iOS 13: Things Apple still needs to fix

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Replace Safari as default browser

I would like to see iOS 13 offer users a way to completely replace Safari as the default browser and offer support for third-party browsers to take over completely.

Published: July 10, 2019 -- 12:36 GMT (05:36 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Separate security updates and bug fixes from new features

Currently Apple mixes together security updates, bug fixes, and new features. A better option, especially for those running older devices prone to performance issues, would be to offer security updates and bug fixes as a standalone package without any new performance hogging features.

Published: July 10, 2019 -- 12:36 GMT (05:36 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Revamp the Settings app

The Settings app feels like the Windows Control Panel... a place where new stuff has been continually added, but little has been done to keep it usable.
I'm regularly hearing from average users who experience incredible difficulty finding things they are looking for in the Settings app.
It's long overdue for a revamp!

Published: July 10, 2019 -- 12:36 GMT (05:36 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Why are active icons restricted to Apple apps?

Here are three icons. The Google Calendar icon is permanently stuck showing the 31st of whenever (this is an app I use all the time, and this annoys me), while Apple uses active icons for its apps that shows useful information (the icon for Calendar shows today's day and date, while the Clock icon shows the current time down to the second).
While I'm a little nervous about what some developers might do with the power to make icons active (developers can come up with really annoying things at times), having the option to have active icons (and the ability to make then static) would be an awesome iOS feature.

Published: July 10, 2019 -- 12:36 GMT (05:36 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
iCloud notifications

Having to triage notifications on one iOS device is bad enough without having to do it on every device you own, including any Macs. We need a way to sync notifications to iCloud so they only need dealing with on one device.

Published: July 10, 2019 -- 12:36 GMT (05:36 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
More UI oddities

Two things about the Home screen surprise me:
- The dock is fixed to four icons. Why not allow more icons and add the option to scroll?
- This horizontal scrolling paradigm for icon screens feels outdated. I'm unclear why I can't position icons where I want them (as opposed to having them grouped at the top of the screen), and to be honest I'd much prefer an update that made folders easier to use and a switch to continuous vertical scrolling rather than this page-by-page paradigm.
Tweaking this in iOS 13 would go a long way to making the iPhone and iPad more usable.

Published: July 10, 2019 -- 12:36 GMT (05:36 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Why is the Phone app a full-screen abomination?

I can sort of understand it when making a call (although I'm surprised Apple hasn't come up with something that works better), but having a full-screen app jump up into the middle of whatever you are doing when you receive a call is just plain antisocial.
Apple, please make incoming phone calls -- and FaceTime calls -- a notification that is subtle and easy to dismiss in iOS 13.

Published: July 10, 2019 -- 12:36 GMT (05:36 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Why no Bluetooth icon?

In iOS Apple dumped the Bluetooth icon from the top of the screen (presumably to make space for the notch on newer handsets). But for those of us who switch Bluetooth off and on regularly it was a handy reminder of whether it was on or off.
I suppose that this feature is in the Control Center panel, so all is not lost, but it's still an odd thing to choose to remove. If the camera notch is a permanent fixture then perhaps Apple needs to reconsider where this information is made available.

Published: July 10, 2019 -- 12:36 GMT (05:36 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Apple has unveiled iOS 13, the next-generation mobile platform that will power the iPhone. But there's still a lot of things it could fix in the platform to make it more usable.

Why is the Phone app a full-screen abomination?

I can sort of understand it when making a call (although I'm surprised Apple hasn't come up with something that works better), but having a full-screen app jump up into the middle of whatever you are doing when you receive a call is just plain antisocial.

Apple, please make incoming phone calls -- and FaceTime calls -- a notification that is subtle and easy to dismiss in iOS 13.

Published: July 10, 2019 -- 12:36 GMT (05:36 PDT)

Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

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