Question about the new "Extensibility" features

[kenkamm]

Apple mentioned this new feature of ios8:

"Extensibility
There are thousands of new APIs for developers, and one of the most exciting of those was Extensibility. This feature allows apps within iOS 8 to share information with each other and with the Notification Center."

Will this solve the default app problem? For instance, if I use the Gmail app for email, and I click an email link in Safari, it opens Apple's mail app. It should open the Gmail app because that's the one I have chosen for email. This is just one example but there are many other examples of such behavior in ios7, and it's infuriating.

 

[TheKrs1]

Apple mentioned this new feature of ios8:

"Extensibility
There are thousands of new APIs for developers, and one of the most exciting of those was Extensibility. This feature allows apps within iOS 8 to share information with each other and with the Notification Center."

Will this solve the default app problem? For instance, if I use the Gmail app for email, and I click an email link in Safari, it opens Apple's mail app. It should open the Gmail app because that's the one I have chosen for email. This is just one example but there are many other examples of such behavior in ios7, and it's infuriating.

I don't think this will solve your issue. Apps can talk to one another, but I don't think the default apps are modified. Unless a link is created to specifically take you to your app of choice, the default app will still launch.

(This is opinion and not fact).

 

[kenkamm]

Bummer.

 

[Armen]

it's infuriating.

It's designed that way from day one. Apple doesn't want to let users change the default app for handling specific tasks. This isn't Android you know

Besides, can you imagine what type of confusion this would cause in the sheeple?

 

[0000757]

Theoretically, yes, but not with the default apps.

With extensions, the gmail app could automatically open Chrome when clicking a link instead of Safari, or say tapping a phone number in Bing could open Skype automatically. Technically this is already possible (I know plenty of apps have an "Open in Chrome" option), but the extensions would allow the apps to by-pass this extra step.

However, both apps would have to be compatible and it wouldn't work from stock apps, so you'd HAVE to use Gmail and Chrome, or you'd HAVE to use Bing and Skype, you wouldn't be able to mix system apps with custom apps, and each app would have to support the same extension.

So basically, it kind of could.

 

[kenkamm]

<sigh>

I wish they would implement a system like Android has. When you install a new app, say a browser for instance, Android will ask you which one you want to use the next time you click a hyperlink. And it gives you the options of "Always" or "Just Once." A simple and elegant solution that Apple needs to get on board with.

This and the constant reminders to either download or open an app when you're just trying to use the bloody web page are a couple of reasons that I haven't come back to Apple yet.