Does my lack of interest in iOS 14 mean I’m officially old?

Chew Toy McCoy

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There’s probably (maybe) some cool new features, but I feel after installing there’s going to be a lot of “Where the hell is this function now?” and “Why the fuck does this look like this now?”. For the first time before I install I feel like I need to do some research on the features and functionality of the new iOS before I just reflexively install.
 

Eric

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There’s probably (maybe) some cool new features, but I feel after installing there’s going to be a lot of “Where the hell is this function now?” and “Why the fuck does this look like this now?”. For the first time before I install I feel like I need to do some research on the features and functionality of the new iOS before I just reflexively install.
I have it installed but am regretting it. My main issue is the same issue they've never been able to address and that's moving around an icon screws up the entire layout and makes me lose track of where everything was placed. This seems like such a simple thing for them to address on the phone itself, without forcing you to use iTunes to rearrange.

In iOS 14 they also have larger page change buttons on the bottom, basically advancing the home row up and further away and I'm not sure how they see this as a benefit. That aside the widgets are cool but I just have no need for them, so after playing with it and going back I had to spend the next 20 minutes moving the squirrelly just to get them back into place.
 

Renzatic

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For the first time before I install I feel like I need to do some research on the features and functionality of the new iOS before I just reflexively install.

I think it's down to the fact that smartphones have long since become mature products, like PCs, and we have no reason to become super stoked over the next phones or OS updates, because they won't be vastly improved over what came previously.

We've gone from "holy shit, this is a game changing thing that will forever alter the way I look at smartphones, and I must have it NOW" to "well, that's pretty neat."
 

Eric

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I think it's down to the fact that smartphones have long since become mature products, like PCs, and we have no reason to become super stoked over the next phones or OS updates, because they won't be vastly improved over what came previously.

We've gone from "holy shit, this is a game changing thing that will forever alter the way I look at smartphones, and I must have it NOW" to "well, that's pretty neat."
^ This. Since the actual invention of the iPhone, which was a game changer in its own right, I would ask what has wowed us to that degree since. We're now droned into the annual update weather we actually need it or not (in most cases it's not) but it's the expectation and what keeps Apple the one of the richest companies on the planet.
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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I have it installed but am regretting it. My main issue is the same issue they've never been able to address and that's moving around an icon screws up the entire layout and makes me lose track of where everything was placed. This seems like such a simple thing for them to address on the phone itself, without forcing you to use iTunes to rearrange.

In iOS 14 they also have larger page change buttons on the bottom, basically advancing the home row up and further away and I'm not sure how they see this as a benefit. That aside the widgets are cool but I just have no need for them, so after playing with it and going back I had to spend the next 20 minutes moving the squirrelly just to get them back into place.

Yeah, it was vaguely seeing things like you mentioned that makes me apprehensive like automatically making major interface changes or maybe it asks you if you want to do certain things right after the install and you're not entirely sure what it means. I heard something about it having the option for it to automatically put apps in folders.
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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I think it's down to the fact that smartphones have long since become mature products, like PCs, and we have no reason to become super stoked over the next phones or OS updates, because they won't be vastly improved over what came previously.

We've gone from "holy shit, this is a game changing thing that will forever alter the way I look at smartphones, and I must have it NOW" to "well, that's pretty neat."


This might be a little extreme, but I almost feel like there should be an option after install when it demos every new feature and asks if you want to activate that or keep it the old way. Sure, that might take an hour or 2 but could be worth it to some of us.

The Microsoft Office Suite is the worst at this. I feel like every upgrade they went "You know all those features you frequently use? Well, we put them somewhere else or completely buried them. Good luck finding them. All those custom shortcuts you created? We disabled a bunch and created a whole new convoluted way to attempt to recreate the ones we didn't. "
 

Eric

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This might be a little extreme, but I almost feel like there should be an option after install when it demos every new feature and asks if you want to activate that or keep it the old way. Sure, that might take an hour or 2 but could be worth it to some of us.

The Microsoft Office Suite is the worst at this. I feel like every upgrade they went "You know all those features you frequently use? Well, we put them somewhere else or completely buried them. Good luck finding them. All those custom shortcuts you created? We disabled a bunch and created a whole new convoluted way to attempt to recreate the ones we didn't. "
Part of my job is training on Office 365, both for users and IT administrators and I can assure you that we all share this frustration. They'll do it often with little or no notice (even thought there's a roadmap it's not always clear) and there's nothing like standing up before 200 people in an auditorium and giving a demo after MS has changed a menu or a setting. No matter how prepared I think I am with the material, I've learned to double check within the hour before each training.
 

Alli

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Widgets actually gave me what I want. I now have a single homepage with a block of constantly rotating apps based on my use. Any app I need I just go straight to the library.

55D3E739-F5B2-4905-943E-333C33FF8913.jpeg
26FF16B6-BE7A-4003-9D0B-3C66133B2C14.jpeg
 

Eric

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Widgets actually gave me what I want. I now have a single homepage with a block of constantly rotating apps based on my use. Any app I need I just go straight to the library.

View attachment 530View attachment 531
Okay this is good to know. I've found myself going to that page to access apps but have to scroll to the end, did you just hide all of your other pages and make this one the second page?
 

lizkat

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Yeah, it was vaguely seeing things like you mentioned that makes me apprehensive like automatically making major interface changes or maybe it asks you if you want to do certain things right after the install and you're not entirely sure what it means. I heard something about it having the option for it to automatically put apps in folders.

Yes they do now sort out aliases of all your apps into a sort of phantom page to the right of all the pages you created yourself. It represents your downloaded apps library and has folders of their own categorization. Plus a search bar at top with 'App Library' indicated in it. The other regular search bar is still in the widgets page to the left of your own pages.

The new apps library page is especially weird if you've grouped your apps into folders you created as desired, and so have those folders wherever you want in your own pages. I just try now not to thumb my way to the right of my last page of apps, which holds items I rarely use anyway.

Just not sure why Apple did this. Do people not get it they can make folders for their apps by just holding one app over another and put them wherever desired?

Plus I just don't get some of their categorizations. They stuck my Shakespeare reader in with iTunes University. I have that app in with my other reading apps like Libby, Books, Kindle. They put those (and Mactracker no less) into a folder called Information and Reading. OK then...

They stuck my two Bittman's recipe apps in with shopping, and I never go shopping off a recipe lookup: au contraire, I'm in recipe apps when I'm trying to figure out how to use up what I've already got on hand.

The weirdest one was putting my password manager in with Notes, Mail, Keynote, Reminders, Numbers, Pages, Calendar, PDFReader, Contacts and Files and calling it "Productivity and Finance". Wut? LIke I might ever get productive trying to fish through all that looking for anything. My password manager lives in the dock, and I'd never think to stick Numbers in with Contacts.

Oh well. Looking over Apple's vision of how to sort out apps was interesting anyway. Sort of like spying on how exactly the proverbial committee of blind men would design an elephant. They don't know exactly how we use our apps, or how often and in what combination. Maybe the library they offer is useful to some iOS device owners. And maybe they should offer not to create it for the rest of us...
 

Eric

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The new apps library page is especially weird if you've grouped your apps into folders you created as desired, and so have those folders wherever you want in your own pages. I just try now not to thumb my way to the right of my last page of apps, which holds items I rarely use anyway.
This is what I'm trying to wrap my head around. I also often find myself having to search for an app because I can't locate it where it's at (page or folder, etc), this is frustrating when you want to continue to go back to that app as well. Organizational changes are welcome here.
 

Alli

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Okay this is good to know. I've found myself going to that page to access apps but have to scroll to the end, did you just hide all of your other pages and make this one the second page?

Yup. Everything except that first page is hidden.

When I want an app not on the first page I go to the 2nd page and start typing. Bam! Faster than my trying to remember what folder it was in half the time.
 

SuperMatt

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This might be a little extreme, but I almost feel like there should be an option after install when it demos every new feature and asks if you want to activate that or keep it the old way. Sure, that might take an hour or 2 but could be worth it to some of us.

The Microsoft Office Suite is the worst at this. I feel like every upgrade they went "You know all those features you frequently use? Well, we put them somewhere else or completely buried them. Good luck finding them. All those custom shortcuts you created? We disabled a bunch and created a whole new convoluted way to attempt to recreate the ones we didn't. "

Don’t look at the new Outlook then......
 

SuperMatt

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Yes they do now sort out aliases of all your apps into a sort of phantom page to the right of all the pages you created yourself. It represents your downloaded apps library and has folders of their own categorization. Plus a search bar at top with 'App Library' indicated in it. The other regular search bar is still in the widgets page to the left of your own pages.

The new apps library page is especially weird if you've grouped your apps into folders you created as desired, and so have those folders wherever you want in your own pages. I just try now not to thumb my way to the right of my last page of apps, which holds items I rarely use anyway.

Just not sure why Apple did this. Do people not get it they can make folders for their apps by just holding one app over another and put them wherever desired?

Plus I just don't get some of their categorizations. They stuck my Shakespeare reader in with iTunes University. I have that app in with my other reading apps like Libby, Books, Kindle. They put those (and Mactracker no less) into a folder called Information and Reading. OK then...

They stuck my two Bittman's recipe apps in with shopping, and I never go shopping off a recipe lookup: au contraire, I'm in recipe apps when I'm trying to figure out how to use up what I've already got on hand.

The weirdest one was putting my password manager in with Notes, Mail, Keynote, Reminders, Numbers, Pages, Calendar, PDFReader, Contacts and Files and calling it "Productivity and Finance". Wut? LIke I might ever get productive trying to fish through all that looking for anything. My password manager lives in the dock, and I'd never think to stick Numbers in with Contacts.

Oh well. Looking over Apple's vision of how to sort out apps was interesting anyway. Sort of like spying on how exactly the proverbial committee of blind men would design an elephant. They don't know exactly how we use our apps, or how often and in what combination. Maybe the library they offer is useful to some iOS device owners. And maybe they should offer not to create it for the rest of us...

You can put an extra screen with only 1 app on it to keep yourself from accidentally swiping over to the App library.
 

lizkat

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You can put an extra screen with only 1 app on it to keep yourself from accidentally swiping over to the App library.

Yeah my existing last page pretty much serves that purpose anyway... "apple stuff" = things i never use but don't bother deleting... and Pocket Frogs. To keep myself from thinking to play it except while on hold to some utility or bank.
 

JBaby

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There’s probably (maybe) some cool new features, but I feel after installing there’s going to be a lot of “Where the hell is this function now?” and “Why the fuck does this look like this now?”. For the first time before I install I feel like I need to do some research on the features and functionality of the new iOS before I just reflexively install.

Yes, this makes you old. It’s ok. Embrace it.

Widgets actually gave me what I want. I now have a single homepage with a block of constantly rotating apps based on my use. Any app I need I just go straight to the library.

View attachment 530View attachment 531

Same I love them and the App Library is the best!

Yes they do now sort out aliases of all your apps into a sort of phantom page to the right of all the pages you created yourself. It represents your downloaded apps library and has folders of their own categorization. Plus a search bar at top with 'App Library' indicated in it. The other regular search bar is still in the widgets page to the left of your own pages.

The new apps library page is especially weird if you've grouped your apps into folders you created as desired, and so have those folders wherever you want in your own pages. I just try now not to thumb my way to the right of my last page of apps, which holds items I rarely use anyway.

Just not sure why Apple did this. Do people not get it they can make folders for their apps by just holding one app over another and put them wherever desired?

Plus I just don't get some of their categorizations. They stuck my Shakespeare reader in with iTunes University. I have that app in with my other reading apps like Libby, Books, Kindle. They put those (and Mactracker no less) into a folder called Information and Reading. OK then...

They stuck my two Bittman's recipe apps in with shopping, and I never go shopping off a recipe lookup: au contraire, I'm in recipe apps when I'm trying to figure out how to use up what I've already got on hand.

The weirdest one was putting my password manager in with Notes, Mail, Keynote, Reminders, Numbers, Pages, Calendar, PDFReader, Contacts and Files and calling it "Productivity and Finance". Wut? LIke I might ever get productive trying to fish through all that looking for anything. My password manager lives in the dock, and I'd never think to stick Numbers in with Contacts.

Oh well. Looking over Apple's vision of how to sort out apps was interesting anyway. Sort of like spying on how exactly the proverbial committee of blind men would design an elephant. They don't know exactly how we use our apps, or how often and in what combination. Maybe the library they offer is useful to some iOS device owners. And maybe they should offer not to create it for the rest of us...

I got too lazy to put things in folders. My last two pages were just a mess. I know I’ll never fix them.
 

Thomas Veil

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This might be a little extreme, but I almost feel like there should be an option after install when it demos every new feature and asks if you want to activate that or keep it the old way. Sure, that might take an hour or 2 but could be worth it to some of us.
Oh, this! For sure this!
 

lizkat

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I got too lazy to put things in folders. My last two pages were just a mess. I know I’ll never fix them

Yeah one of my older iPads looked like that for awhile. I finally reformed it one weekend before an iOS upgrade, and later ditched some more stuff before using it as a template for what would get loaded onto a newer device.

I don't actually keep many apps on my mobile devices any more. Still more on iPads than on iPhones. Noticed the other day that on my SE that is used as an actual phone, I now have only two partly-filled pages (although there are a lot of apps in the two for News, and Readers). I'd like to think I'm therefore engaging in some kind of digital minimalism, but alas, that's not the case.

The third page just has the lonely Pocket Frogs app on it. That sucker is addictive as hell for me, and I blame my sister for my having downloaded it, after she showed it to me one weekend a long time ago. I used to keep it on page one and played it too much because I didn't let it pick up an iPad's backup from Game Center... so it started from scratch and was more fun to keep playing and playing, since everything happens faster with the first dozen or so levels.
 
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