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Infinite Loop / The Apple Ecosystem

Bring us the features! An Ars staff wish list for iOS 7

We tell you our suggestions for iOS 7 and invite you to tell us yours.

Aurich Lawson

It's 2013, which most likely means another major iOS update will soon come down the tubes from Apple. iOS 7 has already begun popping up in some server logs—no huge surprise, since Apple is constantly working on its next big thing(s). But so far, we know virtually nothing about what to expect from iOS 7. After all, the general public is still only on iOS 6.0.2, with iOS 6.1 reportedly just around the corner.

While the 6.1 update will undoubtedly improve on what we already have, iOS 7 has the potential to make significant changes and improvements to how iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users interact with their devices. So, what better opportunity for the Ars staff to dream and speculate about what we'd really like to see Apple do with its next major release? I asked a number of our iOS-using staff members to tell me the most important items on their wish lists and came up with a list of eight things we think would be great to see when iOS 7 is released to the public.

1) Let us set and remove our own default apps

Could there be a more common complaint about iOS than this? Users are dying to have the ability to specify their own default apps for things like Web browsing, mapping, task management, notes, and more—but Apple won't let us. The time is now: Apple should add a panel in the iOS Settings that lets us do this so that when we click a link from another app, we don't have to use Safari, or when we tap on an address on a webpage, we don't have to use Maps.

This has long been a common request from Ars staffers, and it topped the list when I asked this time around as well. "Apple could even provide some kind of spec that a third-party app would have to conform to before it can be allowed as the new default e-mail client," John Siracusa said. "It doesn't have to be as wide open as it is on OS X, but I don't think it can stay as closed as it is now forever." On that same note, isn't it about time for us to be able to delete Apple's default apps? You know, the ones we all shuffle into their own folder on the last Springboard screen (mine is called "Shit I never use"), such as Stocks, Compass, Game Center, or whatever else doesn't strike your fancy. "The ability to remove default iOS apps (like the thrice-damned Newsstand and Game Center) would be wonderful," said Reviews Editor Lee Hutchinson, but I doubt it will ever happen."

2) Take Do Not Disturb to the next level

We like Do Not Disturb, which was introduced with iOS 6 in late 2012, even though it has run into some high-profile bugs lately. The feature allows us to schedule times when our devices won't ring, buzz, or light up when receiving calls or notifications—great for trying to get some uninterrupted sleep, or during important times of the day. But the feature is still very basic—you can only schedule one time block at a time (say, 11pm to 7am every day), or manually turn it on/off as needed.

As Chris Foresman pointed out, iOS users could really benefit from the ability to apply finer-grained scheduling to the Do Not Disturb feature. "Being able to have different schedules for different days of the week," he said, would allow people to specify different times for weekdays versus weekends, or add special items like regular business meetings. Apple could also take this feature to the next level by stealing a feature from RIM and the BlackBerry: power management. Some of us would rather just have our iPhones (or other iOS devices) shut down altogether at certain times of day—call it a more forced version of Do Not Disturb. "All Macs have power management options, including the ability to have a device shutdown at a specific time and wake up at a specific time," Ars Editor-in-Chief Ken Fisher said. "The BlackBerry has had this functionality for years. Apple could land on the right side of green by including this support."

3) Multiple users per device—or at least a kid mode

We're sure you've heard this one before—how many times have you handed your iDevice to a family member or friend, only to have them start digging into your e-mail or moving around your home screen icons? The ability to manage multiple users on a single device like we can on the Mac (and pretty much every other computing platform) would help mitigate this problem, though not everyone agrees such a feature would be helpful or easy-to-use on a tiny mobile device like the iPhone—perhaps it would be more useful on the iPad, a device that's much more likely to be shared among a family or roommates.

But even if you don't like the idea of a multi-user iOS device, users with kids seem to agree hands-down that a "kid mode" would be a huge help. It could be an extension of Apple's current Parental Controls that allows parents to flip a switch and put the device into a mode that allows limited access to only certain apps, temporarily turn off the ability to answer (or make) phone calls, limit the Web from all available apps, completely turn off in-app purchasing power, and so on. Even those of us without kids (myself included) could make use of this feature when visiting friends or family with children; I know I've had my iPhone co-opted by toddlers many times, only to find them making FaceTime calls to all my friends 10 minutes later. We don't mind handing over our iOS devices to children to distract themselves, but a way to keep them (and the devices) safe during that time would be a great feature to have.

4) A better way to organize and manage apps

The tapping and holding until apps start to wiggle. The dragging between screens. The apps shifting around when you don't want them to while you're trying to move something else. That annoying phenomenon when you realize all your infrequently used apps are piling up on the ninth-Springboard-screen-back. App organization drives us all crazy from time to time, and the Ars staff would like some fresh ways to clean up.

"I want some new thinking, like being able to swipe down to reveal widgets, and swipe up to reveal a drawer for fast moving of icons," Creative Director Aurich Lawson said. "It's time to acknowledge that the UI that was designed for a phone that didn't even have the concept of downloading apps hasn't kept up with the times." But if we're going to revamp how we organize apps on our devices, we should also revamp how we can manage them from the cloud, says Social Editor Cesar Torres. He pointed out that it's sometimes difficult to remember whether certain apps are still on the device or not (there might be some apps that you use very infrequently, but they're nice to have when you need them), and if they've been deleted, going through the App Store to find them again can be a pain.

"Amazon has a Cloud/Device set of tabs" that could be useful for this, Torres said. "Or something sort of like Dropbox's system, where if you star something, it gets stored locally. I would like for all apps to have a standardized way of showing you this, so you're always clear on what's in the phone and what's in the cloud." Torres thinks this should apply beyond apps, though—he thinks it should also apply to data stored within each app, and that third-party developers should work with Apple to come up with a more standard way to show whether documents are local, on iCloud, or stored somewhere else.

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426 Reader Comments

  1. Widgets.
    81 posts | registered
  2. Ditch skeuomorphism entirely. I know, never gunna happen.

    Edit: Spelling.

    Last edited by joshv on Mon Jan 21, 2013 3:52 pm

    1584 posts | registered
  3. Bluetooth mouse support, that'd go a long towards iPad rollouts as thin clients.

    That'd be awesome! But problably will never happen.....
    1399 posts | registered
  4. joshv wrote:
    Ditch skewmorphism entirely. I know, never gunna happen.

    94 posts | registered
  5. Given the desired features. Pretty much what you want is an Android phone then.
    Let the gnashing and wailing and pulling of beards begin...
    647 posts | registered
  6. I want to be able to mark meetings as Do Not Disturb, or have an app be able to turn it on in certain modes (like Keynote, while giving a presentation).
    126 posts | registered
  7. I would really like access to some of the settings in the notification center pull down instead of stock quotes. I would love WiFi on/off and the brightness setting.
    102 posts | registered
  8. Good list this. Small thing but I still miss it from my BlackBerry after switching to iOS 2-3 years ago. If you can’t deliver a message (email, text whatever) because I have no data connection queue it up and deliver it when you can. Crazy that I have to go and manually re-send the damn thing later. Prevents me from catching up with text messages on the tube.
    11 posts | registered
  9. A better way for applications to share data. I think the given suggestion of changing default apps would get us part of the way there, but I really want a better way to do things like Open With without each app having to be specifically coded to handle other specific apps.

    The current system makes for inconsistency. If I want to use a text editor that isn't that popular, chances are good that the other apps I'm using won't have it as an option.

    Defaults + some kind of application data/file exchange system are my two biggest hopes for future versions of iOS.
    75 posts | registered
  10. File management.
    7 posts | registered
  11. Mesago wrote:

    You're right. Trouble is the shift from one to the other is hard once you and the rest of the household have been on iOS for a few years.

    That and whenever I've played with Android devices they don't feel quite...right.
    6 posts | registered
  12. Geofencing for notifications on the ipad and extensible instant messaging platform (why running an app while you only need user configurable xmpp profiles into imessage to have the same feature). Siri on the ATV if we get into unicorns and world peace territory :P
    124 posts | registered
  13. I have one feature request that annoys the hell out of me:
    - An indication in the top bar next to battery level that the phone is in silent mode.

    I use the silent switch on the side frequently, but very often I forget to switch the sound on again. If there where an indication on the screen that silent was active I would be reminded to switch it.
    1 post | registered
  14. Allow me the option of having stuff automatically install on the first homescreen. I'd rather have one homescreen if I could and have room for it and it's kinda a PITA to manually move every app over there.
    606 posts | registered
  15. •An easier GoogleDrive/Dropbox-esque way to get files on and off my device.
    •A way to share files between apps (besides the Camera Roll).
    •Live Tiles/Icons... I should be able to see the temperature and other quick information at a glance, but don't think widgets are necessary... Microsoft kinda got live tiles right.
    •Ability to make other apps the defaults for Calendar, Mail, Camera, Web Browsing, etc.
    •NFC (and then make a capable phone and line up tons of vendors and credit card companies so I can actually use it everywhere).
    • Whispersync styled functionality for games and apps so I can pick up on my iPhone where I left off on my iPad or Mac.

    That's all for now.
    11 posts | registered
  16. "5) AirDrop for Macs and iOS devices"

    AirDrop is fine, but wouldn't "low level" integration with DropBox, GDrive and similar services be a better idea? I'm talking about the level at which FB and Twitter are integrated now.

    "6) Third-party Siri API"

    This is a serious problem, IMHO. How do I report gas prices? Play a podcast in Downcast? Change the station in rdio? Some of these I only want to do while driving.

    "7) Maps Maps Maps"

    This *has* been improving, dramatically. Of the dozens of problems I noticed when it first shipped, only a few remain…

    1) feature/place names are often sorted higher than city/town names (look for "Maynooth")

    2) a road I use once a week still doesn't exist in Maps, although construction ended a year ago.

    "An indication in the top bar next to battery level that the phone is in silent mode"

    +++ Never thought about it, but I have the same problem all the time. Great idea!

    Last edited by Maury Markowitz on Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:05 am

    1490 posts | registered
  17. I wish they would add the ability to delete/clear multiple SMS conversations at once. You've had the ability to do this forever in mail, why not for messages? I get tons of automated alerts from work and I hate having to clear them off one at a time.
    4833 posts | registered
  18. How about being able to delete an app without deleting its settings.

    I have games that I want to delete from my iPhone so I can get more space, but if I delete the app, it will delete my game save, too!
    11106 posts | registered
  19. 1. Swipe to access running apps
    2. Ability to access location toggle switch and light slider
    3. People hub
    4. Side by side app views
    5. Finder
    6. NFC sharing with Macs and tablets
    45 posts | registered
  20. RAW shooting and shutter speed control.
    It could be hidden behind an “enable Pro mode” button buried in some deep preferences pane to keep things simple for the casual shooter.

    RAW support might require new hardware, but I wouldn't mind buying an iPhone 5S/6 if it allowed me to ditch my beloved Canon s100.
    146 posts | registered
  21. Pull down to refresh in Safari.

    Better use of lock screen space. It looks stupid on the iPad.
    9658 posts | registered
  22. Also, give me a mode where it automatically moves my most used apps to the home screen for me.
    9658 posts | registered
  23. iCloud that works across apps (i.e., one app loads a file into iCloud, and another app can then edit it).
    1755 posts | registered
  24. -A non-numeric way to unlock an iphone
    -Built in password management (in browser and app wise), a la keychain
    -Better multitasking
    -Improved game center
    22 posts | registered
  25. An indicator light that periodically flashes whenever a user-designated event happens - like a waiting email, voicemail, text, or whatever they designate. This is more useful than the one-time or two-time chime and less intrusive.

    This is/was a hardware feature on the Blackberry, but I imagine iOS could allow a small corner of the screen to be designated as "always on" to allow this. Just a few dozen pixels softly pulsing in the corner whenever said event happens. Location, size, brightness and color all programmable depending on which event it is.
    811 posts | registered
  26. My wish list for iOS 7:

    1. Mission Control for iOS. We have it on Mac and we love it. It's the best way to switch and browse apps.

    2. iCloud Drive or iFiles. We have 5GB of barely usable iCloud storage, why not take it to the next level by using iCloud in a more integrated way with Apple-esque between Mac and iDevices. From there, now we could browse documents for email attachment the same way Photos app did for photos and videos. Make it open for 3rd party apps to copy/access file just like Photos app.

    3. I like the option to remove 50MB download size limit on cellular. It's annoying when you're traveling or simply live in a country with almost no reliable WiFi but LTE everywhere. Also, Photostream is useless if it doesn't work via cellular, it's easier to just open DropBox app and share the photos from there. So, I like the options to turn off anything requires WiFi only.

    4. Is it too much to ask for us, iOS users to have the ability to create or managing contacts based on group from iOS itself?

    5. I like to see revamped Notification Centre and allow 3rd party apps to display its data on it, but of course, keep it classy, Android version seems to be more open but at the same time, could be messy for some.
    6 posts | registered
  27. AirDrop for iOS
    2541 posts | registered
  28. I chuckle about the comments promoting the alternative mobile OSs. There is nothing wrong with borrowing a few ideas from the competition, but some of us have chosen iOS for other reasons that aren't about the OS.

    Personally I would like to see widgets or some attempt at user customization - even if it's just one of the springboard screens. I realize this isn't likely to happen

    I like the idea of better menu bar status icons. I mean we have one for the bluetooth device battery level, why don't we have one for the vibration switch?

    How about batch "kill apps"? Similar to selecting multiple photos in iPhoto, you could scroll through your apps list, select what you want "killed" and go.
    577 posts | registered
  29. I thought iOS 6 would be "The Big One", but we only got a few headline features out of it. I'm sure some of us never use Passbook, DND, or Maps, while others use them frequently. I fear Apple has gone into maintenance mode and we've all seen as much of iOS as we're going to.

    Last edited by seanlindo on Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:21 am

    1 post | registered
  30. I want an entirely new interface for apps as well. The grid/folder system is getting old and is getting unwieldy. The universal search is nice but only if you know what you were even looking for anyways.

    I also agree with the camera app update but I will suggest even one better. Let us replace the default camera app with one of our choosing. Or if Apple really wants to you to use their app first then at least do like MS did and give us a lenses equivalent. So once the app is launched (say via the lock screen) we can then go to the app we wanted to use in the first place.

    Heck I just want a way to change what the default apps are period. Without having to jailbreak.
    198 posts | registered
  31. I was stunned when Safari on Mac and IOS suddenly decided that any RSS feed should be treated as an audio podcast.

    So now I have to use a third-party app to find new articles on the websites that interest me, unless I want to open 100 websites on the off chance that there's something new and relevant.

    Apple is losing my click revenue and I'm losing blindingly basic browser integration. On my Mac I'm using Vienna to see new articles via RSS feeds and I prefer Safari on my iPad 1 over my iPhone 5 for web browsing.

    So, IOS wish list:

    - Treat RSS web pages as web pages! Again.
    - Guest mode or limited secondary accounts.
    - Better app management
    - Perhaps this is a feature that I haven't spotted, but I'd love to be able to deactivate updates for apps that I've lost interest in.
    23 posts | registered
  32. Picotech wrote:
    -A non-numeric way to unlock an iphone

    Doesn't turning 'simple passcode' off in the settings allow you to enter any character(s) you want as your password? It does on the iPad.
    2806 posts | registered
  33. daguerratype wrote:
    File management.

    Hear, hear! (But I'm purdy sure it won't happen.) And a hearty "Hear, hear!" to everything suggested in the article.

    I'd hope, too, for pix editing in place instead of putting the result in a "camera roll"... But no-OH-oh

    Last edited by fjpoblam on Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:27 am

    1407 posts | registered
  34. - The ability to launch certain apps based on location, times, or connected dock. For example, I want Spotify and Waze to launch when I get in my car and connect it to the card dock or car bluetooth, and my work email app to launch when I get to work and connect to their WiFi. Basically Tasker for the iphone.

    - turn on Do Not Disturb when a meeting is marked as "Busy", There's a great app called Autosilent that worked well for jailbroken apps, so I know it can be done.

    Not a iOS request, but a device request. Please make a bluetooth adapter adapter that lets iPhone 5's connect to existing iphone docks. There are a few bluetooth adapters out there, such as the Coolstream, but they don't pass data due to iPhone's proprietary info, and so you can't use your steering wheel controls or see the song title on the car's multimedia screen as if you connected an iPhone 4.
    2 posts | registered
  35. Quit just adding stuff... take a breath like with Snow Leopard. Tighten up the code, work on bugs.
    979 posts | registered
  36. joshv wrote:
    Ditch skewmorphism entirely. I know, never gunna happen.

    Actually, I thought since Scott Forstall is now gone that we COULD see a change in this direction because he was one of it's biggest advocates. We shall see which direction they go with the next update.
    102 posts | registered
  37. chhum wrote:

    At least with email I am almost completely sure that this is actually the case already: a message gets first stored in the "Outgoing" (?) folder and gets automatically sent once you have network available (again).
    259 posts | registered

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