What's the point of the new app switcher?

[\-V-/]

They can't function properly if you close them either.

Uh ... what? Of course they won't.

Aren't we talking about things that do background processing that shouldn't be doing background processing?

???

My discussion has been about how closing apps is bad for battery life ... except for apps that run constantly in the background that don't "freeze" when put in the background ... such as steaming apps, maps, etc.. and if those are left open will chew through battery life. Then someone made a suggestion about turning off background processes for those apps, in which I stated would be a bad idea for certain apps like maps because that will remove important functionality needed for the app. Then you quoted me and went off on a tangent.

 

[GreyOS]

Um... Maps? Google Maps? Music streaming services? Things that you need to have running in the background to function properly?

perhaps you missed the discussion above about how BAF != all background process.

you mention music. Spotify plays in the background with BAF turned off.
you mention maps. Google maps can give me directions in the background with BAF turned off.

they don't rely on BAF.

BAF is something else - it allows one off refreshes throughout the day for things like refreshing content. not audio playback and location services. BAF was only introduced in iOS 7 and these were possible before that. there are very few apps that lose significant functionality with BAF off.

 

[mazz0]

Uh ... what? Of course they won't.


???

My discussion has been about how closing apps is bad for battery life ... except for apps that run constantly in the background that don't "freeze" when put in the background ... such as steaming apps, maps, etc.. and if those are left open will chew through battery life. Then someone made a suggestion about turning off background processes for those apps, in which I stated would be a bad idea for certain apps like maps because that will remove important functionality needed for the app. Then you quoted me and went off on a tangent.

I didn't go off on a tangent at all, that's exactly what I'm talking about. It was suggested that it was good to close apps that run in the background, but bad to stop them having permission to run in the background because that will stop them working. Just like closing them will. The argument makes no sense, unless you're talking about what I mentioned in the second bit of my post.

What are these apps that 'run' in the background? What are they doing in the background that you think kills battery? Streaming apps aren't streaming when you're not listening to something, so what's wrong with just pressing Stop?

 

[notrack]

The oddest thing I've noticed about it is that if you double click to go into the app switcher, the app you were currently in isn't the one with the main focus in the app switcher.

I would much prefer this too. I can see the theory why they did it this way but in reality I find it counter productive. Just zooming out is much easier because it gives me better orientation and you could tap on the previous app anyways.
I just don't use the switcher any more because I found it better to use the home screen instead of being at a "random" position in a row of apps. Switching between two apps back an forth is a very rare case for me.
Imo the best way would be to slide up the current app and show the 4-5 icons of the recently used ones. I could capture them much easier. Screenshots look different every time so I don't find them very helpful either. Just my 2 cts.

 

[mazz0]

Imo the best way would be to slide up the current app and show the 4-5 icons of the recently used ones. I could capture them much easier. Screenshots look different every time so I don't find them very helpful either. Just my 2 cts.

Is that how it worked a few versions ago, before we got the previews? I was thinking about this the other day and couldn't remember.

Just used the two-finger cursor movement thing again while typing this - awesome feature. Wonder if they can patent that...

 

[C DM]

Is that how it worked a few versions ago, before we got the previews? I was thinking about this the other day and couldn't remember.

Just used the two-finger cursor movement thing again while typing this - awesome feature. Wonder if they can patent that...

Does it matter if they can or can't patent it?

 

[notrack]

Is that how it worked a few versions ago, before we got the previews? I was thinking about this the other day and couldn't remember.

Just used the two-finger cursor movement thing again while typing this - awesome feature. Wonder if they can patent that...

Yes it was similar in iOS 6 but you had to tap-and-hold and then hit the tiny (-) badge to close/remove. Sliding up is really nice.

 

[uhaas]

There is one God awfully coded app you should quit and that's Facebook.

I just turn off run in background for it. It was a battery suck.

 

[mazz0]

Does it matter if they can or can't patent it?

Maybe. There's certainly an argument that when people do invent new things they should be allowed exclusive use in order to encourage future innovation. There are arguments against, of course.

 

[greytux]

Still no "close all apps" button.

You are not supposed to close apps under normal circumstances.

 

[EthanLMT]

What I don't understand is that they are saying to double click the home button to get to the app switcher however that is also how to access Apple Pay. How does this work?

It only goes to Apple Pay when you double click on the lock screen (when you can't use multitasking)...

 

[EthanLMT]

I don't believe there are any toggles for those settings.

And like Gray i believe those toggles would be a nice thing to have.

In setting just click on any app that uses BAR and there is a switch..(For Example Google Docs)

 

[MikeyMike01]

The new task switcher now has that idiotic blur. This has been specifically done to tax older iDevices giving an illusion of them appearing slow.

Planned obsolescence at it's finest.

Correct me if I am wrong.

'Wrong' would be much too polite.

 

[dannyyankou]

Still no "close all apps" button.

That's because Apple wants you to save battery life because closing and reopening apps requires more power.

By the way, I don't believe your sig

 

[VSMacOne]

6 pages of arguing over the new app switcher?
I personally like it. It makes sense to use up more of the screen for previews. It's a welcome change for me and I doubt it will be too "taxing" on older devices.

 

[lchlch]

In setting just click on any app that uses BAR and there is a switch..(For Example Google Docs)
View attachment 561555

Background app refresh is not background activity.

 

[tennisproha]

Part of the reasoning, I am sure, is that you are (may be) more likely to interact with someone with whom you've had recent contact. Not sure I buy that, but that was a theory that was presented to me. I get really confused by the "here it is" in one release and "we take it away" in the next. Grrrrr.

Hasn't that option just been moved from the App Switcher screen to the Siri Proactive screen?

 

[AZhappyjack]

Hasn't that option just been moved from the App Switcher screen to the Siri Proactive screen?

"Siri Proactive Screen"? Some contacts (it appears to be "recently accessed contacts") has been moved to the Search page, if that's what you're asking. However, my comment was directed at the move by Apple to give us access to both Favorites and Recents on the App Switcher page in iOS 7, and then in iOS 9, take (at least part of) it away. It doesn't really concern me that they moved it, but that they took it away was the point I was making.

 

[mazz0]

"Siri Proactive Screen"? Some contacts (it appears to be "recently accessed contacts") has been moved to the Search page, if that's what you're asking. However, my comment was directed at the move by Apple to give us access to both Favorites and Recents on the App Switcher page in iOS 7, and then in iOS 9, take (at least part of) it away. It doesn't really concern me that they moved it, but that they took it away was the point I was making.

It's not "recently accessed contacts"! It's an algorithmically selected bunch of contacts who may or may not be your recently contacted ones, depending whether that's what the algorithm determines is the best bet for who you'll want there.

 

[kmj2318]

So after using the beta for the last week, I'm still not that pleased with the new app switcher. I'm getting used to the change in direction. But the way the apps overlap feels cumbersome, and the way the scrolling isn't one to one feels weird.

 

[tennisproha]

It doesn't really concern me that they moved it, but that they took it away was the point I was making.

How do you know they took it away? If they've moved it from one place to another, that does address your concern.

from what I've gathered they now have pull down search AND swipe left Siri proactive search. the latter seems to incorporate what you are after.

 

[AZhappyjack]

It's not "recently accessed contacts"! It's an algorithmically selected bunch of contacts who may or may not be your recently contacted ones, depending whether that's what the algorithm determines is the best bet for who you'll want there.

How do you know they took it away? If they've moved it from one place to another, that does address your concern.

from what I've gathered they now have pull down search AND swipe left Siri proactive search. the latter seems to incorporate what you are after.

No. The "latter" incorporates PART of what I'm "after". Some are saying it's neither "Favorites" nor "Recents", but some "algorithmically selected bunch of contacts who may or may not be your recently contacted ones...".

 

[Razeus]

The double clicking is silly though, especially since this is a touch device. It's like Apple doesn't even bother coming up with gestures anymore. Why can't we just pinch-to-the-middle the entire screen to bring it up?

 

[GreyOS]

The double clicking is silly though, especially since this is a touch device. It's like Apple doesn't even bother coming up with gestures anymore. Why can't we just pinch-to-the-middle the entire screen to bring it up?

Because this gesture is already used in apps. What if the users want to zoom out etc

 

[ajiuo]

The double clicking is silly though, especially since this is a touch device. It's like Apple doesn't even bother coming up with gestures anymore. Why can't we just pinch-to-the-middle the entire screen to bring it up?

Because pinching is already used for zoom. Multi finger gestures are not intuitive on the iPhone.. Perhaps they will do something with force touch.

Slide-over is now on the right of the screen (on iPad... And I'm guessing on the 6S plus) perhaps control center could be moved to the left and the switcher to the bottom... That might be to complicated. With back slide navigation though.

Apple actually did test gestures in ios7 but never implemented them... They probably sucked... I could never get the test settings to work myself.