Can iOS Handle Multitasking(iPhone)?

[Bart Kela]

Why is it a terrible and stupid design? I think we should at least have the choice and if one thinks it's stupid and terrible they don't use it. It's not stupid and terrible on the Pixel XL

Apple's UI designers have decided it's a terrible design; their device, their design choices. You are free to use a different device that provides this functionality.

Apple is not a company that bases features or functionality for an extremely limited interest group. Also, they assess how certain choices impact other areas of usability.

With its smaller size, battery life is an even more important consideration on a smartphone than a tablet. Split screen operation on a smartphone would be detrimental to iPhone battery life.

Apple prototypes concepts like split screen operation before releasing them. It didn't just show up on the iPad because someone said, "hey, let's press the magic Split Screen Enabled Button." Engineers built that into iOS and refined it with careful testing over time. It is likely that split screen operation was prototyped on an iPhone, but ultimately nixed because of a combination of factors against it.

That doesn't mean that can't come to the iPhone at a later date. It just means that the decision makers at Apple did not feel that the benefits of iPhone split screen operations outweighed the negatives with the currently available technology (both hardware and software).

In a related instance, when Apple announced the new MacBook Pro with Touch Pad, they specifically said that they prototyped touchscreen Macs but the conclusion was that it didn't work well enough in a notebook computing paradigm to justify it.

 

[wolfaaron]

With the current ram that it offers, yes, but with some issues. Real multi tasking uses a lot more ram and CPU. On the CPU level I think it can handle it though.
[doublepost=1485980267][/doublepost]With the current ram that it offers, yes, but with some issues. Real multi tasking uses a lot more ram and CPU. On the CPU level I think it can handle it though.

 

[sdwaltz]

OP is actually just a Google employee who is trolling, methinks.

 

[timeconsumer]

Can be done on Android without RedTube.

Is iOS on the iPhone capable of true multitasking?

Just wanted to mention that this cannot be done using the YouTube app on a Pixel unless using split screen mode.

And that's pointless if you wanted to listen to it and then take notes because you wouldn't have enough screen real estate as the keyboard takes up all of the space in the split screen mode so you wouldn't really be able to see the video or what you're typing.

It seems to leave it running in the background I would also need YouTube Red.

 

[M. Gustave]

OP is actually just a Google employee who is trolling, methinks.

You could say the same thing about the MR staff, and half the forum posters. This has never really ever been an Apple admiration society.

In other words, probably not.

 

[macher]

OP is actually just a Google employee who is trolling, methinks.

Nope I have an iPhone 7.

 

[Shirasaki]

Nope I have an iPhone 7.

No. That is not the issue.
But forget about that comment.

 

[Stuart6]

Jailbreaking could enable that split screen multitasking feature from ipad, though it looks weird on phones, even the bigger iphone 6/7 plus models. Too small of a screen estate...I don't really want it on phones unless screen sizes get even bigger than 5.5'.

 

[Shirasaki]

I don't really want it on phones unless screen sizes get even bigger than 5.5'.

Then the device will become an iPad. Not a phone anymore.
Even the 6" is too large for a phone.

 

[macher]

Jailbreaking could enable that split screen multitasking feature from ipad, though it looks weird on phones, even the bigger iphone 6/7 plus models. Too small of a screen estate...I don't really want it on phones unless screen sizes get even bigger than 5.5'.

There are some apps in the App Store that can do split screen multitasking. Watching videos it doesn't look weird. Works good on the Pixel but that's a 5" screen.

 

[AndrewR23]

I disagree with split screen looking bad. Ive done it since my iPhone 4S jailbreak and it looked pretty cool.

One day the iPhone will get it, and everyone here will be like "oh ma gawdddd I LOVE the split screen on my 7S/8"

We all know Apple has been stealing from the JB scene for years.

 

[macher]

There's been years worth of back and forth on this topic. Search for them.

The redundant question you've asked has been answered, I'm not going to go any further in debating bad UI design or whether user's should be able to opt-in to bad design.

Whether it's a bad design is only YOUR opinion.

 

[rdas7]

Was wondering if the reason why multitasking can't be offered is because iOS can't do it?

iOS supports multi-tasking, otherwise referred to as "background execution".

Background Execution

When the user is not actively using an app, the system moves it to the background state. For many apps, the background state is just a brief stop on the way to the app being suspended. Suspending apps is a way of improving battery life it also allows the system to devote important system resources to the new foreground app that has drawn the user’s attention.

Most apps can move to the suspended state easily enough but there are also legitimate reasons for apps to continue running in the background. A hiking app might want to track the user’s position over time so that it can display that course overlaid on top of a hiking map. An audio app might need to continue playing music over the lock screen. Other apps might want to download content in the background so that it can minimize the delay in presenting that content to the user. When app developers find it necessary to keep their app running in the background, iOS helps them do so efficiently and without draining system resources or the user’s battery. The techniques offered by iOS fall into three categories:

• Apps that start a short task in the foreground can ask for time to finish that task when the app moves to the background.
  
  
• Apps that initiate downloads in the foreground can hand off management of those downloads to the system, thereby allowing the app to be suspended or terminated while the download continues.
  
  
• Apps that need to run in the background to support specific types of tasks can declare their support for one or more background execution modes.

Split Screen

Multitasking enhancements in iOS 9 give users more ways to enjoy iPad and more ways to use apps.

• Slide Over provides a user-invoked overlay view on the right side of the screen (or on the left side in a right-to-left language version of iOS) that lets a user pick a secondary app to view and interact with.
  
  
• Split View displays two side-by-side apps, letting the user view, resize, and interact with both of them.
  
  
• Picture in Picture lets a user play video in a moveable, resizable window that floats over the apps onscreen.

Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture are currently only supported on iPad.

 

[macher]

iOS supports multi-tasking, otherwise referred to as "background execution".

Background Execution

When the user is not actively using an app, the system moves it to the background state. For many apps, the background state is just a brief stop on the way to the app being suspended. Suspending apps is a way of improving battery life it also allows the system to devote important system resources to the new foreground app that has drawn the user’s attention.

Most apps can move to the suspended state easily enough but there are also legitimate reasons for apps to continue running in the background. A hiking app might want to track the user’s position over time so that it can display that course overlaid on top of a hiking map. An audio app might need to continue playing music over the lock screen. Other apps might want to download content in the background so that it can minimize the delay in presenting that content to the user. When app developers find it necessary to keep their app running in the background, iOS helps them do so efficiently and without draining system resources or the user’s battery. The techniques offered by iOS fall into three categories:

• Apps that start a short task in the foreground can ask for time to finish that task when the app moves to the background.
  
  
• Apps that initiate downloads in the foreground can hand off management of those downloads to the system, thereby allowing the app to be suspended or terminated while the download continues.
  
  
• Apps that need to run in the background to support specific types of tasks can declare their support for one or more background execution modes.

Split Screen

Multitasking enhancements in iOS 9 give users more ways to enjoy iPad and more ways to use apps.

• Slide Over provides a user-invoked overlay view on the right side of the screen (or on the left side in a right-to-left language version of iOS) that lets a user pick a secondary app to view and interact with.
  
  
• Split View displays two side-by-side apps, letting the user view, resize, and interact with both of them.
  
  
• Picture in Picture lets a user play video in a moveable, resizable window that floats over the apps onscreen.

Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture are currently only supported on iPad.

I know it does it on the iPad.

But on the iPhone it's not true multitasking because apps are suspended in the background.

 

[NT1440]

I know it does it on the iPad.

But on the iPhone it's not true multitasking because apps are suspended in the background.

And what function are you trying to achieve exactly? There are several types of operations that are still allowed to run in the background while they're performing a task.

 

[theshoehorn]

I know it does it on the iPad.

But on the iPhone it's not true multitasking because apps are suspended in the background.

The definition of multitask is: (of a computer) execute more than one program or task simultaneously.

If you can listen to music in the background, or have GPS follow you in the background, or have a download finish in the background, then yes: this is considered TRUE multitasking on the dictionary definition.

 

[bufffilm]

Tried split-screen of my JB 6s over a year ago and it was nearly unusable.

Maybe on the 5.5" screen it is ok but 4.7" really doesn't cut it. You have to be nearly desperate IMO to try.

 

[C DM]

Whether it's a bad design is only YOUR opinion.

Technically it's Apple's opinion and design accordingly as it's their OS and their devices.
[doublepost=1486048923][/doublepost]

I know it does it on the iPad.

But on the iPhone it's not true multitasking because apps are suspended in the background.

Apps can do what they need to do in the background but they aren't given free reign to do whatever they want indefinitely. It's the way iOS is designed and a somewhat different approach compared to something like Android. Again, as already covered in a number of other posts in the thread.

 

[bufffilm]

The definition of multitask is: (of a computer) execute more than one program or task simultaneously.

If you can listen to music in the background, or have GPS follow you in the background, or have a download finish in the background, then yes: this is considered TRUE multitasking on the dictionary definition.

You always have someone trot out the definition to try to prove a point.

The truth of the matter is iOS multitasks an approved list of functions/apps. Not everything can be multitasked.

Period.

Android is a little more free with multitasking. Doesn't make it better or worse than iOS...just different.

 

[macher]

Technically it's Apple's opinion and design accordingly as it's their OS and their devices.
[doublepost=1486048923][/doublepost]
Apps can do what they need to do in the background but they aren't given free reign to do whatever they want indefinitely. It's the way iOS is designed and a somewhat different approach compared to something like Android. Again, as already covered in a number of other posts in the thread.

Can iOS handle it the same way Android does?

 

[8692574]

Why is it a terrible and stupid design? I think we should at least have the choice .

You haven't been using Apple's stuff for long have you?

Since WHEN Apple allowed users to pick what works for them?

Apple = no choice.... if you want choice use Android

Nope I have an iPhone 7.

Like that proves you do not work for Google (not that I think so).

I mean are all the people that works for Google required to run Android on their phone?

Are Mercedes worker required to drive only Mercedes?

I know it does it on the iPad.

But on the iPhone it's not true multitasking because apps are suspended in the background.

No iPhone handles background multitasking....try opening music, and then reply to a imessage, and then move to safari..... you still recieve messages in imessage, while you are surfing the web, while listening to music...that to me is multitasking....
It depends on how the APP support it as someone already told you, if the app does it right, it doesn't stop working when in the bg.

Or do you really think i have to stop listening to music in order to surf a web page?

 

[C DM]

Can iOS handle it the same way Android does?

If Apple changes that in iOS, then it could.

 

[theshoehorn]

You always have someone trot out the definition to try to prove a point.

The truth of the matter is iOS multitasks an approved list of functions/apps. Not everything can be multitasked.

Period.

Android is a little more free with multitasking. Doesn't make it better or worse than iOS...just different.

I'm not "trotting" out the definition to prove anything. I'm saying that by definition, iOS multitasks. Maybe not as good as other OS's, but it does.

 

[TrueBlou]

I know it does it on the iPad.

But on the iPhone it's not true multitasking because apps are suspended in the background.

Yeah, it kind of actually is. Just because every single app doesn't necessarily perform a task of some sort when it's not the current active app doesn't mean that holds true for every app. Not every app and every process is stopped when it's not in the foreground.

Any app, if designed and programmed for it, can perform tasks in the background while another app runs in the foreground with the users focus, which is pretty much the definition of multitasking.

Well, if we want to be pedantic about it, the definition of multitasking is performing more than one process, by executing them concurrently. Use Safari while playing music in the background? Thats proper, full blown actual multitasking. Hook your iPhone up to the debug tools in Xcode and you'll see just how many processes actually run concurrently in iOS. There's a lot, just because you don't see them doesn't mean it isn't happening. But because it's happening, because so many things are running concurrently every single second your iPhone is powered on, it most certainly falls into the definition of multitasking.

Want more apps that you have to do things in the background? Contact the developers, in many cases they are the ones preventing it from happening, not iOS and not the iPhone. Mostly because they don't see a need for it. Of course there's going to be certain things Apple will limit from running in the background, there's a few reasons they do this. Power management, security and performance being the three main ones.

Android by comparison is obviously more open, they don't really give a monkeys as to what apps do in their operating system. Which is why, for instance, there's significantly more malware on Android. But it's two sides of a coin, neither approach is inherently better than the other. They both have their pro's and cons. All you have to do is find the operating system that suits your usage patterns or workflow and use it. If you do that, it doesn't matter whats happening in the background, you won't notice it.

 

[Septembersrain]

So it boils down to one thing. It either multitasks efficiently enough for your uses or it doesn't. If the first is true, use your device within its potential. If the second is true, get a different device that will fill your specific needs. That simple.