Question about the Messages app

[TH55]

When you have a conversation open, at the top in the upper left and right hand corners are the "Messages" and "Edit" buttons, respectively. "Messages" returns you to your list of conversations and "Edit" allows you to delete certain texts or clear the entire conversation.

Is there a tweak available to switch these? I use the "Messages" button every time I text, and very rarely edit my conversations. However the "Messages" button is very difficult to reach when you are texting one-handed in your right hand (most people), whereas the "Edit" button is much easier to access. I wonder if this is another design choice Jobs made based on his own left-handedness

 

[TH55]

Do any messaging apps have these reversed?

 

[El3ctronics]

There is no tweak and the design choice has nothing to do with Jobs being left handed. The "messages" button is where it is b/c it's basically the back button (the same placement as the back button in basically every other iOS app). This is part of the UI suggestions/requirements when developing apps. In this instance, the "messages" button is taking you BACK to messages and that's the reasons it is where it is.

 

[TH55]

There is no tweak and the design choice has nothing to do with Jobs being left handed. The "messages" button is where it is b/c it's basically the back button (the same placement as the back button in basically every other iOS app). This is part of the UI suggestions/requirements when developing apps. In this instance, the "messages" button is taking you BACK to messages and that's the reasons it is where it is.

I understand that, what I'm asking is why on earth is the "back" button placement in the most difficult position possible to reach? It is literally the furthest away it could possibly be from where your thumb rests when holding the phone. It makes no sense as it is the most commonly used button in any app.

 

[Julien]

I understand that, what I'm asking is why on earth is the "back" button placement in the most difficult position possible to reach? It is literally the furthest away it could possibly be from where your thumb rests when holding the phone. It makes no sense as it is the most commonly used button in any app.

Because in navigation backwards is universally left and forward is right (just like reading a book). Would it make sense on your browser to have the back button on the right and the forward button on the left?

 

[Small White Car]

I understand that, what I'm asking is why on earth is the "back" button placement in the most difficult position possible to reach? It is literally the furthest away it could possibly be from where your thumb rests when holding the phone. It makes no sense as it is the most commonly used button in any app.

Because in English we read from left to right. Thus we see stuff on the left before and stuff on the right after.

So we have always looked at left/right arrows < > and associated left with "back in time" and right with "forward in time."

 

[El3ctronics]

I understand that, what I'm asking is why on earth is the "back" button placement in the most difficult position possible to reach? It is literally the furthest away it could possibly be from where your thumb rests when holding the phone. It makes no sense as it is the most commonly used button in any app.

I don't mean to be a dick but did you really need this explained to you?

 

[mlmwalt]

I understand that, what I'm asking is why on earth is the "back" button placement in the most difficult position possible to reach? It is literally the furthest away it could possibly be from where your thumb rests when holding the phone. It makes no sense as it is the most commonly used button in any app.

Or for some people who hold their phone in their left hand it's just right.

 

[JAT]

Just imagine if you had a larger phone.

 

[TH55]

Because in English we read from left to right. Thus we see stuff on the left before and stuff on the right after.

So we have always looked at left/right arrows < > and associated left with "back in time" and right with "forward in time."

That makes sense, but it doesn't need to apply universally to every "back" button, especially when there isn't a forward button opposite it. It would be much more ergonomical to have it on the right.

 

[TH55]

There is no tweak and the design choice has nothing to do with Jobs being left handed. The "messages" button is where it is b/c it's basically the back button (the same placement as the back button in basically every other iOS app). This is part of the UI suggestions/requirements when developing apps. In this instance, the "messages" button is taking you BACK to messages and that's the reasons it is where it is.

As I said before, the "back" button argument doesn't really apply here since there is no corresponding "forward" button

 

[El3ctronics]

As I said before, the "back" button argument doesn't really apply here since there is no corresponding "forward" button

There is no corresponding forward button for thousands of apps so your point is irrelevant. It's still taking you "back" to the messages screen so it only makes sense to put it where the back button is normally located. If it was where the forward button is normally located it would be completely counter intuitive. Just accept that your suggestion makes no sense whatsoever from a design, functionality, or logical perspective.

 

[mattopotamus]

wow, one of the few things I take for granted as a lefty haha.

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

You drive around campus on a segway?

 

[Italianblend]

This is one of the bad things about apple, there is barely any customization. We can't even alter the color of text messages!

 

[El3ctronics]

This is one of the bad things about apple, there is barely any customization. We can't even alter the color of text messages!

Yea if the next version of iOS doesn't let me change the color of my text messages, I'm definitely switching to Android! That's obviously a deal breaker!

 

[TG1]

Yea if the next version of iOS doesn't let me change the color of my text messages, I'm definitely switching to Android! That's obviously a deal breaker!

Yeah, using apps like Handcent and GOSMS really does spoil Android users for messaging. You can customize every single aspect of your texting from font, to color, to your wallpaper, to bubble style, to the color of your notification icon (or LED), and more. One of the reasons I jailbreak is for Handcent or BiteSMS. It's hard to go back to plain texting.

 

[Italianblend]

No, you're right, I'm not going to stop buying iPhones because of text color. I like the apple store as it is, and it's worth holding on to. I just want a bit more flexibility from apple, especially when a feature like that would not tax the processor. Give me some customization and silly things like a forward delete key.