30. September 2017 · Categories: Apple

I find the implementation of the dock in iOS 11 annoying in a few small ways:

When you access the task switcher, tapping onto the background takes you to your home screen. But if you leave via the home button, you get back to your previous screen, no matter whether it is an app or the home screen. Because the task switcher also contains the quick access buttons, it means extra mental load when I just want to change a setting. Tapping on the background should always return you to your previous screen. If you want quick access to the home screen from the switcher, it should be a separate, clearly indicated area. Maybe it would be a small home strip above the spaces display.

It is too easy to accidentally kill an app. The flick to destroy gesture is very satisfying, but too easy to trigger when you grab an app and are just playing with the animation. Something like the trash can would be great to improve this.

To add an app not in the dock to side by side, you start dragging with one finger on the home screen, then open the app switcher, and then drag the app to the correct space. If you are not fast enough, you often open the wrong space. Instead I suggest that dragging an icon to the right or left of the dock should place the app into side by side with the most recently opened app. Dragging it there will provide feedback in the form of an animation, just like dragging an icon from the dock to the sides while an app is active. If you keep hovering a bit, the most recent app will come back to the foreground. The area to the side is large enough that accidental activation should not be an issue.

There are also a few bugs. Quite often the task switcher view forgets to blur the background. Also in the home screen, if you show your widgets, go back to the apps, and then rotate the screen, the docks stays in place. I am a bit worried about the last bug, because it seems like a problem that anyone using the iPad handheld would have quickly spotted.