6 ms·

Apple removes Facebook and Twitter integration from iOS 11

132 points by MilnerRoute 9y ago

nier 9y ago
Would be awesome to choose which app handles Twitter URLs.
- BillinghamJ 9y ago
  If they just use https://twitter.com/blahblah https://twitter.com/blahblah it will automatically open into the Twitter app
  - wlesieutre 9y ago
    Yes, I believe that's the problem nier is hoping to correct
- H4CK3RM4N 9y ago
  I'm pretty sure iOS has the website issue a request to open X app w/an argument, so in this case it's Twitter making a request to open their app if installed.
  - pawadu 9y ago
    Not sure how it works on iOS, but on Android apps tell OS what websites they can handle. This does have some security implications, so there is a mechanism for web sites to vouch for an app.
themark 9y ago
Need help understanding why this is interesting enough to be on front page.
- chambo622 9y ago
  Yeah, this was last week's news from WWDC. Not sure why it's picking up the votes now.
  - RubenSandwich 9y ago
    It is interesting because it allowed easy integration, literally just a few lines of code, to Facebook and Twitter accounts for iOS developers. It was also easy for the user as well because as long as they were logged into those services system wide they literally just had to hit a button to login. It helped a bunch of startups quickly onboard users with very little time or effect and now those days are drying up. Expect updates soon to about 75% of your iOS apps. (Yes, it really is that common.)
    - tehwebguy 9y ago
      I'd guess like 75% of my apps have a weekly update 0_0
    - eridius 9y ago
      Most apps that integrate with social services use the share sheet. And the ones that use Facebook and Twitter directly almost always actually use the frameworks that Facebook and Twitter provide for this. Not very many apps are strictly using the SLServiceRequest stuff.
    - Retric 9y ago
      I find it interesting you say 75% when zero of the Apps I use integrate with either Facebook or Twitter. Now I am kind of curious which of us is closer to the norm.
    - lathiat 9y ago
      I've found most apps were using the website login flow instead. Which used to annoy me but I assume it's because many are using cross platform frameworks.
    - djrogers 9y ago
      I have one, possibly two apps out of the hundred plus on my phone that have Facebook or Twitter integrations built-in using this feature. The vast majority of them either don't have those integrations, or use Facebook or Twitter's own methods to do it. Curious where you're getting your 75% and "Really that common" ideas from.
- coldtea 9y ago
  It involves a major new version of a major mobile OS, and how it drops integration for major social media platforms. In HN where we get posts for minor Node and Golang update releases, what more exactly do you needed it to have to be on the front page? To discuss an effective way for achieving cold fusion?
  - dang 9y ago
    Could you please dial back the snark a notch? We're aware of the extent that you do this already, and greatly appreciate it. But I've noticed it upticking recently.
    - quickben 9y ago
      He does sound snarky, but then again, some days Google is indeed featured in 5+ stories on the front page. Didn't NH have some smart algorithm to prevent that?
      - dang 9y ago
        Two different issues.
    - coldtea 9y ago
      >We're aware of the extent that you do this already, and greatly appreciate it. Yeah, I've gotten somewhat mellower as time goes by. And to think I aspired to HST levels of snark once (or at least Hani Suleiman -- anybody remember that guy?) >But I've noticed it upticking recently Arrg. Probably my new diet. Some sugar will help me dial it down, thanks.
- cylinder 9y ago
  It's good for us Android users to realize iOS still doesn't have proper sharing.
  - __sr__ 9y ago
    Not sure I understand. What do you mean by proper sharing?
watmough 9y ago
Hooray!!!! Clearly Apple sees which way the tide is running.
qrbLPHiKpiux 9y ago
At they trying to avoid an anti trust something? Either way, I like this.
smackfu 9y ago
Did they also remove the contacts integration?
- djrogers 9y ago
  Care to explain?
  - akeck 9y ago
    If you had the FB integration set up in a certain way, all your FB friends would become entries in your iOS/macOS Address Book. It can make a huge mess.
    - drivingmenuts 9y ago
      That's especially fun for me when my phone syncs with my car's handsfree setup. I wind up with all my FB entries (which have no phone #'s attached) mixed in with all the deliberate entries which do have phone #'s. I wind up having to scroll thru 150 or so extra entries on the radio screen just to make a phone call in traffic.
      - CodeWriter23 9y ago
        "Siri call <name>"
    - lathiat 9y ago
      The problem this causes me is it adds email addresses you can't remove to contacts. And for some reason using Siri on the Apple Watch often wants to iMessage/SMS one of these Facebook addresses instead of the most recently used address for that contact (actually I think the real problem might be more than 1 contact with the same name?) To make this worse on my carrier (Telstra) these messages go through but Telstra very kindly turns them into an email that I may or may not see until much later Drives my wife and I a little bonkers. Should probably have filed a radar however I guess maybe it will be moot in iOS11
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
whatever_dude 9y ago
This is not surprising. Given that iOS now has "sharing extensions" in a similar way that Android has sharing intents, custom integration with arbitrary apps never made much sense; it is harder to maintain and useless in certain contexts (countries, etc). This had to happen sooner or later.
520794 9y ago
Why did they have this "integration" in the first place? User can "frictionlessly" upload personal data to some website but transferring data to some private location like say an SD card is not something any user would want? Why is it these companies make the sensible things difficult if not impossible to do. While they make the unwise things like pushing personal data to some kids website (who called other users "dumb fucks" for sending him personal data). Today people complain about excessive tweeting. Yes, it made sense for Apple to believe iOS users would want/need to share every stupid thought with the world media but not to be able to send private messages directly to other users without using Apple as a middelman. But I guess they have learned a thing or two in 10 versions.
untog 9y ago
They offered the functionality because users wanted it. Get off your high horse.
- dang 9y ago
  This sort of incivility will get your account banned here, regardless of how wrong or annoying another comment is, so please don't do this again. We detached this comment from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14534595 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14534595 and marked it off-topic.
  - untog 9y ago
    To be clear: "get off your high horse" is considered incivil?

132 points by MilnerRoute 9y ago

nier 9y ago

Would be awesome to choose which app handles Twitter URLs.

BillinghamJ 9y ago
If they just use https://twitter.com/blahblah https://twitter.com/blahblah it will automatically open into the Twitter app
- wlesieutre 9y ago
  Yes, I believe that's the problem nier is hoping to correct
H4CK3RM4N 9y ago
I'm pretty sure iOS has the website issue a request to open X app w/an argument, so in this case it's Twitter making a request to open their app if installed.
- pawadu 9y ago
  Not sure how it works on iOS, but on Android apps tell OS what websites they can handle. This does have some security implications, so there is a mechanism for web sites to vouch for an app.

themark 9y ago

Need help understanding why this is interesting enough to be on front page.

chambo622 9y ago
Yeah, this was last week's news from WWDC. Not sure why it's picking up the votes now.
- RubenSandwich 9y ago
  It is interesting because it allowed easy integration, literally just a few lines of code, to Facebook and Twitter accounts for iOS developers. It was also easy for the user as well because as long as they were logged into those services system wide they literally just had to hit a button to login. It helped a bunch of startups quickly onboard users with very little time or effect and now those days are drying up. Expect updates soon to about 75% of your iOS apps. (Yes, it really is that common.)
  - tehwebguy 9y ago
    I'd guess like 75% of my apps have a weekly update 0_0
  - eridius 9y ago
    Most apps that integrate with social services use the share sheet. And the ones that use Facebook and Twitter directly almost always actually use the frameworks that Facebook and Twitter provide for this. Not very many apps are strictly using the SLServiceRequest stuff.
  - Retric 9y ago
    I find it interesting you say 75% when zero of the Apps I use integrate with either Facebook or Twitter. Now I am kind of curious which of us is closer to the norm.
  - lathiat 9y ago
    I've found most apps were using the website login flow instead. Which used to annoy me but I assume it's because many are using cross platform frameworks.
  - djrogers 9y ago
    I have one, possibly two apps out of the hundred plus on my phone that have Facebook or Twitter integrations built-in using this feature. The vast majority of them either don't have those integrations, or use Facebook or Twitter's own methods to do it. Curious where you're getting your 75% and "Really that common" ideas from.
coldtea 9y ago
It involves a major new version of a major mobile OS, and how it drops integration for major social media platforms. In HN where we get posts for minor Node and Golang update releases, what more exactly do you needed it to have to be on the front page? To discuss an effective way for achieving cold fusion?
- dang 9y ago
  Could you please dial back the snark a notch? We're aware of the extent that you do this already, and greatly appreciate it. But I've noticed it upticking recently.
  - quickben 9y ago
    He does sound snarky, but then again, some days Google is indeed featured in 5+ stories on the front page. Didn't NH have some smart algorithm to prevent that?
    - dang 9y ago
      Two different issues.
  - coldtea 9y ago
    >We're aware of the extent that you do this already, and greatly appreciate it. Yeah, I've gotten somewhat mellower as time goes by. And to think I aspired to HST levels of snark once (or at least Hani Suleiman -- anybody remember that guy?) >But I've noticed it upticking recently Arrg. Probably my new diet. Some sugar will help me dial it down, thanks.
cylinder 9y ago
It's good for us Android users to realize iOS still doesn't have proper sharing.
- __sr__ 9y ago
  Not sure I understand. What do you mean by proper sharing?

watmough 9y ago

Hooray!!!! Clearly Apple sees which way the tide is running.

qrbLPHiKpiux 9y ago

At they trying to avoid an anti trust something? Either way, I like this.

smackfu 9y ago

Did they also remove the contacts integration?

djrogers 9y ago
Care to explain?
- akeck 9y ago
  If you had the FB integration set up in a certain way, all your FB friends would become entries in your iOS/macOS Address Book. It can make a huge mess.
  - drivingmenuts 9y ago
    That's especially fun for me when my phone syncs with my car's handsfree setup. I wind up with all my FB entries (which have no phone #'s attached) mixed in with all the deliberate entries which do have phone #'s. I wind up having to scroll thru 150 or so extra entries on the radio screen just to make a phone call in traffic.
    - CodeWriter23 9y ago
      "Siri call <name>"
  - lathiat 9y ago
    The problem this causes me is it adds email addresses you can't remove to contacts. And for some reason using Siri on the Apple Watch often wants to iMessage/SMS one of these Facebook addresses instead of the most recently used address for that contact (actually I think the real problem might be more than 1 contact with the same name?) To make this worse on my carrier (Telstra) these messages go through but Telstra very kindly turns them into an email that I may or may not see until much later Drives my wife and I a little bonkers. Should probably have filed a radar however I guess maybe it will be moot in iOS11

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

whatever_dude 9y ago

This is not surprising. Given that iOS now has "sharing extensions" in a similar way that Android has sharing intents, custom integration with arbitrary apps never made much sense; it is harder to maintain and useless in certain contexts (countries, etc). This had to happen sooner or later.

520794 9y ago

Why did they have this "integration" in the first place? User can "frictionlessly" upload personal data to some website but transferring data to some private location like say an SD card is not something any user would want? Why is it these companies make the sensible things difficult if not impossible to do. While they make the unwise things like pushing personal data to some kids website (who called other users "dumb fucks" for sending him personal data). Today people complain about excessive tweeting. Yes, it made sense for Apple to believe iOS users would want/need to share every stupid thought with the world media but not to be able to send private messages directly to other users without using Apple as a middelman. But I guess they have learned a thing or two in 10 versions.

untog 9y ago

They offered the functionality because users wanted it. Get off your high horse.

dang 9y ago
This sort of incivility will get your account banned here, regardless of how wrong or annoying another comment is, so please don't do this again. We detached this comment from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14534595 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14534595 and marked it off-topic.
- untog 9y ago
  To be clear: "get off your high horse" is considered incivil?