I propose a new lock screen gesture

[Gogurt48]

Now that we don't have to slide a little "button" left-to-right to unlock the lock screen, I think it would be nice if we could dismiss the lock screen with a right-to-left gesture.

This makes more sense to me anyway, since we use a right-to-left swipe to move from the first home screen to the second, etc. The lock screen is essentially the "first home screen," so it makes sense to move to the next screen with a right-to-left gesture.

I'm not suggesting that Apple replace the current left-to-right gesture, I'm suggesting they allow both gestures to dismiss the lock screen.

This would be especially handy when there are notifications on the lock screen. If we want to open the app that sent the notification, we could swipe left-to-right directly on the notification, just as we do now. But if we just want to dismiss the lock screen, we could swipe right-to-left anywhere on the screen, even on a notification.

 

[It's Electric]

Now that we don't have to slide a little "button" left-to-right to unlock the lock screen, I think it would be nice if we could dismiss the lock screen with a right-to-left gesture.

I was just thinking this when unlocking my phone this morning. Your idea of allowing the right-to-left gesture anywhere on the lock screen is a good one.

On an unrelated note, just how much do you love Go-Gurt?

 

[Gogurt48]

I was just thinking this when unlocking my phone this morning. Your idea of allowing the right-to-left gesture anywhere on the lock screen is a good one.

On an unrelated note, just how much do you love Go-Gurt?

Actually, I've been using that as a user name for almost twenty years, long before they came out with "Go-Gurt."

When my son was little, he couldn't say "yogurt," he called it "gogurt." One day, when I had to think up a user name somewhere, I couldn't think of anything, and the word "gogurt" kept coming to mind. I've used it ever since.

 

[dcp10]

Left swipe is a great idea, but it should open a specific app the user sets.

 

[haydn!]

*whistles...*

 

[newtestleper]

Great idea, but, as you can now swipe anywhere on the screen rather than just the button area across the bottom of the screen like in iOS6, would this not increase the likelihood of accidentally unlocking? Say in a pocket or something?

Errrr...

 

[haydn!]

Errrr...

Yeah. Half asleep. Moving along now. Nothing to see here....

 

[Defender2010]

Your proposal is opposite to the way millions now currently unlock their devices, so changing it would seem unnatural to what they have learned already- perhaps young and old people more. Just a thought.

 

[Gogurt48]

Your proposal is opposite to the way millions now currently unlock their devices, so changing it would seem unnatural to what they have learned already- perhaps young and old people more. Just a thought.

That's a good point, but I wasn't suggesting Apple change how we unlock the screen. I was suggesting they give us an additional way to do so. Those millions who are used to swiping left-to-right can go right on doing so. But it would be nice if we could also unlock the screen by swiping right-to-left.

I've actually found myself doing that sometimes. I think it's because we don't have the little slider button anymore. Now, apparently, my brain thinks the lock screen looks like a home screen without any icons, and my brain knows that the way to get to the next home screen is to swipe right-to-left, so sometimes I do that. Since the gesture currently does nothing, why not let it go ahead and unlock the screen?

 

[applelover1016]

That's a good point, but I wasn't suggesting Apple change how we unlock the screen. I was suggesting they give us an additional way to do so. Those millions who are used to swiping left-to-right can go right on doing so. But it would be nice if we could also unlock the screen by swiping right-to-left.

I've actually found myself doing that sometimes. I think it's because we don't have the little slider button anymore. Now, apparently, my brain thinks the lock screen looks like a home screen without any icons, and my brain knows that the way to get to the next home screen is to swipe right-to-left, so sometimes I do that. Since the gesture currently does nothing, why not let it go ahead and unlock the screen?

Just a thought maybe they plan to add some type of functionality for a swipe to the left gesture just a thought

 

[Gogurt48]

Just a thought maybe they plan to add some type of functionality for a swipe to the left gesture just a thought

Could be. If so, I wonder what?

 

[Dalton63841]

I think they should put a setting in the settings app to let the user decide "left to right" or "right to left". I am left handed, and I would LOVE to be able to drop my thumb on screen and slide inward toward my hand.

 

[betabeta]

I think they should put a setting in the settings app to let the user decide "left to right" or "right to left". I am left handed, and I would LOVE to be able to drop my thumb on screen and slide inward toward my hand.

Settings to make the OS more personal would be amazing, you could set all kinds of things up to fit what you want, including theme and fonts. It would put an end to jailbreaking for the most part.

But in the past Apple would say your swiping wrong, but maybe the rigid past will change bringing more user customization.

I love the idea of have both left to right and right to left, with one being able to be set to open a certain app like someone else said, left to right to open home screen, right to left to open the phone app or multitasking say.

 

[Orange Furball]

I think they should put a setting in the settings app to let the user decide "left to right" or "right to left". I am left handed, and I would LOVE to be able to drop my thumb on screen and slide inward toward my hand.

Tim did say that Apple is going to be more open, hopefully that means simple-ish customizations like this (and 3rd party keyboards).

Unfortunately that may have for wait for iOS 8, unless there are some more big things coming soon.

 

[Trius]

Could be. If so, I wonder what?

Camera?

 

[Gogurt48]

Camera?

Probably not. There's already a way to access the camera from the lock screen. Maybe the phone app?

 

[Paddle1]

They need to make it clearer which direction to swipe in other than the slight reflection on "slide to unlock".

 

[Comeagain?]

You would think it would be unnatural, but I (who has been using iOS since the original iPhone) try to unlock my phone by swiping right-to-left just about every other time. I guess it's just because there is no more visual cue as to which direction, and right-to-left just seems more logical now. Idk.

 

[Chazz08]

Yeah. Half asleep. Moving along now. Nothing to see here....

Actually, that is one of my complaints. It happens a lot to me. Then I feel something warm in my pocket. Oh, that's my phone....that unlocked....and now my battery is low.....It's not that I don't lock it, but when a notification comes in it lights up and sometimes unlocks. It can be quite annoying.

 

[ValSalva]

Is the gesture to unlock the iPhone left to right in countries with languages that read from right to left?

 

[Gogurt48]

You would think it would be unnatural, but I (who has been using iOS since the original iPhone) try to unlock my phone by swiping right-to-left just about every other time. I guess it's just because there is no more visual cue as to which direction, and right-to-left just seems more logical now. Idk.

Yes, this happens to me a lot, too. I think it's because we're used to swiping from right-to-left to go from the first home screen to the second, etc. Without the little slider button on the lock screen it looks like a home screen without icons, and our brains know that the way to get to the next screen is to swipe right-to-left. Sometimes I actually have to think about which way I'm supposed to swipe.