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6 Plus: the missed opportunity

Cloudsurfer

Cloudsurfer

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 12, 2007
1,323
380
Netherlands
I have to get something off my chest. I've been using the 6 Plus for almost a year now, and while it has been a fantastic phone so far, something still bothers me. And until now I couldn't quite place what that was but I think I figured it out.

Developers treat the Plus as a phone, not a phablet. We finally have a huge screen real estate on our iPhone, but it's used simply as a bigger version of the regular 6 apps.

Apple did the right thing by enabling the home screen in landscape mode, and having split screens in Settings and iMessage. So why are developers so reluctant to follow suit?

Why am I forced to use Facebook in portrait mode? I would much prefer a split screen with my contacts on one side and my feed on the other. It works like that on the iPad, so why not on my Plus? And it's not just Facebook. Most apps that I've used are just bigger 6 apps that don't make proper use of the bigger display.

When I got the Plus, I sold my iPad fully convinced that this would be the best of both worlds. But I'm starting to think that I was wrong. There is still plenty time for developers to 'get' the Plus but if I knew 10 months ago what I know now, I would probably have gotten the regular 6 and kept my iPad.
 
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I used to have a Samsung Note and I found the same issue - it could be a small tablet but is treated like a big phone by developers.

I thought about getting a 6 plus but my experience with the Note put me off so I got a 6 instead. I'd definitely consider the plus size in the future but I completely agree that it has to be treat as a different device and not just a bigger phone by more developers in order to get the full benefit from it
 
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Thank you, thats exactly why I returned my 6+. When I posted about this, people said that once the phone is out long enough, it will change but it looks as if it never did.

Im gonna skip the S upgrade bc I like my 6 but when I get the 7 I'm going for the 7+ and hopefully it will be a bit changed (and thicker)
 
I have to agree....it's not been a great experience for me, I know plenty of people seem to love it but after using it for almost a year I'm at the point now where I think it's time to move back to a smaller device once the new phones are out!
 
Its a bigger phone, not a small tablet, and I don't think in iOS there's way for developers to differentiate by phone model, so they may not be able to write specific apps for the plus
 
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I agree only a handful of apps actually take advantage of it. The rest just up the resolution and leave it at that.

I'm not big into portrait but developers can optimize content in landscape. For instance I like how apple put small contact pictures in messages.
 
Hmmm…I'm finding that I am using my 6+ far more in portrait than I am in landscape. I used my iPhone 5 in landscape far more than portrait because I was able to get a wider view. The width of the 6+ in portrait mode however seems to be enough for me.

I'm not exactly liking that when I shift to landscape on the 6+ with the intent to get a wider view all this other stuff pops up on the left side. Sure, I can press a few buttons to minimize it but I shouldn't have to.
 
maflynn said:
Its a bigger phone, not a small tablet, and I don't think in iOS there's way for developers to differentiate by phone model, so they may not be able to write specific apps for the plus
Click to expand...

Of course there is a way to differentiate by model and with iOS 8 they made it simpler.
I don't know why developers don't take advantage of the larger display.
I use my iPhone 6 90% of the time in portrait mode (only turn landscape for youtube), but if I owned a 6+ since it is difficult to use it one handed I'd switch frequently to landscape, and I'd expect apps to be fully optimised for that mode.
In landscape iPhone 6+ uses the regular width class, like iPads.
 
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Agreed. There are apps that are now 6+ optimized but still force portrait mode... C'mon app developers! I don't expect it to be easy to do but in 10 months I'd think they'd have ample time to tweak it... Just my thoughts.
 
Well I really enjoy the screen size and 1080p resolution on my 6 plus. However it would be nice if there were 6 plus specific apps. I also hope in the future that the split screen mode that will feature on the iPad will come to the 6 plus soon.
 
Shanghaichica said:
Well I really enjoy the screen size and 1080p resolution on my 6 plus. However it would be nice if there were 6 plus specific apps. I also hope in the future that the split screen mode that will feature on the iPad will come to the 6 plus soon.
Click to expand...

We'll find out in September.
Now the developer documentation about multitasking is related to the iPad only, but I guess they'll add some features to the 6S+ and that could be a good reason for me to switch to the bigger model
 
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Darrensk8 said:
I have to agree....it's not been a great experience for me, I know plenty of people seem to love it but after using it for almost a year I'm at the point now where I think it's time to move back to a smaller device once the new phones are out!
Click to expand...

I've been at 5.1" screen size and greater for awhile now. Looking forward to going down in size with the iphone 6S.

It's just more practical for most daily uses. I really think 5" is the most screen size I would want.
 
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This is why I'll never replace my iPad with a bigger phone. Apps just can't function the way they can on a tablet. I've been planning on getting a 6 Plus as my next phone since last year, and now I'm planning on getting a Note 5, because phablets generally offer more functionality. But they just don't have enough.
 
I guess it really depends on market penetration of the 6+ and user feedback for specific feature sets dedicated to a landscape 6+.
 
Websites can also target the 6 Plus (and other large screen phones) when in landscape. Most devs are lazy and keep the landscape version the same as the portrait, in terms of responsive design.
 
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Technarchy said:
I've been at 5.1" screen size and greater for awhile now. Looking forward to going down in size with the iphone 6S.

It's just more practical for most daily uses. I really think 5" is the most screen size I would want.
Click to expand...

I hear you....I think 5" is the sweet spot...for me the plus is just too big in the hand. The bezels don't help the situation!
 
ET iPhone Home said:

Where in SETTINGS do I activate split screen in landscape mode. I did not know of this. Thanks!
Click to expand...
You don't activate it, turn your phone into landscape mode while in settings and you get a two column layout, which is what I believe the OP meant by split screen.
 
I prefer to use my iPhone 6 Plus in portrait mode. Unless I'm viewing a video then I turn it to landscape. The keyboard in landscape just doesn't work for me. The height of the screen isn't large enough to view content in landscape. Especially when the keyboard is up. It's a phone, not a tablet.
 
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andyp350 said:
You don't activate it, turn your phone into landscape mode while in settings and you get a two column layout, which is what I believe the OP meant by split screen.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's correct.

8rlee8 said:
I prefer to use my iPhone 6 Plus in portrait mode. Unless I'm viewing a video then I turn it to landscape. The keyboard in landscape just doesn't work for me. The height of the screen isn't large enough to view content in landscape. Especially when the keyboard is up. It's a phone, not a tablet.
Click to expand...

I also agree the stock keyboard is horrible in landscape mode. The keys are too far in for my thumbs, I would have much preferred a split keyboard like on the iPad.

As for the screen not being large enough in landscape, I think it's a matter of optimization. The screen's width is an advantage here, because it allows apps to use several columns of information at once. The iPad does that with much success and the stock iPhone apps do so too to some extent. Mail and iMessage work fine with column view in landscape. Why doesn't WhatsApp, for example, make use of this?

It just boggles my mind that so many developers are apparently content with this. Some developers don't even bother updating the resolution. The Paypal app is a good example of this: it's maintained well and looks great, but it seems like none of the developers are like "hey, let's make this app run in its native resolution on iPhone 6+, so it doesn't look like an app written for people with poor eyesight". Is there any excuse why you wouldn't want your app to make the most out of a certain device?
 
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Totally agree. Landscape mode was one of the big things touted by Apple with the 6 Plus but only Apple themselves and a handful of devs actually made a landscape version of their apps. I remember all of these apps that updated and claimed "compatible with the 6/6 Plus" but failed to add a landscape version. They don't seem to care so I don't think it's going to change anytime soon.

Honestly it's starting to feel like the battery life is the only saving grace for this large screen model. With the lack of compatible apps, it doesn't replace an iPad mini. So it looks like next month I'll be going 6S/iPad Mini instead of just 6S Plus. I'll let go of the battery life.
 
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