Now it's more clear what Apple is up to.

No larger screen required: The iPhone 5 is already too tall for many to comfortably hit the back button in the top-left corner without repositioning their hands.

Armen said:

I'm assuming you are not using iOS 7 beta? If you were you'd know that swiping from the left edge of the screen is the same as hitting the back button at the top left corner.

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I thought this, too. Because so many apps rely on the software buttons that are generally at the top of the screen, Apple has to add gesture based navigation in order to accommodate larger screens.

fivedots said:

No larger screen required: The iPhone 5 is already too tall for many to comfortably hit the back button in the top-left corner without repositioning their hands.

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I don't think anyone wants a taller phone. They want a wider phone. Which supposedly has been being tested the last several years if you believe the rumors.

Only on some apps, not the today screen, I wish they would put a swipe to switch between today/all/missed, use it all the time and hate having the buttons at the top.

Same with the Calendar, to go back to the month view, its at top left corner, instead it could be at the bottom have 4 functions at bottom. Same with Contacts it has no bar at bottom, could have the edit, cancel and done all on a bottom bar for easier navigation.

Would be great if they moved more functions to the bottom bar for easier navigation with one hand.

Armen said:

I'm assuming you are not using iOS 7 beta? If you were you'd know that swiping from the left edge of the screen is the same as hitting the back button at the top left corner.

Click to expand...

lsutigerfan1976 said:

I don't think anyone wants a taller phone. They want a wider phone. Which supposedly has been being tested the last several years if you believe the rumors.

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No - what I'm saying is that you don't even need the rumor of larger screen devices to justify making it easier to swipe back, etc. because the iPhone 5 is already tall enough to make this feature useful.

I'm not disagreeing whatsoever but apparently everybody on this forum is hellbent on arguing.

I don't think it's mainly do to the fact of larger screens, Apple is a fan of gestures, like in Mountain Lion, you can go back and forward just by sliding two fingers.

You can also, bring the notification center swiping two fingers from the left edge.

I think it's more about Apple loving gestures.

Think it's more to do with edge to edge screens coming in a future iPhone tbh...

Armen said:

It's one of those days. Everybody has their fists up. I've been attacked on a Swype keyboard thread for 2 days now LOL.

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I was shouted at for re-designing the Game Center icon with a dart board image, because apparently bubbles represent the app's purpose better...
Sometimes these forums are nice, but other times they can unnecessarily turn into a battleground.

Off-topic, a Swype-style keyboard in iOS would be great addition provided it could be turned off in the settings.

I think it could also be fingerprint sensor embedded in the glass.

If their Authentec purchase, and fingerprint sensor embedded in glass laminated in like the touch sensor both comes to fruition.

It may mean, swipe anywhere on the glass, and it recognizes fingerprint during the slide to unlock motion.

Armen said:

-Slide to unlock from anywhere on the screen
-Swipe from the screen's edge to go back

My initial hunch was that these 2 changes were added in iOS to possibly accommodate larger future iphone screens and I guess I wasn't that far off.

Reports that have showed up in recent days are indicating that Apple is indeed looking into larger screens.

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They have always been testing larger screens. Those reports mean nothing until one shows up on the market. And I see no relation to the features you just listed.

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lsutigerfan1976 said:

I don't think anyone wants a taller phone. They want a wider phone. Which supposedly has been being tested the last several years if you believe the rumors.

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I don't want a wider phone. My thumb barely reaches the far left edge as it is now (in my right hand).

Armen said:

Are you serious? if Apple releases a 5" iphone you will not be able to touch the "back" button on the top left corner of the screen if you were holding the phone with 1 hand (unless you have really large hands).However, you would be able to swipe from the anywhere on the left edge of the screen to perform the same function.

The same applies to unlocking the phone. It would be difficult to unlock a 5" phone with 1 hand comfortably unless you shift the phone in your hand. I see Note 2 and S4 users at work doing this all the time. Juggling the phone a little in their hand to make certain parts of the screen reachable.

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I am serious, that feature is useful on any sized screen. There is no reason to jump to conclusions regarding screen size. Now, please roll up your mat and move along.

lsutigerfan1976 said:

I don't think anyone wants a taller phone. They want a wider phone. Which supposedly has been being tested the last several years if you believe the rumors.

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No, nobody wants a wider iPhone, if it were to become wider we would go back the the 3:2 aspect ratio, you probably mean a bigger iPhone with the 71:40 aspect ratio.

nikicampos said:

No, nobody wants a wider iPhone, if it were to become wider we would go back the the 3:2 aspect ratio, you probably mean a bigger iPhone with the 71:40 aspect ratio.

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I'd like a wider iPhone. I like the aspect ratio of my 4s.

Geckotek said:

I don't want a wider phone. My thumb barely reaches the far left edge as it is now (in my right hand).

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Hmmm...I was simply going to call BS on this as my hands are not large by any means and I am able to extend my thumb well beyond the edge of my iPhone 5...can just hit the top of the active screen when holding "normally."

But a wider phone actually gets exponentially worst as you still want your other fingers to hold the edge which means you must rotate your hand to accommodate for the width...meaning your thumb is now actually pulled further away from the far edge making it that much more difficult.

Unless Apple figures out a way to shrink the height so the active screen is edge to edge, I don't see how they can comfortably make the phone wider as they will also need to make it taller as well to maintain the proper aspect ratio.

It can be done, but only if the overall height doesn't exceed that of the iPhone 5 IMO.

Armen said:

-Slide to unlock from anywhere on the screen
-Swipe from the screen's edge to go back

My initial hunch was that these 2 changes were added in iOS to possibly accommodate larger future iphone screens and I guess I wasn't that far off.

Reports that have showed up in recent days are indicating that Apple is indeed looking into larger screens.

Click to expand...

How do those necessarily relate to larger screens?

Sliding to unlock higher up on the screen than the usual lower part where it has been for years would only be somewhat harder on a bigger screen--it would still be more convenient to do in the same lower part where it has always been, no matter how big or small the screen is.

Swiping from the screen's edge was really a gesture that makes sense on various levels, especially given the navigation layout of many apps with controls at the top (and usually the top left)--but this even applies to the current phones. Sure, it would help more with larger phones, but it still doesn't necessarily mean that that was the whole or even main reasoning behind it.

C DM said:

How do those necessarily relate to larger screens?

Sliding to unlock higher up on the screen than the usual lower part where it has been for years would only be somewhat harder on a bigger screen--it would still be more convenient to do in the same lower part where it has always been, now matter how big or small the screen is.

Swiping from the screen's edge was really a gesture that makes sense in various levels, especially given the navigation layout of many apps with controls at the top (and usually the top left)--but this even applies to the current phones. Sure, it would help more with larger phones, but it still doesn't necessarily mean that that was the whole or even main reasoning behind it.

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Agreed 100%.

I'm confused; how does swiping from the left edge of the phone indicate that a wider screen is coming? On a screen as wide as on the S4, for example, I would personally have a very hard time swiping from the left edge while holding my phone in my right hand. This to me seems to be a feature most useful to a screen the size of the iPhone 5's.

bah, no, fingerprint sensor, and better looking, that's why

Armen said:

-Slide to unlock from anywhere on the screen
-Swipe from the screen's edge to go back

My initial hunch was that these 2 changes were added in iOS to possibly accommodate larger future iphone screens and I guess I wasn't that far off.

Reports that have showed up in recent days are indicating that Apple is indeed looking into larger screens.

Click to expand...

Considering it works the same on iPhone & iPad, the iPad already being much larger, I don't see the correlation.

Personally, I think the next iPhone (and future iPhones) will have a fingerprint sensor and no need for the "slide to unlock" as it will unlock itself after it approves your fingerprint.

Mrg02d said:

I'd like a wider iPhone. I like the aspect ratio of my 4s.

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So I guess you are against 16:9 TV's and want the old 4:3 TV's back... LOL

Your are 1 in a million, the 3:2 and 4:3 aspect radios are not coming back.