It’s time for Landscape Mode to return
People reflect on the past year at the end of the calendar year. This is especially true for Apple’s iOS software.
Since 2007, the introduction of iOS and the iPhone, there has been an annual turnaround of software updates that bring about big changes or small improvements. For example, a redesign in iOS 7 or widgets on iOS’s home screen.
With iOS 16 adding widgets to the lockscreen, users want to expand on existing features rather than add new ones for iOS 17.
With that in mind, we have compiled seven iPhone platform features that will benefit many users.
The new features are displayed on the start-up screen
This is a common refrain I hear: “I didn’t know my phone could do that.” While I work in an open environment, I will spot iPhones with iOS 16 installed but still using the old lock screen. Or iPhones that have iOS 13 running on an iPhone 11 Pro.
Apple believes design should not be visible. You should know that a feature is there and ready to use it. However, this doesn’t work for everyone. For example, a friend didn’t know that you could make calls from your iPhone to a Mac via an iPhone. This feature has been available since 2014.
After you upgrade to iOS 17, an additional start-up screen will appear. Similar to how you see a screen when you open an Apple app. This should be displayed when you return to your home screen. Make it clear that you can use the Tips app to access these features.
Although the Tips app is less well-known, it’s a great app for new users. You can visit the app to see a list of all new features, as shown in the image above.
Let’s make it more common – maybe a random tip is found in the Dynamic Island on the first day of iOS 17 or an email that showcases what you can do.
Redesigned Control Center
Although this is a long overdue feature, it’s still a challenging task. It first appeared in iOS 7, which introduced a flat design. To access settings, swipe up from the bottom. Later, it was moved to the top-right corner. iPhone X and higher use the swipe-up gesture for returning to the home screen.
Control Center is almost ten years old and it has become worse. This is mainly because of the many new features that have been added to the menu. It can sometimes be difficult to exit the screen if you swipe up.
Let’s try a redesign that allows us to resize the options similar to widgets on our home screen and gives third-party apps access to Control Center.
As an aside, Control Center should be included in the multitasking menu of iPad.
Stream more games from iOS to Twitch
Apple gave a lot of attention to gaming at WWDC 2022. It announced Resident Evil Village for the Mac and No Man’s Sky for the iPad. However, if you want to stream games from your iPhone via Twitch, it’s not possible.
SharePlay lets users stream their activities in certain apps but only while they are on FaceTime. Let’s instead look at a feature that allows you to press a button and load your Twitch account, stream your Apple Arcade games and more.
Let’s make it possible for you to see the chat window of others watching your stream and track your subscriptions via notifications on any Apple device.
Universal Battery Widget
We live in an age when many people own multiple Apple products. While iCloud allows you to share files across devices, certain details like fitness and battery life are only available on specific Apple products.
You can’t, for example, view your Move goal from a Fitness widget on your iPad.
You won’t be able to find out the battery status of your devices if you don’t have an app. To check if your devices are low on power, you can use the Find My app to access the Devices tab and then select each Apple product to see the battery icon.
This is what one app can do. A battery widget for iOS, macOS and iPadOS would be possible.
You will find more widgets on Lock Screen
iOS’s home screen had not changed much since 2007. It was therefore great to see a redesign in iOS 16 with widgets. Let’s hope this effort continues in iOS 17.
Six widgets on the lock screen and a Live Activities widget are not enough. There’s lots of room to see more widgets in larger sizes and more places.
You could allow the time to be replaced with another widget. There are also other widgets that can be used in the row below the ones we have.
More widgets are always good, so let’s make sure we see more of them in different sizes.
Improved picture-in-picture controls
The ability to view a video from any device on your iPad was first introduced in iOS 9. It has barely improved since then, with the exception of iOS 14 in 2019.
The ability to control video in a better way, like timeline scrubbing or selecting other videos, has yet to be implemented. This is why iOS 17 should include these features.
This hidden feature is also available in macOS. If you hold Option while dragging video, you can position it anywhere on your screen. This feature is also available in iOS 17, so you have greater control over its size and location.
Landscape mode back
When I owned an iPhone 8 Plus, I loved the ability to rotate the home screen and turn it in landscape mode.
This keyboard would have included functions such as punctuation and shortcuts like copying and pasting text. It also took advantage of the extra length to make some keys wider. However, this feature was removed from future models when the iPhone XS was launched in 2018.
Nearly every iPhone, including the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 14 Pro Max Max, has the same or larger displays as the iPhone 8 Plus. This is due to the all-screen design. Let’s hope iOS 17 takes advantage of this, and extends it to other apps, like Apple Music, the Lock Screen, and its useful widgets.
Is your wish missing?
With iOS, we’re at the point where Apple has fulfilled the highest-hanging fruits of features over the years, from custom keyboards to redesigned widgets in the home screen.
These seven features could be helpful for someone using an iPhone. Apple also knows that individuality is important. That is why iOS 16 allows us to customize our lock screens. We will be featuring your comment in our blog.
