when they can just search for the name and press call?

OT, but this is a similar situation with Linux. We have a GUI interface but the Linux people want people to learn command lines.

 

[Abu_Khulzat]

How is pressing 2-6-2 for Bob intuitive?
This was necessary when we only have dial pads on our phones. We have smartphones now. Why do consumers have to learn this un-intuitive way when they can just search for the name and press call?

OT, but this is a similar situation with Linux. We have a GUI interface but the Linux people want people to learn command lines.

I mentioned that if you don't use T9 you can't perceived it's merits. Once you get used to it, you can't live without it.
Every number key, even on iPhone, has letters below the number. It is very easy once you start using it.
Regarding your statement about typing with a keyboard, I clearly described a difference to you. It takes much more taps to call a person and also precision while typing using small keys on the keyboard. If you are in the go, it is very hard to type precisely. Whereas typing on a big number keys is very easy.

 

[Ntombi]

Why not just use Siri? I know it's not your default (yet), but it'll be quick and easy.

If I'm calling someone not in my favorites, I usually use Siri, which is quicker than pulling down and typing the beginning of their name in the search bar, which is my second choice.

 

[pika2000]

I mentioned that if you don't use T9 you can't perceived it's merits. Once you get used to it, you can't live without it.

I rather have Apple perfecting SIRI then spending their time on a T9 keypad.

You know, in Asia, people love to text, and I know many people, including family members, that mastered the T9 keypad. Guess what, they are not complaining nor miss the T9 with these new smartphones. Plus, there's this thing called search. Simply initiate spotlight, type in first few letters, and done.

I take my analogy on Linux people with command lines. To them, command lines are faster than interacting with a GUI.
If you like T9, good for you. But you are like that Linux programmer that want people to learn command lines. Apple prefers more intuitive ways. Pressing 2-6-2 for Bob is not intuitive. Searching for Bob, or asking Siri to call Bob, is.

If you really prefer T9, then maybe the iPhone is not for you. Sometimes you just have to find something that fits you, instead of claiming the phone maker not catering to consumers (you).