iOS 7-Allow more on home screen than app icons?

Arelunde · Mar 29, 2013

Has anyone seriously suggested to Apple that we be allowed to have various things on our iOS home screens beside app icons?

For example, on my MBP, I can put an electronic Post-It Note on the home screen with a reminder or two. I know widgets have been discussed - perhaps this falls into that category?

r2shyyou · Mar 29, 2013

Yes, that sounds like it'd fall in the widget category, in which case I'm guessing that many have suggested it.

From my perspective, the issue with something like a live, editable note on the home screen is real estate: there isn't much on a 3.5" or 4" screen (or a 5", for that matter). That's not to say it couldn't be done but just that it would take up a lot of space in order for whatever's written in it to be readable without opening it.

I know a note is just one example of many possibilities but the same logic applies.

Arelunde · Mar 29, 2013

I can see what you are saying and I agree. But perhaps we could pick and choose which app icons are on the home screens vs. grouping them in a black boxes.

Guess I'm just looking for some flexibility as to what's on the home screen(-s).

0000757 · Mar 29, 2013

To be honest, i greatly despise widgets. My Nexus 7 (when on Android) was bare of widgets other than a clock widget. My last phone had widgets and again i only used a clock one.

I'd rather see Apple make new features or add functionality to old ones (Like fully integrating Auxo or home gestures) than widgets. I mean if we have widgets then what's the point of apps, and vice versa? iOS was designed around the apps, not the homescreen. Sadly this is why I dislike Android; People focus too much on random flashy features that are cool but get old after a few months, rather than a strong app system. I mean Windows Phone 8, while only having like 150,000 apps, at least focuses on making apps the best they can be. I mean I dislike Samsung for their poorly built phones and overaggressive marketing, but at least they are trying to make new features that are actually useful (but also throw in a lot of pointless features)

iOS just needs UI improvements, better app APIs, and new features that are actually worthwhile, rather than widgets.

Mrg02d · Mar 29, 2013

A few widgets are quite useful. Others are just RAM hogs...Probably most are RAM hogs...

Gestures ought to be the front runner of ios7. No need to kill the home button anymore. Nor take a million taps to FaceTime someone on my iPhone.

Nanasaki · Apr 5, 2013

Mrg02d said:
A few widgets are quite useful. Others are just RAM hogs...Probably most are RAM hogs...

Gestures ought to be the front runner of ios7. No need to kill the home button anymore. Nor take a million taps to FaceTime someone on my iPhone.

Perhaps it is the time for Apple adding 2GB of RAM on their iDevices, like may other manufactures do? Don't tell me 2GB isn't necessary.

Having widgets is really useful. I hate to open mail app just to look at new emails, I hate to open up music app just to switch songs, I hate to open weather app just to look at current weather. So have few widgets are really helps you get things faster.

I also want LEad notification light on iPhone and iPad as well. Oh well... Those type of thing just not Apple style.

beMaC · Apr 5, 2013

Nanasaki said:
Perhaps it is the time for Apple adding 2GB of RAM on their iDevices, like may other manufactures do? Don't tell me 2GB isn't necessary.

Having widgets is really useful. I hate to open mail app just to look at new emails, I hate to open up music app just to switch songs, I hate to open weather app just to look at current weather. So have few widgets are really helps you get things faster.

I also want LEad notification light on iPhone and iPad as well. Oh well... Those type of thing just not Apple style.

From what you have been saying, I agree but you can easily see the weather in the notification centre, switch songs by double tapping home button on lockscreen and emails, well a notification should pop up, unless you have it switched off, and as for a LED notification light, as much as i would also love apple to include one, they will never

Nanasaki · Apr 5, 2013

beMaC said:
From what you have been saying, I agree but you can easily see the weather in the notification centre, switch songs by double tapping home button on lockscreen and emails, well a notification should pop up, unless you have it switched off, and as for a LED notification light, as much as i would also love apple to include one, they will never

Yeah...but still able to flip through home pages and just operate on screen is much easier than double click the home button. All i am saying is that sometime it could get very annoying when you using iOS... For example, you still need to enter settings app to switch Bluetooth on and off. This little thing really annoys you a lot.

beMaC · Apr 5, 2013

Nanasaki said:
Yeah...but still able to flip through home pages and just operate on screen is much easier than double click the home button. All i am saying is that sometime it could get very annoying when you using iOS... For example, you still need to enter settings app to switch Bluetooth on and off. This little thing really annoys you a lot.

Yeah i agree with you, something like NCSettings implemented into the notification or homescreen would be great. But from what i previously listed, is explaining how i cant see them using widgets, as apple already have shortcuts for some things. Lets just hope tho

CanesDrew · Apr 6, 2013

Why does everyone want Apple to become Android? Widgets are HIGHLY overrated and a huge waste of screen real estate. Most Android people I know don't use any widgets except for a clock and a battery widget.

You wonder why the newest Samsung phones have a gazillion core processor? Because they NEED it to run all of that useless crap.

To further prove my point: We have a dual core processor on the iPhone 5 and it is waaaaaaaay more fluid and less laggy than even a Note 2. Trust me. I owned one and experienced it.

Apple may take longer to bring out features but when they do: 9 times out of 10 they're damn near perfect. (I'm looking at you Apple Maps...lol)

Mrg02d · Apr 6, 2013

Id like a dedicated "home screen" that has widgets and notifications on it. Swipe left to go to the spotlight page (yes I like it since I don't have time to go looking for an app among the app mess...) and then swipe right to go to your app mess....I'm sure apple could do this very classy for us! Sort of like blink feed on the HTC one. Don't like it? Have an option to turn it off and you can have your messy apps all over the place look.

Nanasaki · Apr 6, 2013

CanesDrew said:
Why does everyone want Apple to become Android? Widgets are HIGHLY overrated and a huge waste of screen real estate. Most Android people I know don't use any widgets except for a clock and a battery widget.

You wonder why the newest Samsung phones have a gazillion core processor? Because they NEED it to run all of that useless crap.

To further prove my point: We have a dual core processor on the iPhone 5 and it is waaaaaaaay more fluid and less laggy than even a Note 2. Trust me. I owned one and experienced it.

Apple may take longer to bring out features but when they do: 9 times out of 10 they're damn near perfect. (I'm looking at you Apple Maps...lol)

It is Samsung adding quad core or dual core processor isn't really because of widgets... It is the trend that adding more powerful processor to tablet, just like what happened to PC back then. Sooner or later we will have quad core iPad and iPhone believe or not.

You don't need widgets does not mean no body need widgets. I have few widgets on my Nexus 4: weather, mail, music control, movie and clock. I see widget is very useful. You say that widget is huge wast of screen space, it maybe true for iPhone, but we have huge screen on iPad.

I don't know about Note 2, but my Nexus 4 is flawless. It is fast and smooth. The battery is longer than my iPhone 4S...

simonmet · Apr 6, 2013

There's a variety reasons why Samsung added a quad core chip to their top of the line phone, not least bragging rights. The iPhone 5 and iPad offers a terrific, fast and fluid experience with only two cores. If they added widgets that are constantly using cycles and a more powerful and power hungry chip to accommodate them, goodness knows what'll happen to battery life in the iPhone. Many people already wish it would last longer, not shorter. Is it any wonder that the Galaxy S4 has nearly twice the battery capacity of the iPhone 5 and still probably won't last as long?

Maybe part of the reason iOS has remained so consistent throughout its iterations is that they generally made the best decisions to suit the platform and there isn't an overwhelming need to change. I do agree that there's more that can be done with the space available on the iPad as there's a lot of wasted space around the icons currently, and the iPad also has a much larger screen and battery capacity to support a more widget-type interface.

So I think what I'm saying is that there's very little that can or should be done to the iPhone's OS, but that there's more scope on the iPad. Perhaps Apple should consider diverging iOS more, since the iPhone and iPad are very different devices with very different typical usage. I'm still hoping for a new UI skin and maybe some reworked applications that are getting a bit stale since they've been virtually unchanged since iOS 1, but this isn't disrupting how the device behaves or functions at a core level.

If you simply like change for change's sake then perhaps you'll be happier with Android or Blueberry and customise to your heart's content until you get bored and just want a phone that works and lasts and whose battery still works ok after a year or two, unlike some friend's Samsumg devices that are like an old PC that runs flat after 5 to 10 minutes.

cynics · Apr 6, 2013

simonmet said:
There's a variety reasons why Samsung added a quad core chip to their top of the line phone, not least bragging rights. The iPhone 5 and iPad offers a terrific, fast and fluid experience with only two cores. If they added widgets that are constantly using cycles and a more powerful and power hungry chip to accommodate them, goodness knows what'll happen to battery life in the iPhone. Many people already wish it would last longer, not shorter. Is it any wonder that the Galaxy S4 has nearly twice the battery capacity of the iPhone 5 and still probably won't last as long?

Maybe part of the reason iOS has remained so consistent throughout its iterations is that they generally made the best decisions to suit the platform and there isn't an overwhelming need to change. I do agree that there's more that can be done with the space available on the iPad as there's a lot of wasted space around the icons currently, and the iPad also has a much larger screen and battery capacity to support a more widget-type interface.

So I think what I'm saying is that there's very little that can or should be done to the iPhone's OS, but that there's more scope on the iPad. Perhaps Apple should consider diverging iOS more, since the iPhone and iPad are very different devices with very different typical usage. I'm still hoping for a new UI skin and maybe some reworked applications that are getting a bit stale since they've been virtually unchanged since iOS 1, but this isn't disrupting how the device behaves or functions at a core level.

If you simply like change for change's sake then perhaps you'll be happier with Android or Blueberry and customise to your heart's content until you get bored and just want a phone that works and lasts and whose battery still works ok after a year or two, unlike some friend's Samsumg devices that are like an old PC that runs flat after 5 to 10 minutes.

But iOS prioritizes user input to make the OS more fluid when navigating. It uses software tricks to look fluid, well tricks isn't a good word but you get the point.

If software could run at its max in combination with user input the current hardware wouldn't cut it in all apps.

I'm still on a 4S and apps will close in the background obviously. But iPhone 5 is much better keeping apps suspended in the background. Just adding 512 mb of ram makes a huge difference.

What I'm saying is we can't expect much as far as change from iOS. There isn't the hardware there to do anything. At least as far as live tiles and widgets and things go. Especially considering how long the latest version iOS stays on iDevices. The 3Gs has iOS 6. We'll always be limited by previous gens.

aDRock1154 · Apr 6, 2013

chrf097 said:
To be honest, i greatly despise widgets. My Nexus 7 (when on Android) was bare of widgets other than a clock widget. My last phone had widgets and again i only used a clock one.

I'd rather see Apple make new features or add functionality to old ones (Like fully integrating Auxo or home gestures) than widgets. I mean if we have widgets then what's the point of apps, and vice versa? iOS was designed around the apps, not the homescreen. Sadly this is why I dislike Android; People focus too much on random flashy features that are cool but get old after a few months, rather than a strong app system. I mean Windows Phone 8, while only having like 150,000 apps, at least focuses on making apps the best they can be. I mean I dislike Samsung for their poorly built phones and overaggressive marketing, but at least they are trying to make new features that are actually useful (but also throw in a lot of pointless features)

iOS just needs UI improvements, better app APIs, and new features that are actually worthwhile, rather than widgets.

This ftw.

danielhrch · Apr 6, 2013

beMaC said:
From what you have been saying, I agree but you can easily see the weather in the notification centre, switch songs by double tapping home button on lockscreen and emails, well a notification should pop up, unless you have it switched off, and as for a LED notification light, as much as i would also love apple to include one, they will never

Ehmmm... about the LED notification light, actually there´s an option.
In settings, general, accesibility, LED notifications.
Or maybe that's not what you meant.

beMaC · Apr 7, 2013

danielhrch said:
Ehmmm... about the LED notification light, actually there´s an option.
In settings, general, accesibility, LED notifications.
Or maybe that's not what you meant.

No, i already have that activated

what i mean is like a front LED, like a blackberry bold for example. That flashes when you have a notification, and you can select different colors for different notifications.

Cod3rror · Apr 7, 2013

CanesDrew said:
Why does everyone want Apple to become Android? Widgets are HIGHLY overrated and a huge waste of screen real estate. Most Android people I know don't use any widgets except for a clock and a battery widget.

You wonder why the newest Samsung phones have a gazillion core processor? Because they NEED it to run all of that useless crap.

To further prove my point: We have a dual core processor on the iPhone 5 and it is waaaaaaaay more fluid and less laggy than even a Note 2. Trust me. I owned one and experienced it.

Apple may take longer to bring out features but when they do: 9 times out of 10 they're damn near perfect. (I'm looking at you Apple Maps...lol)

I agree.

The novelty of homescreen widgets wears off quickly and then you're back to using icons. Even the clock widget is useless, there is clock in the status bar.

Still, I'd like live icons though, like temp apps, time, etc...

Or, if Apple wants to do widgets, they'd be great in the notification center like the weather widget... it's right there whenever you need it but it does not waste battery life.

ajvizzgamer101 · Apr 7, 2013

Arelunde said:
Has anyone seriously suggested to Apple that we be allowed to have various things on our iOS home screens beside app icons?

For example, on my MBP, I can put an electronic Post-It Note on the home screen with a reminder or two. I know widgets have been discussed - perhaps this falls into that category?

Maybe for iPad but not for iPhone. Phone should always do single tasks, even if the phone has a lot of power and huge battery.

Nanasaki · Apr 8, 2013

ajvizzgamer101 said:
Maybe for iPad but not for iPhone. Phone should always do single tasks, even if the phone has a lot of power and huge battery.

Why is that? So you think we should not listen to music while we browsing the web on our phone? Or you think we should not take some note on Note app while we saw something on the web? Multitasking helps you get things done. Widgets helps you pull information faster

ajvizzgamer101 · Apr 8, 2013

Nanasaki said:
Why is that? So you think we should not listen to music while we browsing the web on our phone? Or you think we should not take some note on Note app while we saw something on the web? Multitasking helps you get things done. Widgets helps you pull information faster

Did you see my iOS 7 Concept? How I did it was... iOS would have a Launchpad, Dashboard, and Mission Control. Launchpad is only for iOS Apps. Dashboard is for Widgets and Notifications. Mission Control is for Quick Access to Apps and Settings. Screen is not big enough for "true multitasking" and I think each device have different roles. Your phone shouldn't act like a Laptop.

Nanasaki · Apr 8, 2013

ajvizzgamer101 said:
Maybe for iPad but not for iPhone. Phone should always do single tasks, even if the phone has a lot of power and huge battery.

ajvizzgamer101 said:
Did you see my iOS 7 Concept? How I did it was... iOS would have a Launchpad, Dashboard, and Mission Control. Launchpad is only for iOS Apps. Dashboard is for Widgets and Notifications. Mission Control is for Quick Access to Apps and Settings. Screen is not big enough for "true multitasking" and I think each device have different roles. Your phone shouldn't act like a Laptop.

Yeah, I have seen that concept video. Personally I liked that. I agree some of those ideas are not gonna work with phone with small screen, like dashboard, mission control. You see, you still can achieve multitasking and widgets on phone. You see, multitasking not necessarily meaning running two app at time with each app on screen. You can still achieve multitasking with one app on foreground and others on background.

ihuman:D · May 3, 2013

Nanasaki said:
Perhaps it is the time for Apple adding 2GB of RAM on their iDevices, like may other manufactures do? Don't tell me 2GB isn't necessary.

Having widgets is really useful. I hate to open mail app just to look at new emails, I hate to open up music app just to switch songs, I hate to open weather app just to look at current weather. So have few widgets are really helps you get things faster.

I also want LEad notification light on iPhone and iPad as well. Oh well... Those type of thing just not Apple style.

2gb isn't necessary once you have a good efficient OS - anything but Android, basically.

Cod3rror · May 3, 2013

ihuman:D said:
2gb isn't necessary once you have a good efficient OS - anything but Android, basically.

But a good, efficient OS can be even better with 2GB RAM.

Using 3GS, with 256MB RAM, I can't tell you enough just how important more RAM is. It is so annoying having to constantly reload pages in Safari/Chrome. Open 4 tabs, go back to the first one and it reloads.

2GB RAM would be nice, although, while there is quite a bit of pressure from manufacturers and competition, I doubt Apple will do it, they upgrade RAM with "tick" models.

omenatarhuri · May 6, 2013

aDRock1154 said:
This ftw.

It would also make sense to look into making apps launch faster. If apps would launch in microseconds instead of a second, it would negate the need for widgets.

With iPhone 5 apps launch quite fast, but not quite "widget-fast".

iOS 7-Allow more on home screen than app icons?

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 68000

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 68040

macrumors 65816

macrumors 6502

macrumors member

macrumors 6502

macrumors member

macrumors 6502

macrumors 65816

macrumors 6502

Cancelled

macrumors G4

macrumors 65816

macrumors newbie

macrumors member

macrumors 68000

macrumors 65816

macrumors 6502

macrumors 65816

macrumors 6502

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 68000

macrumors 6502a

Our Staff