iOS 7 Tidbits: iMessage Timestamps, App Switching, Spotlight Search, and More

[fallenjt]

With a darker background (so that the folders are visible), iOS7 is actually nice on my iPAD 4. But the reality is that it is basically a nice theme, which on Android could have been implemented and tweaked with a simple launcher.

I am happy it has multitasking, finally!

I am most disappointed that it still has the same primitive keyboard, without the possibility of adding something like the Swiftkey app for Android, which is really light years ahead.

I am absolutely amazed that iRadio does not have Airplay capability. Between the relatively poor selection and no Airplay, iRadio is basically useless to me -- back to MOG. If you want something for free, Pandora definitely has a much better station algorithm, plus it supports Airplay, duh.... Apple is embarrassing itself.

Overall, I am happy with the update, but it is more like catching up, rather than anything innovative or exciting. It will slow the loss of market share, but without some real effort, Apple will be a niche player in mobile within a couple of years.

C+

Go get Android device. Why are you here?

 

[topomango]

Open source does not mean you can incorporate it for free in software that you sell. This is stealing.

WebOS is open source now ...

 

[smoking monkey]

I'm not digging the AirDrop requirements...

It's bad enough, that if I want to use it, I have to upgrade my iPhone (4S) and my iPad (G3)... But now it can't be used with my Macs?

Definitely not cool.

I don't mind the fact I have to upgrade, but not working with Macs is a bit of a bummer. It's still useful, but pushing videos or photos directly onto my mac would have been great.

 

[kcmac]

I'll spare the ugly and busy comments. It is. This is not fresh and new, it's average at best and a mess in many ways. Icons make no sense- look at photos and Game Center. They mean nothing other than some stupid blob of color...

And the folders are a mess. You used to get, what 12 icons. Not they are huge, have lots of white space and you only get 9.

Ive should stick to hardware. From a usability standpoint it's about as much of a mess as Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

Folders are unlimited. Put as many in them as you want. Scroll away.

 

[captain kaos]

Different voices is limited by country.

Oh @rse!

 

[kcmac]

I can only take so much zooming in and out with the folder icons.. its driving me nutty

Any idea how to turn that off?

Simply put I appreciate the idea of endless items inside folders but I loved the old way of doing it by splitting open the background (that was cool and not jarring). And the contrast of the old icons vs. folder background of the old iOS was WAY better. I'm just not getting the point of this UI, seems chaotic.

For example why am I zooming into the folder, then only to have a very large centered header, a square holding only 9 icons in the middle, and then another very large footer with no icons, not even the Dock showing? Don't get it.. seems like they should fill the space with as many folder items as possible.

I have only been using this for a few hours but for me it is easier and faster to see fewer at a time and then scroll to the next. I actually like the more focused look.

 

[Plutonius]

Video Solution

Oh. This isn't good. As somebody who has 100s of videos that I use for work, that will be an absolute disaster! I'm sure there is a list view. Has to be.

I found the solution to the ripped videos only showing in icon view. The problem was that the video was identified as movies which caused it to show in the icon view (I think iTunes 11.1 update might have done it). Video identified as home videos show up using the list view. What I had to do was re-import the video into iTunes on my computer to get it moved from movies to home video.

Note - This is only for ripped video that you have on your computer.

1) Delete the problem videos from iTunes on your computer.
2) Re-sync your IOS device (deletes the problem videos in your IOS device).
3) Double click on your videos to re-import them into iTunes again.
4) Re-sync your IOS device to re-load the correct video into your IOS device.

 

[skinnylegs]

I'll spare the ugly and busy comments. It is. This is not fresh and new, it's average at best and a mess in many ways. Icons make no sense- look at photos and Game Center. They mean nothing other than some stupid blob of color...

And the folders are a mess. You used to get, what 12 icons. Not they are huge, have lots of white space and you only get 9.

Ive should stick to hardware. From a usability standpoint it's about as much of a mess as Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

"Give me some fries with that order." Get used to hearing that. You obviously don't have a snowflake's chance in h*ll of entering into mobile OS development.

 

[3282868]

I found the solution to the ripped videos only showing in icon view. The problem was that the video was identified as movies which caused it to show in the icon view (I think iTunes 11.1 update might have done it). Video identified as home videos show up using the list view. What I had to do was re-import the video into iTunes on my computer to get it moved from movies to home video.

Note - This is only for ripped video that you have on your computer.

1) Delete the problem videos from iTunes on your computer.
2) Re-sync your IOS device (deletes the problem videos in your IOS device).
3) Double click on your videos to re-import them into iTunes again.
4) Re-sync your IOS device to re-load the correct video into your IOS device.

Easier:

- In iTunes, simply option-click (right click) on a movie or movies

- Select "Get Info"

- In the "Options" section, select the appropriate type from the "Media Kind" selection.(Music Videos, Movie, Home Video, TV Show, etc.

- Save changes. Done.

Multiple Videos:

Select items by command-clicking each or selecting with your mouse, then "Get Info" (a warning prompt regarding changing multiple items may appear). As above, select the correct "Media Kind" in the "Options" section.

Note: An iTunes bug may not allow you to select individual movies in groups (example selecting a groups of videos as it "forgets" the last selected item. Select a group and change the label group at a time.

Also: I recommend iTunes (re)organize your media into subfolders by type. On my server, iTunes automatically creates subfolders based on media type; "Movies", "Music", "Mobile Applications", etc. Much easier way to maintain through iTunes or Finder.

EDIT: "List View" is an option for me, I think I must be misunderstanding. Sorry if that's the case

 

[blucable]

At this point, I don't care how the new look looks like, I am loving it, I am happy that it finally changed, and I am enjoying the new features, I feel like I just got my christmas present hehe

 

[NY Guitarist]

It is both incredibly entertaining and saddening to see how picky people are about colors, fonts, icons and so on.

Apple can have the simplest looking and easiest to use system out there, but there will always be someone who hates apples.

The same goes for the junk (food) OS.

Get over it.

I'm not picky about colors etc, but Apple has made iOS7 less user friendly by choosing low contrast icon and folder colors, ultra thin fonts etc.

I think there is some middle ground between being totally skeuomorphic versus desaturated, plastic looking features whose functions are not readily apparent.

 

[smoking monkey]

I found the solution to the ripped videos only showing in icon view. The problem was that the video was identified as movies which caused it to show in the icon view (I think iTunes 11.1 update might have done it). Video identified as home videos show up using the list view. What I had to do was re-import the video into iTunes on my computer to get it moved from movies to home video.

Note - This is only for ripped video that you have on your computer.

1) Delete the problem videos from iTunes on your computer.
2) Re-sync your IOS device (deletes the problem videos in your IOS device).
3) Double click on your videos to re-import them into iTunes again.
4) Re-sync your IOS device to re-load the correct video into your IOS device.

IF I delete them from iTunes they are gone forever!!! It means I have to take literally hundreds of videos and throw them into a folder on the desktop, then delete them and then reimport them?

I haven't upgraded to iTunes 11 so I don't know about this home videos tab. Mmm... I shall have to be careful.

Thanks for the info.

 

[3282868]

IF I delete them from iTunes they are gone forever!!! It means I have to take literally hundreds of videos and throw them into a folder on the desktop, then delete them and then reimport them?

I haven't upgraded to iTunes 11 so I don't know about this home videos tab. Mmm... I shall have to be careful.

Thanks for the info.

Read comment 160. It's very easy to change "media kind' directly in iTunes. Right click the movie, song, etc., then under "Options", select the type of media under "Media Kind". This can be done for multiple items at once.

 

[Benguitar]

I'm not picky about colors etc, but Apple has made iOS7 less user friendly by choosing low contrast icon and folder colors, ultra thin fonts etc.

I think there is some middle ground between being totally skeuomorphic versus desaturated, plastic looking features whose functions are not readily apparent.

Take a look at this.

 

[mjb1975]

Where's the weather app with the animations? All I get is a lame sentence about the weather on my iPad mini

 

[scottwaugh]

My iPhone 5 was perfectly fine before the update. iOS 7 killed the battery life. I turned off background updates, parallax, etc. and it still sucked. They did a reset at the Apple store and it drained 20% in 20 minutes. They swapped out to replacement 5 with iOS 6, and that's where I'm staying.

Ars Tech ran into the same issue with the 5 as well. They even did a reinstall just to see if it was something pranced during setup, but it wasn't. All the phones lose some time but all but the 5 they were showing ~20 mins or so. If I had a 5 I'd definitely wait till some updates come out before installing, bummer.

 

[Mtmspa]

So weather in notifications is only on iPad and not iPhone 5?

 

[mjb1975]

So weather in notifications is only on iPad and not iPhone 5?

All I am getting on my mini in the notification center is a single sentence about the weather. No animations or forecasts. Sucks.

 

[Jett0516]

all the haters...please stand up and leave the building.

 

[friedmud]

I am absolutely amazed that iRadio does not have Airplay capability. Between the relatively poor selection and no Airplay, iRadio is basically useless to me -- back to MOG. If you want something for free, Pandora definitely has a much better station algorithm, plus it supports Airplay, duh.... Apple is embarrassing

VERY wrong.

While using iTunes Radio simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen to bring up Control Center... Then select Airplay and send the audio to any airplay device on your network.

I'm sending it to my AppleTV as I type this on my iPad. It even sends over the artist information and album cover so it's displayed on the the TV... Works seamlessly.

 

[Mtmspa]

I am using a black wallpaper and it makes the icons and folders pop on my iPad.

 

[friedmud]

Open source does not mean you can incorporate it for free in software that you sell. This is stealing.

It depends upon the particular open source license used.

In the case of Open WebOS it is using an Apache 2.0 license (http://www.openwebosproject.org/community/license/#.UjqFf-e9KK0).

The Apache 2.0 license is compatible with creating derivative works that you then sell (http://www.inteist.com/2010/05/how-...ommercial-products-explained-in-simple-terms/)

Please don't spread FUD about open source when you're not informed on the topic.

 

[lk400]

tried all 6 of my 3rd party unauthorized chargers from China and none of them will work. Not shocked, but it looks like Apple one-upped everyone who thought they could buy these things for pennies.

Maybe now you will not be shocked.

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You're welcome, hopefully it's helpful I'll update it with anything else I find as well.

It truly is helpful. Thank you!

 

[hanpa]

Is there an option to disable ugly mode?

I would look for it myself but the interface has given me snow-blindness.

Apart from being ugly, the new interface is a pain to my eyes. To much white and hard to read details. I tried the inverted mode but this makes all apps look ugly. I just want to be able to read mail and web without getting a headache because of the eye strain.

A user interface shall be easy to read and not give you snow-blindness. I can't find a setting to replace the very light background color. Apple should add such a setting or offer an iOS compatibility mode for the user interface. I upgraded my iPhone 5 but I'll wait with the iPad to save my eyes.

 

[jctevere]

I finally figured out why I dislike iOS 7. It seems like Apple has lost their touch for creating an OS that looks and feels the same regardless of which of their apps you are in. It lost familiarity within apps.

For instance, in the new FaceTime app, contacts are shown with a black background and contacts in white font. However, the phone app contacts still has the same white background with black font. WTF?

It makes me feel like they're not looking at everything, like they're known for doing. I'm sorry but I'm not really impressed with Apple products or software anymore... Too much has been "slipping through the cracks". I think the start was Apple Maps which was terrible, whoever said it was ready to be a replacement should be shot. It has gotten better, but it is still no where near as usable as Google Maps (public transit, etc) and with little excuse.

Apple products and software used to amaze me, but all they do lately is just annoy me. The new iTunes on mac is also terrible, they shouldn't have changed it, they have ruined it. Used to work great, but now it is garbage. I'm seriously going to look at switching to other phone brands when my iPhone 5 contract is up if they don't get their act together for iPhone 6...