I’m a (very) late iPhone adopter who just acquired my iPhone5 a couple months ago after exiting a long and tumultuous relationship with Android. I thought I’d finally become the master of my iPhone, but the update has turned me into a newbie again.
It’s not just that bright, bubbly iOS7 looks like it was designed with toddlers in mind, though we can rule out that theory thanks to this unhappy tot. It’s more that it feels like Apple went and changed everything right after I got it the way I wanted it.
But rather than stave off the inevitable, it’s time to embrace the changes—with a few caveats. It looks like some of the most annoying updates are actually fixable. Here are the three most annoying things I’ve found, and what to do about them.
They’ve Changed The Way You Close Apps
Too many programs running at once? Every seasoned iPhone user knows what to do: double tap the Home button, and X out the jiggling app icons. Even for a new user, it’s simple and intuitive.
With iOS7, however, you’ll notice this function doesn’t work the same way anymore. Double tapping your Home button still brings up the app icons at the bottom of the screen, but now there are sample screens of what each app is running at the moment. And no amount of furiously button tapping will get them to jiggle.
What to Do: Unfortunately, there’s no way to train iOS7 to your preferences in this case, so you’ll have to let it train you. Swipe the review screen above the app icon (not the icon itself) up in order to close the app.
They’ve Automatically Included A Passcode
Concerned about privacy? No? Well, iOS7 is going to help you anyway. When you set up your new software for the first time, you’re asked to input a four-digit passcode. From now on, by default, you must enter that code to unlock your phone, if even a few seconds have passed.
It seems like a really small thing, but it can quickly grow irritating. Especially if you’re like me and have a solitary work environment and near-solitary living space, devoid of pets, children or strangers.
What to Do: Under Settings, go to General and then Passcode Lock. You can adjust the phone to require an unlock less frequently, like perhaps every few minutes or every hour. Or, you can turn it off entirely, provided you haven’t already forgotten the code.
The New Animations Are Nausea Inducing
Looking at your iPhone without wanting to hurl every time sure was boring, wasn’t it? Thankfully, iOS7 has fixed that “bug.” Your background wallpaper is now capable of a distracting 3D parallax display. Opening and closing apps generates new and improved “swooshiness.”
I don’t need every time I open an app to be a roller-coaster-like adventure, so I immediately started looking for a fix.
What to Do: Under Settings, go to General, Accessibility and then Reduce Motion. Swipe the control so it turns green. At first I barely noticed a change, but after switching back and forth between having it enabled and disabled, I saw that the animation motion was indeed, albeit slightly, reduced.
Photo by Emergency Brake on Flickr
