3rd party application launching animation on iPhone/iPhone 3G

[TheSpaz]

I'm slightly confused about something here.

I'm running 3.0 on my iPhone 3G now. I got tired of trying to live without copy and paste... this isn't what this thread is about, so don't bash me about switching.

Anyway... when I launch certain 3rd party apps, the icons on the home screen do not fly away like the rest of Apple's apps (they just disappear to black). However, I noticed that SOME third party apps do launch correctly.

Apps (that I have installed) that do launch with the fly-away icons:

- Things
- Remote
- Reader (ATOM/RSS)
- BeejiveIM
- FML Pro
- Tuner

Apps (that I have installed) that launch without displaying the fly-away icons:

- Movies
- Twitterrific
- Sketches
- Touch Grind
- Pocket God
- Voice Memos (Apple's pre-installed app)

Now... I notice that most of the apps that do not display the fly-away icon animation are the ones that start-up with a full screen color image (instead of a blank UI layout). Take Twitterrific for example... The start-up screen is a splash screen of the Twitterrific bird, but Things is just a top and bottom navigation bar.

This is where it gets weird... As I understand... all apps open with a Default.png image. Yes, that's right... a fake image of the app to give your eye something to look at while the app is loading. However, since they're all images, why do the apps with splash screens animate differently than those without custom splash screens?... I mean... they're still images regardless of the contents of the image.

Do you think this is an Apple-related bug or some sort of compatibility issue that some developers are having with the 3.0 software and the way their app loads?

Can you help me out and post which apps load smoothly and which apps don't? I'm looking at the home screen while the app launches. Do the icons fly away or just abruptly disappear?

By the way... this issue appears on the iPhone, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (first gen). When I owned the iPhone 3GS for a few days, it did not exhibit this problem.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Never noticed a difference on my 3GS. I'll have a gander...

Edit: Oops. My mistake.

 

[TheSpaz]

Never noticed a difference on my 3GS. I'll have a gander...

There won't be a difference on the iPhone 3GS. This thread is not geared toward 3GS owners.

 

[gloss]

Why is this an issue again?

 

[-aggie-]

Everything I open seems to look the same. I have the 3G, BTW. I'm having a hard time understanding what you mean by apps opening up with the fly-away icons, since I don't have any of the apps you gave examples for that behavior. Any often used ones that you have that I might try? Also, which behavior do you think is normal (i.e., to fly away or not)? Confused.

 

[TheSpaz]

Everything I open seems to look the same. I have the 3G, BTW. I'm having a hard time understanding what you mean by apps opening up with the fly-away icons, since I don't have any of the apps you gave examples for that behavior. Any often used ones that you have that I might try? Also, which behavior do you think is normal (i.e., to fly away or not)? Confused.

I really wish I could record an animation of this effect.

1. Tap on an icon.
2. Two things should happen at the same time.
- You see the home screen icons scatter/fly away
- You see the app's startup screen zoom toward you

The effect I am seeing with some third party apps are like this:

1. Tap on app icon
2. Home screen goes completely black and startup screen zooms toward you.

The icons are supposed to fly off the screen while the app's splash screen zooms at you. Understand now?

Try Voice Memos and compare it to Messages. Messages opens correctly and Voice Memos does not.

 

[-aggie-]

I really wish I could record an animation of this effect.

1. Tap on an icon.
2. Two things should happen at the same time.
- You see the home screen icons scatter/fly away
- You see the app's startup screen zoom toward you

The effect I am seeing with some third party apps are like this:

1. Tap on app icon
2. Home screen goes completely black and startup screen zooms toward you.

The icons are supposed to fly off the screen while the app's splash screen zooms at you. Understand now?

Try Voice Memos and compare it to Messages. Messages opens correctly and Voice Memos does not.

You must really have some lag then, because everything I've tried so far (opened about 15 apps) opens so fast that I can't even see the icons scatter. It's almost instantaneous for most. I might have seen a fly away for a microsecond (exaggerating, but the time was so short that I can't be sure). And yes, I tried messages and voice memos. I really couldn't tell a difference. Sorry!

 

[TheSpaz]

You must really have some lag then, because everything I've tried so far (opened about 15 apps) opens so fast that I can't even see the icons scatter. It's almost instantaneous for most. I might have seen a fly away for a microsecond (exaggerating, but the time was so short that I can't be sure).

That's exactly what I mean. You're supposed to see the icons scatter away while the app opens. If you don't see them, then it's not working correctly.

Try some of the built in Apple apps (minus Voice Memos).

Fact is: You're SUPPOSED to see the fly-away/scattering animation of the home screen icons. If you're not seeing that... then YOUR iPhone is lagging.

Like I said before. Some of my apps do it and others don't. I can't figure out what makes them different.

 

[-aggie-]

Well, you really have me confused now. How is my iPhone lagging, if when I touch the icon, it instantaneously opens the app?

Edit: I'm wondering where your normal "good friends" are at in this thread. Usually, they're biting your head off by now.

 

[cellocello]

Ya, I tried this too and it seems that the phone starts caching stuff after a while cause things starting popping up right away.

Though generally I know what you mean about the "flying away" on launch and "flying back" on exit, I couldn't really see it too well.

 

[Unspoken Demise]

Well, you really have me confused now. How is my iPhone lagging, if when I touch the icon, it instantaneously opens the app?

Edit: I'm wondering where your normal "good friends" are at in this thread. Usually, they're biting your head off by now.

Im sitting on the sidelines watching.

 

[-aggie-]

Ya, I tried this too and it seems that the phone starts caching stuff after a while cause things starting popping up right away.

Though generally I know what you mean about the "flying away" on launch and "flying back" on exit, I couldn't really see it too well.

Me too.

Im sitting on the sidelines watching.

Well, if he's found a bug, then be nice. I'm just not sure it's a bug yet. Still confused.

Edit: I tried turning off my phone to wipe out the cache (if it even does that), and still get the same behavior.

 

[Unspoken Demise]

Well, if he's found a bug, then be nice. I'm just not sure it's a bug yet. Still confused.

Since I'm deciding whether or not he is being OCD "WAHHHH" Spaz or helpful "Hey, I think I've found something legitimately interesting" Spaz, I'm sitting this one out.

I will say, that on my 3Gs, I have the same issue, where its like a black screen, then goes directly to the App. It seems to be with games. Not so much when it comes to Apple installed apps.

 

[TheSpaz]

I don't think anyone is understanding what I'm saying.

Make sure you're not playing music while you test this. If music is playing ever app lags on open.

Try this:

Open Messages and the home screen icons should fly off the screen while the Messages window zooms toward you. This is the correct behavior.

Now open Voice Memos. You'll notice that instead of the icons flying away, they just disappear completely and Voice Memos zooms really quickly. This is the wrong behavior.

Nobody else notices this? In 2.2.1 every app launching was smooth.

Here's an idea. When you close an app and the screen zooms out, the icons fly back to the springboard. This is what is supposed to happen when an app launches except in reverse.

 

[DaGreat01]

I know what you mean. the Facebook app open fine. It kind of fits you first theory with the normal Ui with a bar at the top and bottom.

My google app opens ok also.

However my backgronds app just pops up...

 

[-aggie-]

I don't think anyone is understanding what I'm saying.

Make sure you're not playing music while you test this. If music is playing ever app lags on open.

Try this:

Open Messages and the home screen icons should fly off the screen while the Messages window zooms toward you. This is the correct behavior.

Now open Voice Memos. You'll notice that instead of the icons flying away, they just disappear completely and Voice Memos zooms really quickly. This is the wrong behavior.

Nobody else notices this? In 2.2.1 every app launching was smooth.

Here's an idea. When you close an app and the screen zooms out, the icons fly back to the springboard. This is what is supposed to happen when an app launches except in reverse.

I only see that in reverse, so I know what to look for. However, both apps just open too fast to see anything. Hopefully, others will come on to support your findings.

 

[TheSpaz]

I only see that in reverse, so I know what to look for. However, both apps just open too fast to see anything. Hopefully, others will come on to support your findings.

If you only see it in reverse then your iPhone is lagging even more than mine. Are you jailbroken? You are definitely having more of a problem than me if you never see the icons fly away. Anyway, it bugs me that some apps animate and some just pop open. Sketches is really bad.

 

[TheSpaz]

I know what you mean. the Facebook app open fine. It kind of fits you first theory with the normal Ui with a bar at the top and bottom.

My google app opens ok also.

However my backgronds app just pops up...

So great to know someone else is seeing what I'm seeing. It seems to happen more on apps that have a splash screen.

Why does it seem like I'm the only one who notices this stuff? Am I just insanely detailed?

Oh well. I just hope Apple has the motive to try and correct these performance issues for the iPhone 2G/3G.

 

[-aggie-]

If you only see it in reverse then your iPhone is lagging even more than mine. Are you jailbroken? You are definitely having more of a problem than me if you never see the icons fly away. Anyway, it bugs me that some apps animate and some just pop open. Sketches is really bad.

Again, how do I have lag, if when I open an app, it immediately opens? And no, it's not JB.

 

[TheSpaz]

Again, how do I have lag, if when I open an app, it immediately opens? And no, it's not JB.

You're obviously misunderstanding me. You're SUPPOSED to see the home screen icons fly away (like cockroaches when you turn on the light), but instead, the iPhone graphics stutter and the icons disappear without making the animation. That means that the iPhone had to do something while you were opening the app and it couldn't draw the animation and do whatever it's doing at the same time. That's the difference. It's like the same type of thing when you're quitting an app while it's processing something, sometimes you won't even see the close animation at all. Something is making the iPhone stutter and making it not display the full animation that it used to do perfectly in 2.2.1. THAT'S the lag I'm talking about. The animation doesn't draw properly. Am I going to have to make an animation?

Just for re-clarification... I'm not talking about how slow or fast the app opens. I'm talking about the visual animation is different depending on what app you're opening. It should all be the same. The icons should fly away while the apps open, just like they fly back when you close it. When it doesn't do that, it's lag. Something interrupted the animation.

 

[-aggie-]

No, I understand what you're saying. I guess if it's supposed to do that, then something is wrong, but hopefully you understand my point about lag too. If it was taking too long to open, I'd care. To me that is lag; taking too long. But I understand your point.

Edit: Make sure you post this on the OS 3.0 bug thread. Hopefully, you won't get the normal abuse.

 

[TheSpaz]

No, I understand what you're saying. I guess if it's supposed to do that, then something is wrong, but hopefully you understand my point about lag too. If it was taking too long to open, I'd care. To me that is lag; taking too long. But I understand your point.

Edit: Make sure you post this on the OS 3.0 bug thread. Hopefully, you won't get the normal abuse.

Well, I'm sorry for using the wrong word. I noticed in 3.0, overall the graphics performance seems poorer. The framerates suffer on simple animations that used to be smooth as butter on 2.2.1. For example... just tapping the input field in Messages to reply to someone to bring the keyboard up is choppy. Going to spotlight is sometimes choppy (I'm trying to use a different word than lag because lag means slow right?). I also noticed some improvements to the graphics. Closing apps is smoother than 2.2.1 now, but opening apps got choppier. It's just not as fluid anymore. I don't know what they did, but I wish they'd go back to using the graphics from 2.2.1... they were much better then.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Please. Quit replying to these threads. We all know that less than a day after Spaz makes a decision he'll go back, start a thread about it, then complain about the most minor detail that makes him want to downgrade back to 1.1.3.

As for this thread: it seems like the more memory an app uses the more likely this will mess up. In other news: who cares?

 

[TheSpaz]

Please. Quit replying to these threads. We all know that less than a day after Spaz makes a decision he'll go back, start a thread about it, then complain about the most minor detail that makes him want to downgrade back to 1.1.3.

As for this thread: it seems like the more memory an app uses the more likely this will mess up. In other news: who cares?

Oh. I understand now. In order to have copy and paste and push notifications, I should lower my standards and deal with a laggy iPhone? Yeah, you're right... why should I complain about that? I mean, I have landscape texting now... that must be taking up all the computing power.

Now imagine if you upgraded to Snow Leopard to get the latest goodies in Mac OS X, but now when you minimize a window to the Dock, it doesn't display the genie effect or scale effect... it just pops into the dock at 1 frame per second. You wouldn't complain about that? Then you go to maximize that window and it smoothly floats out of the Dock like it always has... you wouldn't be mad about that? Especially if the computer you're using is only a year old.

That's what it's like for me. My iPhone used to be fast and fluid. Now with the 3.0 crippling software, I have to put up with choppy effects and low memory?