App Switching

Some interesting app switcher UI ideas from brentcas on The Verge.

About a week ago a really simple idea hit me as I was falling asleep: the App Switcher in iOS should be taller.

I don't think we'll ever see these exact changes in iOS, and I don't consider that a bad thing. I'm definitely not a fan of everything brentcas proposes, but there are some solid concepts.

My main issues?

  • Although swiping through screen after screen of recent apps is a pain, making two rows might actually make it harder to find what you are looking for. It begins to break the clear 'most recent app on the left and older apps moving to the right' metaphor and starts to look a lot like a regular screen or folder full of apps.
  • To me, the current app switcher has fundamental issues, and showing twice as many recent apps doesn't really address them. For example, I'd often rather see the screen of the app I'm looking for, not just the icon. For a Mac centric equivalent: if I'm looking for an app, I use Exposé. If I want a quick switch to my most recent app, I use Command-Tab. The iOS app switcher does okay for a Command-Tab scenario, but not so well for an Exposé scenario. However, once I swipe past the first four icons in the current app switcher, I'm well past my personal Command-Tab territory.
  • If the screen slides up to 'reveal' the app switcher as it does today, I don't care for the idea of also bringing new content onto the top of the screen. I like some of the options this would provide, but at first glance I don't care for it.

Of the things brentcas suggests, I actually like the revamped settings and music screens the best. So how about something like this:

  • Scrap the current app switcher, but keep the double tap home button shortcut for the new app switcher.
  • Introduce a whole new app switching UI, perhaps similar to a combined Exposé/Coverflow view of the actual screens of your recent apps, but accessed via the familiar shortcut.
  • Use a new gesture (swipe up, roughly the opposite of accessing Notification Center) to pull up the new double height music and settings screens. Add in a new Spotlight screen (and remove the current Spotlight screen to the left of the main home screen) so that a swipe up brings you to Music. Left from Music is Spotlight. Right from Music is Settings.