but all that needed was one
explainer to clear up.
On iOS, it was mostly the same
— adding new features, but not
changing what was already there
very much — until iOS 7, which
was a huge shift in aesthetics that
carried over to interaction. But we
knew that was coming, and knew
there’d be an adjustment phase.
But on iOS 13 (and in smaller
ways in a few of the previous
releases), Apple is playing with the
layouts of apps, and leaving us
with a puzzle to solve each time.
Where are the broader replying and
forwarding options in Mail now?
Where did the lyrics go in Music?
Why did it remove people’s Find
My Friends apps from their phone?
The latter has been interesting,
because it was the one change I
saw younger people getting furious
about online, and it was also the
most egregious to do without
explanation. People who don’t like
iPhones still say, “Apple tells you
what you can and can’t do on your
device,” even though it’s pretty
much bunk. And now it looks to
people as though Apple has just
summarily deleted an app they use
for both social and safety features.
There’s nothing wrong with
Apple rolling it into the new Find
My app, but it’s not a good idea to
do so with zero communication.And hiding features in other apps
that used to be obvious makes it
look like things have regressed,
even if they haven’t really.
Wkh#ľls#vlgh#lv#wkdw#Dssoh#zrqġw#
want to be bombarding you with
update notes after a new version of
iOS. But the current balance is not
useful — at the very least, apps
should have a pop-up about new
features when you open them, the
way that the iWork apps do.
But maybe Apple should be
looking at breaking out of the
yearly cycle for new features. It’s
already happening a little, in that
some features will often be saved
for the .1 updates, but maybe
tricking them out should be the
norm, so that it could actually tell
you what’s changed without
overwhelming you at once. Little
and often might be the best way to
feed us what we need to know.P
ERHAPS I’M JUST getting old,
but the launch of iOS 13 has
been one of Apple’s most
confusing updates for me.
Various things have changed
function, and position, and style,
dqg#iru#wkh#Ľuvw#wlph#lq#d#zkloh/#
it’s left me scratching my head.
Just a few years ago, things were
simpler. On the Mac, OS X didn’t
change much in terms of
interaction between versions
beyond adding new features, and
even if it did, you had to choose to
upgrade and pay for the privilege.
Updates are free now, but the
changes are so small and iterative
wkdw#wkh|#grqġw#dļhfw#|rx#pxfk#
— I can’t think of the last time
one would have confused people.
Maybe accidentally triggering
QrwlĽfdwlrq#Fhqwuh#zlwk#d#jhvwxuh/#MATT BOLTON If Apple is going to
tinker so much, it needs to get better
at communication
THE SHIFT
>>> Matt is the editor of Future’s flagship technology magazine T3 and has been charting changes at Apple since his student days.
He’s skeptical of tech industry hyperbole, but still gets warm and fuzzy on hearing “one more thing”.Image rights: Apple.
Some new features are listed when you
open an app for the first time, but there’s
little detail and it’s not across the board.While iOS updates are welcome, it’s a good
idea to inform your audience of changes that
will affect everyday use.maclife.com DEC 2019 11