6 ms·

I'm a pretty happy MBP user, but any time I have to use my partner's iPhone I'm blown away by how frustrating and opaque iOS is.

xwowsersx 6y ago
Same. Happy MBP user, just seems like iPhone users are still asking for table stakes.
ponker 6y ago
People get used to things. I feel the same way about picking up an Android. People who live in New York and people who live in Nome probably would find the other’s lifestyle frustrating and opaque.
- mbreese 6y ago
  I was recently at a party when one person asked someone to take a photo with their phone. They were the only ones there with an Android phone. Not a one of the rest of us could figure out how to do it quickly. The stress of needing to be quick might have also played a part. I’m sure I could figure it out without the pressure, but in the moment, it was impossible to figure out what button did what. I think someone just took a picture with their own iPhone and sent it via email.
  - wlesieutre 6y ago
    By the same token, if you don't own an iPhone there's no way you'll find "Swipe over on the lock screen to quickly access the camera" because there's no visible indication that it exists. Nor would you know that swiping down from the battery meter might give you a camera shortcut, or that pulling down on the home screen icons gives you the search box. So you'd probably be hunting through the home screen icons on a borrowed phone to find where they put the camera app.
    - mbreese 6y ago
      I don't know... my lock screen has a camera icon always visible. When you tap it, you get an isolated camera mode that only shows you photos taken in that session. That's the standard screen now, so I think Apple is doing okay on the discoverability front (for that specific use-case -- possibly the only case where something is discoverable in iOS). But I still don't know how to take a picture on an Android phone. I have no idea what the Android virtual buttons mean or what they do at all. With similar logic, my wife still has an iPhone with a physical home button because she doesn't like my (now old) iPhone with the "swipe up" home motion. She doesn't really want to learn how to use a new (ish) gesture. And while I'm on a roll... I also don't understand the buttons on Playstation controllers, preferring the direct lettering of the Xbox or Switch. We are all ultimately creatures of habit.
      - panopticon 6y ago
        > my lock screen has a camera icon always visible. When you tap it, you get an isolated camera mode that only shows you photos taken in that session. That's the standard screen now, so I think Apple is doing okay on the discoverability front (for that specific use-case -- possibly the only case where something is discoverable in iOS). Huge discoverability hiccup with that camera button on the lock screen: you have to tap and hold the camera button to get into the camera (not long, about 1 second). The first time I picked up my partner's iPhone to take a picture for her, I just about pulled my hair out trying to get that button to do anything. I tapped it about a thousand times before she got frustrated and showed me how to operate it.
        jonny_eh 6y ago
        It's to prevent the phone accidentally unlocking. But your experience does highlight a big problem. They should show a message when you "frustrate" tap explaining what you should do.
      - NightlyDev 6y ago
        With android it varies. Samsung has a camera icon on the lock screen by default that you just use, so that is very easy to figure out. By default, quickly doubletapping the power button also opens the camera, screen on or not. Gesture navigation is also better on Android, but this is probably because iOS never had a back button.
pmontra 6y ago
A friend was driving and gave me her iPhone and asked me to answer to an SMS. It was 2011. I couldn't find a way to do it. She had to guide me as I do with my parents. I had a Galaxy S2 back then and a number of dumbphones and Symbian devices before it.
- zuppy 6y ago
  I honestly don’t understand what you were unable to do. You had to open the sms app and reply... Maybe there was something that has changed and I’ve forgotten about.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  It's a struggle to see this as a sincere comment. Was it that hard to tap in the text box and hit reply? Lots of legit gripes about iOS, but C'mon.

xwowsersx 6y ago

Same. Happy MBP user, just seems like iPhone users are still asking for table stakes.

ponker 6y ago

People get used to things. I feel the same way about picking up an Android. People who live in New York and people who live in Nome probably would find the other’s lifestyle frustrating and opaque.

mbreese 6y ago
I was recently at a party when one person asked someone to take a photo with their phone. They were the only ones there with an Android phone. Not a one of the rest of us could figure out how to do it quickly. The stress of needing to be quick might have also played a part. I’m sure I could figure it out without the pressure, but in the moment, it was impossible to figure out what button did what. I think someone just took a picture with their own iPhone and sent it via email.
- wlesieutre 6y ago
  By the same token, if you don't own an iPhone there's no way you'll find "Swipe over on the lock screen to quickly access the camera" because there's no visible indication that it exists. Nor would you know that swiping down from the battery meter might give you a camera shortcut, or that pulling down on the home screen icons gives you the search box. So you'd probably be hunting through the home screen icons on a borrowed phone to find where they put the camera app.
  - mbreese 6y ago
    I don't know... my lock screen has a camera icon always visible. When you tap it, you get an isolated camera mode that only shows you photos taken in that session. That's the standard screen now, so I think Apple is doing okay on the discoverability front (for that specific use-case -- possibly the only case where something is discoverable in iOS). But I still don't know how to take a picture on an Android phone. I have no idea what the Android virtual buttons mean or what they do at all. With similar logic, my wife still has an iPhone with a physical home button because she doesn't like my (now old) iPhone with the "swipe up" home motion. She doesn't really want to learn how to use a new (ish) gesture. And while I'm on a roll... I also don't understand the buttons on Playstation controllers, preferring the direct lettering of the Xbox or Switch. We are all ultimately creatures of habit.
    - panopticon 6y ago
      > my lock screen has a camera icon always visible. When you tap it, you get an isolated camera mode that only shows you photos taken in that session. That's the standard screen now, so I think Apple is doing okay on the discoverability front (for that specific use-case -- possibly the only case where something is discoverable in iOS). Huge discoverability hiccup with that camera button on the lock screen: you have to tap and hold the camera button to get into the camera (not long, about 1 second). The first time I picked up my partner's iPhone to take a picture for her, I just about pulled my hair out trying to get that button to do anything. I tapped it about a thousand times before she got frustrated and showed me how to operate it.
      - jonny_eh 6y ago
        It's to prevent the phone accidentally unlocking. But your experience does highlight a big problem. They should show a message when you "frustrate" tap explaining what you should do.
    - NightlyDev 6y ago
      With android it varies. Samsung has a camera icon on the lock screen by default that you just use, so that is very easy to figure out. By default, quickly doubletapping the power button also opens the camera, screen on or not. Gesture navigation is also better on Android, but this is probably because iOS never had a back button.

pmontra 6y ago

A friend was driving and gave me her iPhone and asked me to answer to an SMS. It was 2011. I couldn't find a way to do it. She had to guide me as I do with my parents. I had a Galaxy S2 back then and a number of dumbphones and Symbian devices before it.

zuppy 6y ago
I honestly don’t understand what you were unable to do. You had to open the sms app and reply... Maybe there was something that has changed and I’ve forgotten about.
ogre_codes 6y ago
It's a struggle to see this as a sincere comment. Was it that hard to tap in the text box and hit reply? Lots of legit gripes about iOS, but C'mon.