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Multitasking UI Implementation Awkward?

M

mcmlxix

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 10, 2009
516
1
I didn't see an iOS forum, so I'll post this here. Move it to the appropriate forum if needed.

I think multitasking is great, but is it just me, or is the UI implementation awkward?

  • Double clicking the home button doesn't feel natural, and it's a little bit picky and doesn't always work as expected.
  • As soon as you know it there are up to a dozen apps running. Most of the time I just want to use a particular app for one function. I don't want to keep it running.
  • Double clicking the home button to get at the task manager, to hold an app button, to get them to wiggle, to tap the minus badge is way too many steps, and I don't think terribly user friendly way to quit an app.
  • Oh yeah, if you launch an app from a folder, why does the folder stay open when you click the home button to switch out of the app. Wouldn't returning to the home screen be better?

I think the following would be more intuitive and efficient:

  • Get rid of the task manager, or keep it but not make the UI dependent on it, but just another option.
  • Have green badges on the upper right corner of the app icon to indicate which apps are running.
  • Maybe double tap the icon to quit it, or some other non-multi step method.
  • Better yet also have an in app quit button.

What does everyone think?
 
mcmlxix said:

  • -Get rid of the task manager, or keep it but not make the UI dependent on it, but just another option.
    -Have green badges on the upper right corner of the app icon to indicate which apps are running.
    -Maybe double tap the icon to quit it, or some other non-multi step method.
    -Better yet also have an in app quit button.
Click to expand...


  • 1. I like the UI, so no complaints here.

    2. its my understanding that when you exit or switch to another app, the previous app gets put on hold (Sleep), so it isn't still running until you return to awake it (apps can't run in the background). so the green badge wouldn't really work since Apple's version of multitasking is just remembering where you left off.

    3. Currently, to quit an app you have to Hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds (until you get the Power Off screen), then you Hold the Home Button for a few seconds again until app quits.

    4. ^^
 
I think it's great but you need to stop thinking about things running in the background and stop worrying about killing icons in the multitask dock. Just think of it as a history with quick switching between apps.

It's not normal multitasking so it's not gonna suck up CPU/RAM/BATTERY time. There really is no need to feel like you need to manage any of that stuff.
 
saving107 said:
3. Currently, to quit an app you have to Hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds (until you get the Power Off screen), then you Hold the Home Button for a few seconds again until app quits.
Click to expand...

I doooon't think that's the quickest way... Haha

By that I mean, to quit an app, you pull up the multi tasking menu, hold down on an open app, and click the X in the corner... I don't know why you've been doing it this other way you invented.
 
PureRED said:
I doooon't think that's the quickest way... Haha

By that I mean, to quit an app, you pull up the multi tasking menu, hold down on an open app, and click the X in the corner... I don't know why you've been doing it this other way you invented.
Click to expand...

if I read it correctly, I think the OP was talking about quitting an app without having to initiate the Multi Task UI and having to click the the red minus button. a way of quitting an app without having to do extra work afterwards.
 
andyblila said:
The other apps may be put on hold but they are still using RAM and are slowing down the phone.
Click to expand...

A question here is whether the state is saved in RAM or written to storage. If the former, wouldn't the diminishment of RAM resources potentially affect the performance of the app you're using?
 
mcmlxix said:
A question here is whether the state is saved in RAM or written to storage. If the former, wouldn't the diminishment of RAM resources potentially affect the performance of the app you're using?
Click to expand...

Stop trying to second guess the system. It's been designed to work this way. The OS will kill off the least recently used apps to free up memory if it needs to.
 
Just keep using your phone similarly to the way you were using it before except with the added benefit of quick switching. If you notice any serious performance issues, then reevaluate at that time.
 
The important point to drive home is that most apps do not run when they are in the background. They will use up memory, but the system will automatically start killing off background apps if the foreground app needs more. The net effect of all of this is that you rarely if ever need to try to manage this yourself.

Apple purposely did things the way they did (i.e. without changing the behavior of the home screen itself) so that people who don't care or want to think about multitasking never see anything that makes them think they need to.
 
andyblila said:
That is not entirely true. Increasing RAM in any computer system speeds things up. It's reasonable to think the converse is true as well
Click to expand...

This is because a desktop computer will swap programs off the RAM to the hard drive, which is insanely slow compared to the RAM. A desktop OS will NOT close an application due to low system memory simply because it's not designed that way.

iOS 4 is designed so that when applications enter the background state, they save any changes (same way they did before), and are set to idle. These applications can not use any CPU time or do any processing whatsoever (unless they use one of the special APIs). When iOS 4 requires more RAM, it will close applications in the order they were used and depending on how much RAM they're using.

In essence, if you are not aware of the new multitasking feature of the OS, you can use the phone the same way as in iOS 3 without having to worry about anything.
 
kodek said:
This is because a desktop computer will swap programs off the RAM to the hard drive, which is insanely slow compared to the RAM. A desktop OS will NOT close an application due to low system memory simply because it's not designed that way.

iOS 4 is designed so that when applications enter the background state, they save any changes (same way they did before), and are set to idle. These applications can not use any CPU time or do any processing whatsoever (unless they use one of the special APIs). When iOS 4 requires more RAM, it will close applications in the order they were used and depending on how much RAM they're using.

In essence, if you are not aware of the new multitasking feature of the OS, you can use the phone the same way as in iOS 3 without having to worry about anything.
Click to expand...
Except that since I installed iOS4 my RAM usage has doubled. And my phone is noticeably slower when there are several programs "multitasking". An increase in RAM will alleviate this issue.
 
andyblila said:
Except that since I installed iOS4 my RAM usage has doubled. And my phone is noticeably slower when there are several programs "multitasking". An increase in RAM will alleviate this issue.
Click to expand...

Do you mean apps like Pandora that run background threads? Or apps that support Fast App Switching? Either way, in that case it goes against what Apple said in the seminars, and I hope they fix it.

Just for the record, my 3GS seems snappier with iOS 4 than with iOS 3.
 
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