Anyone else hate having all the search bars at the bottom?

[Populus]

When I pick up my phone, my eyes automatically go to the top of the screen (where historically all the search bars were visible or available to pull down). Now it seems most of them are moving to the bottom, where to my mind it's much harder to move the eye down and not in a natural place.

Be interested in feedback from other users.

I guess you will get used to it. There’s no other choice. With smartphones being bigger each year, it’s impossible to use them if all controls aren’t within the reach of your thumb.

With iPhone 5 and earlier you were able to reach the top of the screen with your thumb, and even with the iPhone 6/7/8/SE2/SE3 form factor it’s kinda possible if you have a good balance with your hand, but it’s much more comfortable to have it all in the bottom.

Now, with the huge 6,3” and 6,9” that the iPhone Pro have, and the regular base model increasing from 6,1” to a minimum of 6,3” in a year or so, it’s literally impossible to use a smartphone if all tools aren’t at reach at the bottom. Even the Control Center, which drops from the top right corner, is possible to be triggered by a double tap at the rear of the phone.

It is that, or using all your hands to hold the smartphone while not being able to do anything else. I need my iPhone on the go, holding bags with one hand, holding myself in the city bus, or any other situation. I can’t afford myself to stop, sit, and hold the smartphone with both hands because that’s not what a mobile phone is for. Tablets and laptops ARE for that. And that’s why I’m still using an iPhone SE 3. And will continue as long as I can.

So, while society keeps demanding bigger and bigger things, Apple will gladly satisfy those customers because it allows them to spend less in R&D about how to cram smaller componentes while keeping the same battery life.

And while smartphones keep growing, there’s no other way than to have all search bars at the bottom.

 

[MDTyKe]

I don't mind them at the bottom, I don't have long fingers. However, I do mind not being able to clearly read what's on them.

Who needs to be able to clearly read the text anyway?

 

[bushman4]

Not a creature of habit but don’t see the benefit of having it on the bottom

 

[AlixSPQR]

Weird. People arguing if Apple should decide to put the search bar top or bottom. Why can’t we be allowed to decide indvidually, in Settings?

 

[TracerAnalog]

When I pick up my phone, my eyes automatically go to the top of the screen (where historically all the search bars were visible or available to pull down). Now it seems most of them are moving to the bottom, where to my mind it's much harder to move the eye down and not in a natural place.

Be interested in feedback from other users.

I'm the opposite. I'm happy they're finally all at the bottom, much easier for one handed typing😊

 

[ForkHandles]

In Files the search bar is at the top. I feel that in every Apple application, the search icon/bar is placed differently…

This is the issue. Its inconsistent.

The other issue is that I don't always need a search bar but it is omnipresent for example in Settings.

The Files search is silly, it should behave much more like the Photos app which has a magnifying glass in the bottom right corner.

The Calendar and Reminder App is equally muddled with the magnifying glass being shoved near the top and search not being omni present.

Also their icons are confusing. If I want to create a new Note, I have a stylus.rectangle.rounded icon, if I want a new reminder or calendar I have a plus.circle.fill icon.
New thing means new thing surely? Just give me a + sign.

 

[tonywalker23]

I bet it becauseis when the iPhone fold comes out, you’ll have one thumb on the bottom of each screen

 

[turbineseaplane]

I prefer it at the top as it reflects a visual hierarchy that makes sense.

 

[splitpea]

So much better at the bottom. Can’t reach the top of the screen one handed.

 

[Saturn007]

Id put money on a good percentage of phone droppages being caused by people trying to over-reach to the top of their phone screen with a thumb and taking a knock.

I'll take that bet! 😀

I'd put my money on phones often being dropped because of people trying to use most any recent iPhone (oversized slabs) *one-handed* rather two-handed for any operation, not just the proverbial thumb reach! 🙈 (Can't even imagine trying to do that and thinking that fingers behind could ever hold the phone tightly enough.)

Many of us, even with small phones, hold it securely in one hand — and tap, select, and type with the other. Quite easy, quite comfortable.

Anyone who doesn't do that is asking for a drop!

P.S. I'll also wager that two-handed users have far fewer drops!

 

[richpjr]

I did for a few days but now I like it on the bottom.

Same here - it really confused my muscle memory for a while but now I am used to it and it seems more logical at the bottom.

 

[Ctrlos]

I'll take that bet! 😀

I'd put my money on phones often being dropped because of people trying to use most any recent iPhone (oversized slabs) *one-handed* rather two-handed for any operation, not just the proverbial thumb reach! 🙈 (Can't even imagine trying to do that and thinking that fingers behind could ever hold the phone tightly enough.)

Many of us, even with small phones, hold it securely in one hand — and tap, select, and type with the other. Quite easy, quite comfortable.

Anyone who doesn't do that is asking for a drop!

P.S. I'll also wager that two-handed users have far fewer drops!

For UX designers it cannot be a given that the user even has two hands. The spare is often holding the hand of a small child/groceries/public transport/a burrito and some people only have one hand, period.

A 95th percentile user should be able to use most of the core functions with one hand. They made phones bigger but stretched the OS to fit rather than redesigning it for larger screens.

 

[robfoll]

For UX designers it cannot be a given that the user even has two hands. The spare is often holding the hand of a small child/groceries/public transport/a burrito and some people only have one hand, period.

A 95th percentile user should be able to use most of the core functions with one hand. They made phones bigger but stretched the OS to fit rather than redesigning it for larger screens.

Interesting, I've never used my phone one-handed, I always hold it in my left hand and work it with my right. Tried using it one-handed just now and almost dropped it. 😆