When will Apple add customizability feature to iOS?

[cinematicme]

As I was explaining to the other guy earlier, I shouldn't have to risk "bricking" my device for simple features that should come with it out of the box. In your opinion yeah it's fine but others including myself don't think so.


Sent from my iPad Air using iMore Forums

To put this more in perspective, you are 1 person who is part of the 5-9% of iOS users who either jailbreak for extra features or want more customization.

The other 91-95% of users don't need, want, or care about the customization options, so no you won't be seeing it. Apple controls the user experience from the top down, they go with what works.

Also, about the whole 7 years of iOS thing, you do realize that last year it was completely redone, including a lot of under the hood? What device are you using ? Because on my 5s, 5, iPad mini retina, I don't experience lag at all, anywhere, period.

If you want deep customization, go get an android phone.


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[Amamba]

The biggest advantage of customization is that you can set the device for maximum productivity. Apple Today is severely limited, on Android I could see my entire list of meetings and tasks due for the entire week by just glancing at the screen. When you have a busy schedule and need to get things done, a quick glance is better than having to open an app.

Another thing iOS is missing is a semblance of file system. Which translates into difficulty of sharing things with non-Apple systems. Try to quickly mark up a presentation and send it to ten different people in different companies, some of whom have access to Dropbox blocked.

Apple is great as a standalone personal device, rather sucks if you are trying to incorporate it in your work environment as a BYOD when collaboration is important.

 

[Kashan Osama]

I partially agree with the OP and partially with the Apple's motive,but many phones were left behind in that linearity....Nokia,Palm,etc..All of them didn't kept up and eventually lost,I AM NOT talking about ability to customize but actually give users bit more feature-ful experience in their smooth enviroment like developing APIs so that apps can mutually interact with each other more coherently,A good all in one file manager,they can retain their home-button while introducing a touch gesture aswell for the switcher/going back to HS,actionable notifications,these are just examples...


I find it funny people are always like "I am fine with it,No issues so I don't think Apple needs this"...No one needed Touch-screen before Apple?? I guess NO...so in people were fine with gingerbread,Crackberrians are fine with their BB's,EVERYONE seemed fine back in 2006 with their razr....


I am sure when sms first came out people would have a lot of trouble typing texts,It would be a sort of new experience for them to type via digital buttons and atleast they were not be able to atleast connect their emotions to the typing experience (this is same as many people FEEL good while reading hard-copy rather than digital),So it is not so alien to give users some features AS the OS matures,and please IT wouldn't hurt anyone,IT WOULDN'T spoil the usual sleek experience,everything would be clear,icons on HS and their settings on Settings app...Like ok Apple won't likely ever open up the keyboard API because it can include potential security risks,but there is a lot of potential for the OS,it is about time before Android catches up with iOS's speed,fluidity and productivity,Not because of customizing things,THOUGH not in security and Ease of use...WP8.1 looks promising with regards to features given...A void remain b/w,with a "completely open source experience (NO security No nothing Whatsoever or) or half baked experience (BB) with security and features but No stability/Progressiveness" on one end and on the other end we have A premature Locked-in OS struggling to get his name (WP8) and a pretty mature and miles ahead OS,but extremely limited to ITS potential...So Apple really has a chance to speed up their game

 

[Amamba]

If Apple were to have full customization like Android, with widgets and such, they would just fall in with the hordes of other android phones, and that is what makes the IPhone stand out, and separates it from the over saturated android market.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So in your opinion, it's the lack of features that makes the iPhone stand out ?

Well, I guess that's one way to look at it.

In reality though, what made iPhone what it is was a great interface, well thought through, beautiful and fast, and reliable hardware, at a time when there was no real competition - BlackBerry was resting on laurels, Windows Mobile was being abandoned by MS, Palm was dying, and nobody heard of Android. So Apple grabbed a big slice of market and became _the_ smartphone to have.

Now, what keeps Apple going is brand name recognition, and the fact they still have reputation for quality. Shopping on features and specs alone, they don't stand a chance vs Android - and that's coming from a guy who just abandoned Android to get a much more expensive rMini. Arguably, with iOS7 the interface isn't as rich and beautiful as it used to be, at least for a number of users. So unless Apple wants to become another BlackBerry, they better start reinventing iOS and iCloud... This is just my personal and highly subjective opinion. Right now I am content using Apple hardware with Google services and working around the myriad limitations of iOS, but only because I distrust the reliability of Android hardware.

 

[Amamba]

Just to add... Apple was the first to the market in 2007 and immediately went with a major carrier. Android appeared a year and a half later and on an obscure T-Mobile; it didn't come to major carriers until late 2009, and there wasn't much choice of phones until 2010. So in the 6 years since iPhone hit the shelves, it enjoyed almost 3 years of no competition (unless you count abandonware Palm, BlackBerry and WinMob as competition). And yet the late comer Android grabbed roughly half of the market from it in half the time. Apple does have a long term problem that needs addressing somehow.

 

[JmBApps]

Apple has 64 bit processing. For music and art, they are unmatched. Im sure some of these are legitimate complaints/opinions....but every complaint I ever heard about Apple was basd on iOS4.....or operator error. One must use all the features like the quick pull down menus that you can access with a quick swipe, without having to unlock the phone. Droid has the screen info at a glance...well that is ok, but exposed. Apple has two quick glance screens that take a quick swipe to activate, making them private until you need to see them and also you have double the viewing capability since it uses the full screen two times, depending on if it is an upswipe, or downswipe. My iPhone5 is set up just how I like it....and I have a full blown 16 track studio in my pocket at all times.....and a complete art studio as well.

 

[luvesuga]

I would love to have icon packs and fonts. Or be able to place my icons wherever I want. I'm not a fan of widgets. Never used them on Android. I just want to have the option of making my phone look different from everyone else's. But truth is that most people don't care. People around here all have the same ringtones and don't bother to change up their icon placement.


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[Ledsteplin]

I'd like smaller app icons and the option to remove the titles under the icons. Also, please get rid of that grey dock. What purpose does that serve?


Sent from from my iPhone 5

 

[Chrisy]

Of the many android users I know, very few use widgets.. Just throwing that out there. It seems that widgets are way ever rated. And I personally don't know many people that use them..


Sent from my iPad using iMore Forums

I like widgets...In theory. The reality was, for me, that those handy widgets killed my Android battery in no time. I had to set many of them to update at longer intervals. Or delete some widgets completely. After doing that, I didn't really see the point of having widgets anymore.

As for customization, I don't that's the iPhone thing. I think it's intentional, just like a lack of LED for notifications. I think Apple products are well thought out, and contain and lack features for specific reasons.

 

[Amamba]

I like widgets...In theory. The reality was, for me, that those handy widgets killed my Android battery in no time. I had to set many of them to update at longer intervals. Or delete some widgets completely. After doing that, I didn't really see the point of having widgets anymore.

As for customization, I don't that's the iPhone thing. I think it's intentional, just like a lack of LED for notifications. I think Apple products are well thought out, and contain and lack features for specific reasons.

It all depends on what you use the devices for. I will likely never get an iPhone because I find quick data entry or retrieval practically impossible. If I need to quickly look up or add a meeting, or add something to Evernote or OneNote, I can do it with a single tap on my Android phone, but it takes twice as much effort on the iPad. The Today pull down really sucks and unfortunately there's no alternative other than having to open the respective program. Siri is unpredictable at best, it may be that my dictation isn't that good, but I have much better success rate with Google voice recognition. Typing also sucks, although I have no problem typing on a fairly large iPad keyboard, I'd absolutely hate the experience on a tiny iPhone screen. Although there are rumors that iOS8 would get some kind of Swype like keyboard entry. And with all my widgets, my Android phone easily goes from 7am to 10 am the following day on a single charge, with fairly heavy use, while my friends and family members with iPhones seem to be permanently low on battery.

I love the rMini hardware, and as long as I don't need to retrieve or enter the info quickly (I have my phone for that), I am OK with software. But I am going with Samsung for my next phone, and sticking with Google for most services (seeing how iCloud apps are slow as molasses and limited in function). I hope to use my tablet for a long time, which was the primary reason to go with an iPad, but I keep a setup that allows me to switch hardware providers at any time with a
minimal impact on my workflow.

Right now, I think Apple has the best tablet hardware, with great reliability and overall use experience, but some major limitations (no SD card support, very expensive, and the display quality is slipping a bit vs competition). But Android has better phones. These are different devices for different tasks.

 

[JmBApps]

These are the complaints?
How many of you are ACTUAL developers?
Personally I like the dock...and the fact that I dont have to scroll through my screens to find the phone, safari, email, music.
If these are the only complaints......you guys are splitting hairs. Cant please everyone......just the people that dont complain constantly.

 

[Ledsteplin]

These are the complaints?
How many of you are ACTUAL developers?
Personally I like the dock...and the fact that I dont have to scroll through my screens to find the phone, safari, email, music.
If these are the only complaints......you guys are splitting hairs. Cant please everyone......just the people that dont complain constantly.

I have no problem with 4 positions at the bottom being stationary. I like that as you do. It's the gray background there that I don't like. That's what they should get rid of, not the stationary app/folder spots. People like to use wallpapers, and that gray covers too much.


Sent from from my ancient but trustworthy iPhone 5

 

[JmBApps]

Ahh...ok. That makes sense. I agree. Color with alpha adjustment would be nice and maybe adding a panoramic photo.