Why is iOS not more customizable?

[KieranDotW]

IMO the only reason why "quick link" widgets like weather and stocks are useful on Android are because unless you bring all your apps up to the home screen, it always takes a couple clicks to get to your app menu. With iOS, your apps are right there and ready to open when you unlock the phone. No need for unnecessary clicks or widgets, which are essentially the "middlemen" of the UI.

And doesn't Android have even MORE bloatware than iOS? And I'm pretty sure you can't get rid of it on Android, either... at least on iOS there's a workaround of sorts -- if you want to use another browser instead of safari, and don't want safari to take up space on your home screen, just turn safari off in the parental settings. Bam! It may still be on your phone, but at least the icon's gone.

What I don't like about Android is how it locks you in too. Yes, you read that right. I mean, at least the stock browser/mail apps on iOS support search engines/email servers other than Google's.

 

[brylliant]

Apple likes to keep their products closed and looking consistent. They like to give consumers what they need instead of what they want. Its good in a way, because it keeps features for future generations of their software and hardware.

 

[phillytim]

I'm a computer geek for work, and should naturally have gravitated into Android being a power-hungry user--but I went iPhone 3 years ago and have yet to be enticed to move over to the Android platform, regardless of how close to Apple's superior hardware/software platform Google comes to putting out hardware & attempts to eliminate fragmentation with reasonable Android version upgrades to it.

I don't get why a phone needs all these crazy screen-jumbled, battery-hungry widgets & live-wallpapers. I don't get why a mobile device OS needs to be infinitely tweakable, which usually always means widespread trouble in the hands of blindly-dabbling mainstream/non-techy users.

Android just seems like a platform that is susceptible to far more trouble & needless over-usage than it's worth, due to its customization. Android is BY FAR the exception to the norm a/f/a customization. iOS, Blackberry, Windows Phone, etc. all provide a focused experience. In fact, ANDROID is the only phone that pretty much REQUIRES you to run ANTIVIRUS on the phone itself!!!!! Good Lord!

iOS is a mature platform, time-tested and developed with efficiency, which is what you want your mission-critical phone OS to be--'it just works' without a bunch of needed tweaks and cludges. And there's NOTHING wrong with that. Everyone bitches about bloat--do you really want iOS bloated into a slow-moving monster for essentially a bunch of bells and whistles full of security holes?

If you're getting bored with your operating system, then you're probably spending way much too time belaboring it in the first place!!!!!!! It should just work, and the APPS are where you really should spend your time anyways!

 

[daneoni]

Because not everyone wants yet another Android clone. If you want "customisation like on Android"...just get an Android!

Not rocket science is it.

 

[baller1308]

More customization leads to more variables where things can go wrong or not work properly. At least that's how I think of it.

 

[urkel]

People always claim they don't need to customize their experience because everything is "perfect" as it is. But every time iOS updates and offers some sort of customizabilty then people are all over it. Icon arranging, Lock screen wallpaper, toggling settings of certain buttons, Homescreen Wallpaper, Folders, enabling gestures, accessibility options, displaying extra info for battery life, notification choices are all forms of customizing that people embrace but if someone dares to mention customizations that Apple has yet to offer then they act as if it's blasphemy and throw the lame "well buy an android phone" nonsense.

Customization doesn't mean we'll all have a jumbled MySpace mess of an OS. It only means our phones will allow more control of what we find important as individuals. That isn't a bad thing for people who feel they might possibly know themselves better than Apple does.

 

[tech4all]

I remember when I used to use Windows XP I would spend afternoon changing msstyle skins and wallpapers and different customization tools -- some times customization gets in the way of doing work

I call that bad time management.

iOS is really about the apps, and not letting the UI get in the way...

UI doesn't get in the way in Android, but I am able to customize things the way I want. Which is a plus IMO.

Why anyone would want live wallpapers on their phone is beyond me...

Personal preference is all it is.

Cause then people's phone will start to look like MySpace pages. Remember how ugly that was? No thanks. Keep it clean and simple.

My phone looks nothing MySpace. Clean and organized to my likings.

People always claim they don't need to customize their experience because everything is "perfect" as it is. But every time iOS updates and offers some sort of customizabilty then people are all over it. Icon arranging, Lock screen wallpaper, toggling settings of certain buttons, Homescreen Wallpaper, Folders, enabling gestures, accessibility options, displaying extra info for battery life, notification choices are all forms of customizing that people embrace but if someone dares to mention customizations that Apple has yet to offer then they act as if it's blasphemy and throw the lame "well buy an android phone" nonsense.

Customization doesn't mean we'll all have a jumbled MySpace mess of an OS. It only means our phones will allow more control of what we find important as individuals. That isn't a bad thing for people who feel they might possibly know themselves better than Apple does.

This!

 

[Abazigal]

People always claim they don't need to customize their experience because everything is "perfect" as it is. But every time iOS updates and offers some sort of customizabilty then people are all over it. Icon arranging, Lock screen wallpaper, toggling settings of certain buttons, Homescreen Wallpaper, Folders, enabling gestures, accessibility options, displaying extra info for battery life, notification choices are all forms of customizing that people embrace but if someone dares to mention customizations that Apple has yet to offer then they act as if it's blasphemy and throw the lame "well buy an android phone" nonsense.

I think it is because many people won't really bother to customise their phones beyond toggling basic settings on/off, so it is a waste to give consumers to many options, as that increases the likelihood of something going wrong.

Likewise, things like widgets and weather notifications in 10 different countries are neat little statistics, but really, how practical are those? I don't mind having them on my iphone, but I don't really care enough that I will abandon my iphone if Apple opts not to include them. If I want to know the weather, I will look out the window.

Nor do I have hundreds different apps on my phone that need to be sorted out by folder/sub-folder. I went crazy on the 1st week of getting my 4s, downloading just about every free app on the app store, but later realised it was dumb getting all these crap that never gets used, so I have streamlined my app selection to just under 2 full pages on my iphone screen.

Wallpaper...I have been staring at the same sky desktop on my xp desktop for over 10 years, prior to getting my imac (which still defaults to the swirly space image). That tells you how much I care about this.

When Apple releases new options for customizability, they are usually built or integrated directly into the OS or app. This results in a very low learning curve and often little no extra effort to use on part of the consumer. So I don't have to spend additional time tinkering with my phone and find out what options are open to me, they are just there. That's just the way I like it.

 

[stiligFox]

I call that bad time management.

You call it bad time management, I call it... ok fine, have it your way.

 

[CrAkD]

I don't need much customization but id be ok with live icons, live wallpaper and widgets.

 

[rorschach]

Personally I think the OS should be as minimal as possible, get out of the way, and not try to do everything and be everything.

The reason iOS is not customizable in the ways you mention is that Apple wants consistency. They want people to be able to pick up any iOS device - be it an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad - and instantly know how to use it. If you know how to use one, you know how to use them all.

This isn't limited to iOS, either. The iLife apps, Finder, iTunes, Mail, iCal, and some of the other core OS X apps all look and feel very similar in many ways. They're all organized and work similarly such that, again, if you know how to use one you can very easily use any of the others. Lion and Mountain Lion are bringing even more consistency. Mountain Lion, of course, has Contacts, Calendar, Messages, Notes, and Reminders apps that are nearly identical to their iOS counterparts. Launchpad is nearly identical to the home screen of iOS. Gestures on iOS devices are being brought over to Macs.

Apple's philosophy behind their product design is consistency. Google's is more focused on customizability. They have different goals and that's why lots of competition is good. You decide which is more important to you and you can have the choice.

 

[Rogifan]

My guess is most people don't care about customization. For me I could care less about the OS, it's all about the apps. And I think iOS apps are better than Android or Windows apps.

 

[Rogifan]

People always claim they don't need to customize their experience because everything is "perfect" as it is. But every time iOS updates and offers some sort of customizabilty then people are all over it. Icon arranging, Lock screen wallpaper, toggling settings of certain buttons, Homescreen Wallpaper, Folders, enabling gestures, accessibility options, displaying extra info for battery life, notification choices are all forms of customizing that people embrace but if someone dares to mention customizations that Apple has yet to offer then they act as if it's blasphemy and throw the lame "well buy an android phone" nonsense.

Customization doesn't mean we'll all have a jumbled MySpace mess of an OS. It only means our phones will allow more control of what we find important as individuals. That isn't a bad thing for people who feel they might possibly know themselves better than Apple does.

Apple's obviosuly going for keep it simple stupid. My guess is the majority of iPhone/iPad users don't spend a lot of time trying to customize the OS and those who really have a need to do so go Android.

 

[ajvizzgamer101]

Does anybody know why Apple doesn't make iOS more customizable like Android? For example, why doesn't iOS have widgets, live wallpaper, multiple keyboards, etc? Is it because these things shorten battery life?

Those things most definitely shorten battery life. Apple wants to control the experience.

 

[throys]

Apart from nokia phones where I would say over 35yrs old and above where these users just want a simple phone and not bothering about customising and getting confused with menus etc, the iphone I would say come second place.
Most people I know in that age group including work mates and family use to use nokia or samsung/ sony simple/symbian phones and now most have migrated to iphone and some to android.
The ones who went to android are the ones who just use their phones for calls as they didnt know where to start on how to customise or even due to certain things because of bloatware and hidden menus.
I think the iPhone and iPad are successful because you are not just having a adult or teenage using it but in my house all of us from my two young daughters and wife n myself have an iphone an ipad. This goes to alot of people I know and the number one reasons is apps invested in the apple ecosystem and ease of use.

I'm not a hater of android, I use it with HTC desire and I didnt like the menus and bloatware and apps were always breaking so I gave up and went to apple

 

[naveah]

The one thing we're missing in this debate is that there is another option beyond simply buying an Android phone: Jailbreaking. It is easy and it is legal. To be sure, Apple will refuse to service the phone—and that is assuredly their prerogative. Nevertheless, it’s always easy to revert to a native iOS environment if something goes wrong.

I personally would not want customization beyond what Apple offers, for Apple has tested (and then tested some more) their phones and they feel confident that the speed and usability of their devices will not be adversely influenced with a particular “customization”; that is more than what can be said about jailbroken or highly customizable phones. What ends up happening is that everyone thinks they are advanced, expert users (they are undoubtedly not) and when something goes wrong they have no idea what caused the issue or how to fix it—they subsequently blame Apple or somebody else for their woes. Take, for instance, those users who download beta versions of iOS and give apps negative reviews when they crash.

My answer to this is: if you like Apple’s hardware but want software adaptability, jailbreak your device. But then you know that if something goes wrong, it’s likely caused by something you (as opposed to Apple) did and you will be responsible for fixing it. If you don’t like Apple hardware, buy your device from other makers.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Apple wants consistency with all their devices. Customization would take that away. Plus, why have themed icons when there will always be tons of apps that aren't included in that theme?

Things like multiple keyboards just create troubleshooting issues and more things for apple to support/develop.

Yup. If anything, Apple would release a tool like the jailbreak app "Aicon" that just adds the same effect to EVERY icon. B&W, Contrast, Vibrant, Glass, etc.

 

[rorschach]

I'd like to see Apple offer "Gatekeeper" for iOS like they are with Mountain Lion.

Give us the option to allow only App Store apps, signed non-App Store apps or any app. Pop up a warning when changing the setting that says something like "Allowing apps from unknown sources may be less secure. Are you sure?" Easy.

 

[pear21]

Apple wants everyone to look at something and know it is apple by the way it looks and runs which is why the iPhone, the iPad and even the MacBooks of look so similar. Everyone knows it is an apple. They also want you to buy everything from them so thence can make billions. Android you can download music games and movies for free whereas apple wants you to buy or rent a movie for $10.

 

[acosmichippo]

I think the primary reason is branding. The iPhone is iconic, and the springboard UI, with the brightly-colored app icons, is a big part of that. On the original iPhone, there were no 3rd party apps, there was no springboard rearrangement, there was no springboard wallpaper - ALL (non-jailbroken) iPhones looked exactly the same. In addition to keeping things as simple as possible, I really think the idea was to to make the iPhone (UI and all) an icon, just like the iPod was before it. They've loosened up a bit since then, by necessity due to the explosion of the app store, but in general I think this idea is still persistent.

Secondarily, there are performance concerns like Battery life and lag that are always side-effects of customizations, live-wallpapers, and widgets.

 

[Rogifan]

Apple wants everyone to look at something and know it is apple by the way it looks and runs which is why the iPhone, the iPad and even the MacBooks of look so similar. Everyone knows it is an apple. They also want you to buy everything from them so thence can make billions. Android you can download music games and movies for free whereas apple wants you to buy or rent a movie for $10.

Nothing is free, even if you're not the one paying for it. And just curious which movies in iTunes cost $10 to rent? I rent movies off iTunes and not once have I paid $10 for the rental. The most I've ever paid for a rental is $6.99. Most of the time it's $4.99 which is the same price DirectTV charges me.

----------

I think the primary reason is branding. The iPhone is iconic, and the springboard UI, with the brightly-colored app icons, is a big part of that. On the original iPhone, there were no 3rd party apps, there was no springboard rearrangement, there was no springboard wallpaper - ALL (non-jailbroken) iPhones looked exactly the same. In addition to keeping things as simple as possible, I really think the idea was to to make the iPhone (UI and all) an icon, just like the iPod was before it. They've loosened up a bit since then, by necessity due to the explosion of the app store, but in general I think this idea is still persistent.

Secondarily, there are performance concerns like Battery life and lag that are always side-effects of customizations, live-wallpapers, and widgets.

I wouldn't mind a weather or stock widget (I use the ITWC Fahrenheit app which is about as close to a widget as you'll get on iOS) but I can see live wallpaper being a complete battery drain. Who needs that?!?

 

[Nioxic]

i honestly like the simplicity

its the same on their OS X. its not as customizable as windows is... no way near as much.

i guess they don't see a reason to offer it.. if there was a HUUUUGE demand for it, i guess they would consider it. but the amount of people i know with a windows PC, or an android phone.. they don't customize anything but the wallpaper and the sounds anyway (and color themes on windows phone act)

the vast majority don't bother

 

[pear21]

----------

[/COLOR]

Nothing is free, even if you're not the one paying for it. And just curious which movies in iTunes cost $10 to rent? I rent movies off iTunes and not once have I paid $10 for the rental. The most I've ever paid for a rental is $6.99. Most of the time it's $4.99 which is the same price DirectTV charges me.

----------


I wouldn't mind a weather or stock widget (I use the ITWC Fahrenheit app which is about as close to a widget as you'll get on iOS) but I can see live wallpaper being a complete battery drain. Who needs that?!?

I know rentals aren't $10 but I know to buy movies it can be up to $20. I would much rather go on amazon and buy the bluray version which will most likely come with an ultraviolet copy plus bonus features. Not putting a DVD drive in the new macbook is further proof that Apple wants you to buy everything from them. What about all of the CD's people have bought over the years or movies that people want to watch on their computer. Oh just go out and buy an external Apple DVD drive...another way for Apple to make money on standard items.

 

[JetBlack7]

If they offered more customisation, Apple would cease to have its unique style and we would have almost the same as Android.

 

[phillytim]

Any USB connected DVD/CD (and Blu-Ray?) drive should do. Very economical at $50 or so, if even that! No requirement to buy an Apple-branded drive!

----------

[/COLOR]
I know rentals aren't $10 but I know to buy movies it can be up to $20. I would much rather go on amazon and buy the bluray version which will most likely come with an ultraviolet copy plus bonus features. Not putting a DVD drive in the new macbook is further proof that Apple wants you to buy everything from them. What about all of the CD's people have bought over the years or movies that people want to watch on their computer. Oh just go out and buy an external Apple DVD drive...another way for Apple to make money on standard items.