Help Build the ultimate iPhone feature request list
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
We’ve had the pleasure of using the iPhone for a couple days now, and while we certainly view it as a technological marvel, there is always room for improvement.
Since Apple itself has said there will be future software updates to add new functionality to the iPhone, we thought we would compile a list of things we’d personally like to see in the iPhone, and we’d like your help.
We invite you to add your ideas in the comments below, and we’ll add the ones we think are the best to the master list. (And if anything we bring up here actually is already possible in the iPhone, please let us know. We don’t claim to be iPhone experts yet). We’re not really looking for things like “add more storage” or “add a faster network”. We’re more looking for things that can be added via software/firmware to improve the way the current iPhone functions.
The list will be updated periodically as we continue to test the iPhone.
-The Doc
Add Copy and Paste – this should be a no-brainer. The question is of course, how would it work given the touchscreen interface? I think the iPhone needed one extra multi-function “physical” button somewhere on the exterior which could be programmed to handle different functions based on the app. This would be one scenario where I could see that button handling a selection/copy text motion when held down and the cursor was dragged across. But there could be other methods of doing this using the existing interface.
Display should have an auto-dim/off function to conserve battery life (I am aware of the auto-lock feature, and this is not what I mean). Since battery life is a concern with an all-in-one device, I don’t see why there is not a setting to control the screen brightness during inactivity. For example, if you navigate to the iPhone’s main menu, and then put the iPhone on the desk and walk away, an hour later the main menu screen will still be shinning brightly (perhaps even damaging the screen!). If you leave it charging over night with that screen showing, it will have been on all night. Similarly, if you are playing tracks in iTunes, the screen will not dim either (I paused a music track over 25 minutes ago, and the screen has been using full power the entire time). A “regular” iPod’s screen will dim after a certain amount of time. Laptops have a similar function. On the iPhone, the only way to set this is to set up the auto-lock to go on, which is not always ideal. I would like to see the screen dim or go black after a user-defined time period, and be able to be woken by a touch, not a physical button press. [UPDATE: I noticed if you have the iPhone plugged into a wall outlet charging, and have your auto-lock turned ON, the phone will not lock, and will instead dim the display after the set time (depending on what you are doing, this is not consistent throughout the iPhone. The iPhone display dims when on the main screen, or while playing a song with the “iPod” screen up, but if you pause a song while charging, it will lock, not dim).
Not sure if this is intentional, but it is an example of what I want the iPhone to do when inactive and auto-lock is NOT turned on.
Drag URL onto “new page” icon to open a link in a new page – If you press and hold on a link in Safari, the link’s the url appears. Since there is no “right click” to open the link in a new tab (page), I think it would be cool if you could drag that “pop-up” link onto the New Page icon to open it in a new page.
Safari Password Storing – I understand mobile phones are particularly susceptible to theft and the iPhone perhaps even more so due to it’s “hot gadget” status, but I would love for Safari to be able to remember website passwords. The way see this working would be a “Keychain” type of functionality where one password could unlock them all. Have it timeout periodically for security (optional 5, 10, 30 min settings). Even entering the same password every half hour would be preferable to having to remember 30 others. Macenstein reader Kendall adds “I want Keychain on the iPhone as well, but also some kind of interface for reviewing and adding to the contents of Keychain – I’d like to be able to add other account codes there as well to be held securely.”
Widescreen keyboard should be an option for EVERY app that handles text, not just Safari. It’s just easier to type on a larger keyboard.
EVERY app should rotate when the iPod rotates. Mail and Notes especially, but maps would be cool too.
Add a master “Address Book/ Contacts” button to the main interface
Add an iTunes/Music controller to the top menu bar The top of the menu bar displays a little “play” icon when iTunes is playing music. When in any other app, you should be able to tap that triangle once to pause, and again to play. It is annoying to have to tap the “main menu” button, then “iPod”, then “pause” if you need to quickly and briefly pause the music.
Flash and Java Support Obviously this will be tricky, but it will go a long way toward allowing developers to code more “app-like” applications for the iPhone, and should open up games to the iPhone as well. The problems are of course these will likely be crippled in some way by Apple/AT&T to discourage VoIP apps from being written. Rumors are Flash support will be added sooner than later, so perhaps we’ll get an idea of Java’s future when we see how Flash is handled.
Add “Disk Mode” like standard iPods I can’t tell you how many times I use my iPod to move files to and from work. Let’s get this going on the iPhone. After all, it is meant to help limit the number of devices we carry around. I don’t want to keep my old iPod or a thumb drive handy.
Ability to assign more than one signature in Mail It took Apple a long time to being this feature to the “regular” version of OS X’s Mail, but now that it’s there, why didn’t they carry it over to the Mail settings? The “signature” option should be located under each mail account’s prefs, allowing you to assign a different signature to each sending address
I should be able to decline a call when the iPhone is “locked” If you manually lock your iPhone (or it auto locks after a set time) and you receive a call, you are presented only with the option of “Slide to unlock and answer phone”. I cannot decline the call and stop it from ringing without answering it. This is potentially embarrassing in a meeting situation where you want to silence your phone’s ringing without taking the call (I know there is a silent mode switch, but that is not the same. I want to be able to send people right into voicemail, instead of having everyone listen to my phone vibrate until they are sent to voicemail). Unlocking a ringing iPhone should NOT auto answer it (unless you set it in a preference). It should merely unlock it and then give you the answer/decline button it normally shows if it. again, this is just another option that you should be able to set in a $600 cutting edge phone. [UPDATE: Apparently you can decline a call by pushing the wake/sleep button twice. I still think it should work with the touch button, but at least it is possible]
Add “Games” Fairies, would be an awesome one for the touchscreen.
Add “Rules” to iPhone’s Mail This would go along with adding folders, most likely, but it would be useful in deleting junk mail (unless Apple decides to let the iPhone respect Junk Mail headers (see below)).
User defined custom ringtones I KNOW this must be a feature Apple will eventually add; they must have just not had time for everything. But NO phone calling itself a “music phone” limits this feature. One of us here at Macenstein has already said this is the sole reason he is holding out on buying an iPhone. I understand that perhaps Apple wants to start selling ringtones via iTunes, but let’s not get greedy Apple. There’s room for both.
Let us browse the device via Bluetooth I’d like to be able to get the photos I took with the iPhone onto my computer without having to e-mail them back and forth. Similarly, I’d like to be able to perhaps pull off notes. [UPDATE: A few people have pointed out iPhoto will try to import your iPhone pics when attached to your computer. I have 2 problems with using iPhoto as the conduit for photos. 1) I want to also be able to drag photos ON to the iPhone without adding them to my iPhoto library. For instance, many site have started making iPhone sized wallpapers of various subjects. I don’t want a picture of Mr. Sparkle from the Simpsons or some Suicide girls in my iPhone library, but i MIGHT want them on my iPhone as wallpaper. 2) Anyone know what Windows users do?
Time stamping on SMS messages. There is none. What’s up with that?
Add a “period” key to the main keyboard.
Directory access, or at very least, access to the photos folder So you can upload iPhone photos to websites that support that like flickr.
A “multiple delete” key for e-mail Right now you have to delete each message individually. (Maybe add a “checkbox” system, like many webmail clients use to perform bulk actions).
Ability to remove Application icons from the main menu screen I’m sure as Apple adds apps this will become possible. It bothers me that a slot is taken up by the “Clock” app right now. While it is somewhat convenient to know what time it is in Tokyo at the moment, my current time is right at the top of the iPhone. The Clock seems like it was turned into an application just for the sake of filling a hole.
Add audio output option to alarms and ringer Similar the iPod’s options for the clickwheel sound to be heard in the “headphone”, “speaker”, or “both”, I think ringtones and alarm reminders should have these options. Putting the phone in “silent mode” will not make the alarm silent, or play only via headphones. There are times when I use the timer to time something, like when a DVD or set of video dubs is scheduled to finish. I’d like to have the option of me being the only one who hears my alarm go off.
Let us use an iTunes song/playlist for our alarm. – While we’re on the topic of the alarm, Macenstein reader Ryan says “I know I’m probably one of the 7 people who use their iPhone as an alarm clock, but the oversight of actually selecting from the music library is beyond me. I don’t want to wake up to a ringtone, i want to select from the 1,000 songs i put on the iPod. Come on, Apple, that’s easy. Step it up.”
Add Cover Flow view for contacts. – Macenstein reader Daniel
Video Out like 5G iPod – Macenstein reader Tracy
Ability to send text messages to multiple recipients – Macenstein reader David
Ability to open a link in a new page Maybe a two finger tap?- Macenstein reader Michael McLean
iChat Built in chat functions like AIM or MSN – Macenstein reader Kris Snow
A way to email the full 2 Megapixel pictures taken from the camera At current it only emails a 640X480 picture. – Macenstein reader SeanG (We agree. We only noticed this behavior ourselves this afternoon. Disappointing).
Customizable Dictionary – Macenstein reader Doug Hardman
Safari bookmarks syncing should work like music/video playlist syncing. I don’t need my iPhone to have every bookmark that my desktop Safari has – there should be an ‘iPhone folder’ or an option to mark certain bookmarks with a ’sync to iPhone’ flag. – Macenstein reader El Payo
Pseudo GPS since there is not GPS chipset inside the iPhone, have google maps jump to the cell tower that you are currently logged on to – Macenstein reader john95127
Mail client should respect the mail server’s junk mail headings and not download junkmail (We personally think this is a great idea!) Macenstein reader JTK
Ability to use the iPhone as a wireless modem Wireless modem for my laptop via Bluetooth, via serial (to save power), Wireless modem for my laptop via WiFi. (mini WAP). – Macenstein reader BusinessGuy
MMS Seems a next gen phone should support this current-gen feature. – Macenstein reader Ferna
A true RSS reader RSS almost makes more sense on an iPhone than a computer. – Macenstein reader Michael McLean
Get Groups working in iPhone’s Mail Groups within address book do not retain their functionality in Mail. In Mail on OS X, inputting a Group Name into the To: field will automatically add all the email addresses you have stored in that group. Mail on the iPhone does not seem to support this feature. – Macenstein reader ScooterD
Video recording We’re not sure if this is possible or not via software/firmware, but we’re listing it anyway. Again, this is just one of those things found in clunkier, cheaper phones that an iPhone should be allowed to do. – Macenstein reader Florian Vanthuyne
Video uploading to YouTube and while we’re at it. let’s make it possible to upload those iPhone-shot videos to YouTube – Dr. Macenstein
Private photo gallery in Photos app I’d like a password protected album in the photo app. That’s the place where friends seem to go first to check out pictures and I’d love to have pictures that are my own private jokes and memories that are protected from being pawned through by others asking questions: ex-girlfriends/parents that kind of thing. People who are into mobile porn would probably like this too. – Macenstein reader Patrick
Support for Bluetooth GPS devices with Maps integration Bluetooth GPS devices are relatively inexpensive, have decent battery life, and wouldn’t have to add any bulk to the phone itself, since they’re external. – Macenstein reader ClunkClunk
Call duration We should know how long a call lasted. At the moment there is no way to see how long was a call. – Macenstein reader Jptolife
We actually can see this being useful to those who require time billing, like lawyers and such who charge for phone calls.
Support for AirTunes Since this is the first iPod with WiFi, I think support for AirTunes would be a welcome addition. Currently, you can only stream iTunes music to AirPort Express speakers from a computer. AirTunes directly from an iPod would eliminate need to use a computer for this. Just sit on the sofa with your iPhone, stream music to your speakers over WiFi. – Macenstein reader bky (We’re not sure if this is possible with the iPhone’s current hardware, but it is a cool idea).
Voice Dialing Hard to understand why on earth they left this out, but I would have waited to buy had I known it did not have it. I make alot of calls from my car (via bluetooth headset), and voice dialing is essential. – Macenstein reader Erik Olsen
How about a To Do list tool that syncs with iCal/Outlook? – Macenstein reader Laszlo
E-book reader (eReader) – Macenstein reader Chris
Ability to turn pictures off when browsing on safari with edge for faster load times. – Macenstein reader chris miles
Rearrange & Reorder I Googled for an hour trying to find out how to reorder my email accounts, stock lists & photo albums NADA, lemme drag & drop everything, please. – Macenstein reader Brett L
Add a search feature in the contacts bar When somebody like me has 1200 contacts they will get mixed up in different letters. An optional search bar should be included. – Macenstein reader Anonymous
Add a voice recorder I used this function constantly on my old phone. whether it be an idea for a song, or a spoken idea i couldn’t type out while driving, this was indispensable. – Macenstein reader lonelysandwich
Spotlight all over the place Mail, contacts, music, calendars, it should be everywhere. – Macenstein reader Allison
GPS via Dock connection I would like if there was an gps that could use the 30 pin connection at the bottom of the phone so it uses less battery life than blue tooth. – Macenstein reader Chris
Wi-Fi only mode How about letting me turn off the phone but not WiFi. I’ on vacation in a place with no cell coverage, but we do have WiFi here. My battery lasts only a day with the phone searching for a signal it is never going to find. – Macenstein reader John
iTunes Store I’m shocked you can’t buy things directly from iTunes on Apple’s first iPod + internet device, it seems ridiculous. And weird, cause they could make so much money from that. – Macenstein reader Allison
Allow all Application icons to display info Weather and clock icons should update continuously like the Calendar. Also, the calender should have notification buttons on it when you have an event within a specific time frame..for example if i have a meeting today one hour before the meting a “1″ notification button should appear on the calender- Macenstein readers Corey Gomel and Drew Russell
Add “dialed” and “received” to Call Lists Currently, the call lists are for All and missed. How about dialed and received as well? – Macenstein reader Seth Tepfer
Custom Dictionary I would like to add that I wish there was a way to teach the keyboard/dictionary words. I have used the “notes†features extensively to keep track of my day and find myself retyping some of the same words all the time and they are words that my phone doesn’t know yet. – Macenstein reader Kathleen
Turn the volume up to 11 Better volume while on calls and speakerphone. Louder ring tones. – Macenstein readers ballyhoo and Jamie
Mail fodlers Since I only use the POP email feature (currently) I would like the way to make a new folder to put mail into. They have the option to move a message to another folder, but only options are Inbox, OutBox, Sent, Trash. I would like to be able to make a new folder such as *save* so I can move emails (such as an email with my resume) into it so I can have it at all times without always seeing it in my inbox. – Macenstein reader Clint L
Contact Categories i got used to having categories in my Treo. Now I miss it. I want to be able to see filters for restaurants, family, doctors, co-workers. – Macenstein reader Bret L We agree. iTunes should have the option to sync only selected groups from the Mac’s address book. I do not want something like drugstore.com added in my iPhone’s address book just because I had them in My Mac’s “stores” addresses used to perform a rule.
Keep the suggestions comin’ folks!
[UPDATE: WOW. This list is growing fast! Thanks so much for all your comments. If Apple adds even a quarter of these suggestions in the coming months they will have the most revolutionary handheld device to date. And thanks for keeping (most of these) actually feasible! ]
[UPDATE 2: I have sent this link to Apple via their iPhone feedback page.]
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A TO DO LIST!!!! For crying out load its already in the current version of ical. Syncing notes would be great also.
• an option to rotate the phone without the screen re-orientating itself. sometimes i would like to see a photo or file landscape and portrait.
• an option to click and drag on a website without scrolling so i can rate my netflix movies.
• a bank registry program such as quicken.
• the ability to just drag songs and videos right to the iphone and the ability to do it from more than one itunes account.
• mass deletion of emails.
To all those requesting MMS — why beg for yesterday’s protocols? Don’t be embarrassed that you can’t MMS pictures to your friends! Be embarrassed for them, that they don’t have real email!
Wrap your mind around it. This is a better way to do things. It’ll just take a little while for others to catch up. A special protocol just for transmitting pictures is lame.
From my blog
iPhone accessories/features je veux
A couple iPhone accessories I would buy and features I would appreciate
In the car:
Full iPhone auto integration: Installation of this system will allow the iPhone over bluetooth and/or wireless to play music over the car’s sound system, play videos on an auto LCD screen, such as the ones that currently are used to play DVD, and automatically set answered phone calls to speakerphoned when they come through. A cable to charge the iPhone would certainly be a part of this set up
Garage door setup: Use the iPhone’s wireless capabilities to have it control the opening and closing of your garage doors
GSM: Not much more to add here, except maybe external GSM that integrates into Google Maps. I don’t actually think you need GSM, unless you get lost, but it would still be cool. If you’re not lost, its not a HUGE deal to just type in a start address, and let the machine know when you’re turning.
At home:
Airport control: A really cool feature of iTunes is Airport, where there’s a computer in room A that’s wirelessly streaming music to an Airport in room B that’s connected to speakers. However, there is no way of controlling that music without being in room A to have access to the music library. So, you use your iPhone to control music that’s being played over Airport! Have a widget called Airport that lets you choose which computer’s music you’d like, select a song, and the iPhone will stream the music from that computer to the speakers. And if you are visiting a friend’s house with your iPhone, stream music from your iPhone to your buddy’s Airport-connected-speakers.
In Class:
Keyboard: I don’t care how good the keyboard on the iPhone is for typing short emails and SMS messages, I would like to be able to use the iPhone to type notes in class by plugging it in to a keyboard with a dock for the iPhone. Except with a twist. I think the iPhone could be much more useful in landscape mode for typing notes, so the dock connector would plug into the iPhone horizontally instead of vertically.
Other:
Slideshow: While presenting a Keynote or powerpoint presentation, the iPhone display a thumbnail of each of the slides coming up. This would be especially useful if slides have been prepared to answer questions the presenter considers may be asked of him, as he could pick the slide he has prepared that is relevant to his answer.
Word Processor, Spreadsheet: Well Apple isn’t going to get a lot of help from Microsoft for creating a mobile word processor/spreadsheet for the iPhone, but Apple is already on pretty good terms with a company that offers simple word processing and spreadsheet solutions: Google with Google Docs! I say Apple should bring Google Docs to a form that compliments the iPhone similar to the way they brought Google Maps to a form that is very complimentary to the iPhone. I think that level of integration would be phenomenal.
Facebook app for iPhone: Let me do all of my facebook stuff without having to actually go to the website. Im talking about News feeds, who’s written on my wall, maybe even see my friends’ albums in the same way iPhone displays the user’s albums. Also having a photo upload feature specific to the iPhone would be great! And you can’t forget seamless status updates.
Remote Play for iPhone: You know PS3-PSP connectivity? Use the same theory to stream any video from your computer directly to your iPhone without having to sync it. How is this useful you may ask? Well personally I just want to watch the Daily Show in my sunny backyard, and not have to worry about syncing the most recent episode every day.
EDGE with a computer: iPhone plugged into your Mac? (or PC?), no WiFi reception? No worries, if Apple would allow that computer to surf the web with a full screen using the iPhone’s connection
And Finally,
iPhones in Canada: I want one, NOW!!!
Document Reader. I posted about this in my comments on my blog, but in a nutshell – since the iPhone is presumably using a variant of Quick Look from Leopard to read docs from emails, it seems odd to me that there’s no simple means of syncing PDFs, Word docs and Excel docs over to the iPhone. It is a much better device to read on than my old treo, but there’s no easy way to do this.
In theory, you could mail yourself the docs – however, when I’ve tried this with large PDFs (e.g., manuals and such), the iPhone craps out when downloading them, so no luck.
how about a non crippled blue tooth, maybe sync through wifi too, airtunes would be nice but could be asking too much
the ability to send attachments to e-mails when replying instead of having to start an entirely new email.
mms messaging.
ability to turn pictures off when browsing on safari with edge for faster load times.
and how about the ability to record videos?
future wants:
a2dp, 3g, video calls, flash on camera, louder when against ear
Is there any way for you to assign different ringtones to different contacts?
For the life of me I can’t see how to do it, but the first cell phone EVER could do that. PLEASE HELP!! This is crazy!
I use the prepaid plan with my iPhone. I love the prepaid option, HOWEVER after EVERY call/text/vm retrival i get an update on my remaining pre-paid balance. It’s extremely annoying. There needs to be an option to disable this silly feature.
how about using the iphone as a fancy front row remote control
1. Task list / better multi-calendar support for calendar application
2. Integrate IM with the current text conversations, meaning you could start a text conversation with a person, have that person log into a network that you are connected to, and have the conversation transparently continue over the IM network. And vice versa. There would obviously be preferences and visual clues to let you know what’s going on.
I want a iphone so bad… I’ve been dreaming with one but I’m not getting one any time soon i have my reasons to wait. I want it because of the looks and because it is the hottest gadget u can have right now. After i get i know that i will get sick and switch to my old motorola. I know people will be asking me y? First I really love to custumise my phones. I like to change wallpapers get wallpapers online and send to my phone i know you can do that with iphone but i would love to put a wallpaper o at least change the color of the background where the bottons are in the iphone. I like to make very personal. Second ringtones what was apple thinking i don’t really know that many people that haven’t bought a ringtone…. because they get tired of the ones that come on their phone. I think its one of the first things i do when i get a phone. Third bluetooth… apple apple you reminded me of VERIZON… i think you two were made for one another like to keep their products very basic.. You can’t even sync using bluetooth… apple again… even the treo 650 the old one remember let’s u sync via bluetooth. I really would like to sync, use the use as a dial-up networking… i don’t care if is EDGE at least i’ll be getting something worth the money im spending… lets see custumization, ringtones, bluetooth, ah and flash, come on flash. Apple you sell ringtones, let users download free widgets like on the mac, and sell wallpapers, and applications. OH please let games come out too. what is a phone in a doctors office where you can’t listen to music because u are waiting for ur name to be called…. u need games. come on apple step it up. I don’t care about 3g i understand that because of the US not being fully cover by 3g you couldn’t lunch a product that only certain part of the country will be able to get. But get ur stuff together. I know that you can do that in the updates. Step it up or someone will step up before u do. That is some of the reasons to wait for the the new or the update of iphone.
Owners manual for those that did not know about it
# “To all those requesting MMS — why beg for yesterday’s protocols? Don’t be embarrassed that you can’t MMS pictures to your friends! Be embarrassed for them, that they don’t have real email!
Wrap your mind around it. This is a better way to do things. It’ll just take a little while for others to catch up. A special protocol just for transmitting pictures is lame.”
Because not everyone has the ability to EMAIL me pictures. I’d like to be able to see that someone sent me something since I’m still charged for receiving picture messages that never arrive!
No Contract with AT&T and let iPhone to be sold independently
(ok this is my 3rd time trying to post this, my other posts show up fine)
My requests:
-does the iPhone support e-911??
-cut/copy/paste option
-MMS (at LEAST receive, send would be great)
-email attachment handling (add from compose, and save)
-better call history details
-direct access to address book on iPhone
-AIM support
-full bluetooth support (very limited now – think of a BT keyboard awesome)
-on home screen (and other screens) the top row where the clock is would be nice to add counters for SMS/email etc just like when the device is locked there is a small lock icon on the top row.
-louder notifications for things (new email, new SMS etc)
-custom ringtones (phone and events)
-to have all apps rotate not just web and iPod.
-tap the battery icon and see a percentage remaining (can on macbooks).
-probably a far fetch but BlackBerry Connect would be cool
to assign different ringtones to different contacts you need to go to your contacts, then highlight the person you want and then hit edit. in there you will be able to assign ringtones to your contacts.
I can’t live without an ereader for downloading books. I know the iPhone supports pdfs, but I it doesn’t sound like (or at least I can’t find information on whether) you can read Adobe pdf books on an iPhone.
I also would really like to be able to tether to my powerbook.
haven’t gotten mine yet, it was delivered by fedex today and I’m still out of town.
The phone should automatically route calls over wifi when you are within wifi range, saving you cell minutes.
I want full quicktime, full flash, and to be able to receive picture and video messages. Multiple recepient texting, GPS, multiple signatures, and locked contacts with a pin number.
The iPone should remote Front Row on mac and on Apple TV !
waiting for all above from Belgium !
A lot of good suggestions on here. I won’t repeat (knowingly) ones already listed.
1. Camera setting – Go to View Mode
I’m ok with the fact that there’s not even 1 camera setting, but here’s one I would like to see: it’s somewhat unsettling that after you take a photo you’re taken right back into camera mode. Seems that some people want to be able to view the photo they’ve just taken right away, instead of being put right back into camera mode. I could see this being configurable (either length of time you see the shot you just took or whether to go into View Mode after you take a shot)
2. IM client.
I know that this is a shot in the dark since i’m sure at&t likes to see SMS revenue, but you know, IM *is* in fact different than SMS….
3. Keyboard tweaks
– the keys should properly be shown in uppercase or lowercase depending on the context
– common punctuation, like periods, should be handled better (that little trick about holding down the symbol key and sliding your finger to the period might be good enough … not sure)
– been said before and worth repeating: HORIZONTAL KEYBOARD
– offline dictionary editor. would be nice if there was more transparency on the dictionary so i could see/edit some of the custom words (custom words only)
4. Bluetooth modem (ok was probably said before)
5. Customizable home screen (ok, was said before)
– list recent appointments
– swap out icons on the buttom
6. True Exchange functionality (not just IMAP)
MAJOR ISSUE:
* When using EDGE to browse the web, all incoming calls will go straight to voicemail. This is a limitation with current implementation of EDGE. The phone should prioritize a phone call over internet browsing and at least pop up a message saying that there is an incoming call. AT&T has to upgrade the network to implement this.
— To test this: 1) turn off Wifi. 2) Open Safari to a long loading webpage 3) dial the phone from another phone
— For more information, (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=323645)
Apple: iPhone is a phone first .. and an iPod/internet device second
Other would like:
* Be able to scroll a webpage using the scroll bar instead of flicking.
* Separate the Recent Calls into Outbound and Inbound calls
802.11x AKA WPA-Enterprise support
* tdang
Thanks so much! It’s funny, you don’t even see a ringtone category until you hit EDIT. Most phones list everything you can edit when you look at the contact. Not that Apple should do this, I’m probably an idiot, but still, why not just show the ringtone at the bottom of the contact’s entry?
Here it is.
1. An ICON on every window that opens up a list of apps (i.e. START) so you can multi-task or get from here to there w/o going ‘HOME’.
2. COPY, CUT & PASTE from anywhere to anywhere (preferably in a screen shortcut like swiping across the screen & performing a gesture like swipe c, swipe v, swipe z)
3. SOME KINDA FOLDER SYSTEM! I need to be able to download my attachments and shove them somewhere.
4. TASK MANAGER with alerts, not just a calendar & a notepad.
5. SEARCH feature to search for ANYTHING on my iP, a name, a number, a document, a file, a picture. (PALM had this right)
6. Let me download a picture and shove it in my photos, not just gawk at it.
7. VCARDS (.vcf) I want to be able to email myself or pick-up a vcard and have it go into my contacts with out passing go & collecting $200.00
8. ROTATING is wicked cool, let everything do it!
9. REARRANGE & REORDER i Googled for an hour trying to find out how to reorder my email accounts, stock lists & photo albums NADA, lemme drag & drop everything, please.
Those are the Must Haves – I’ll get back with a ‘should have’ list
I think they should add a search feature in the contacts bar. When somebody like me has 1200 contacts they will get mixed up in different letters. an optional search bar should be included.
If we’re wishin’:
GPS
VOIP
E-Reader
AM/FM Radio
Voice Recorder
Voice activated dialing
40 Gig Hard drive
Stream live TV
Video Out like 5G iPod
Voice recognition software
Mini laser projector for display
Projector for virtual keyboard
Audio Translator
Ability to measure distance by shooting a laser beam at a wall or ceiling
Scanner that would interpret printed text into electronic text
Waterproof
Use Kodak’s new technology that doesn’t require a flash for the camera
10X optical zoom
3+ megapixels
Documents to Go
1. Open SDK (if this is done, many of the items below don’t have to be done by Apple)
2. Scripting language (would like both, but could potentially cover for 1)
3. Bluetooth GPS and bluetooth HDD (WIFI HDD would be acceptable)
4. Copy and Paste
5. IM chat program (if you have this, MMS seems pretty pointless)
6. Integration with Keynote (would be nice if you’re giving a presentation that you could navigate the presentation on the phone, and then hit ‘Change’, and have the correct slide shown)
7. A terminal (yes, most people don’t care to ssh from their iPhone, but for some of us, it would actually be a very useful feature).
8. No duration of call appears after making a phone call
9. Purchase of music from iPhone
10. Games! I can imagine a lucas arts styled game would work well (they were mostly point and click, so I imagine additionally being able to zoom on items would add a cool new dynamic to the game)
Instant messaging.
Terminal Terminal Terminal – I could work on the server from anywhere.
Oh yeah and all the things you said too.
Ability to save photos from Safari or set your wallpaper stright from Safari!
1) Put it on a real phone network. AT&T is a joke.
2) Add 3G. The fact this isn’t on there already is a disgrace. EDGE is worthless.
3) Keyboard in landscape mode
4) Higher storage capacity. 8Gb for $600 is a rip-off.
5) Lower price. The 8Gb should be no more than $250 with a 2 year contract.
6) Push email. For business, even my year-old Q makes this thing look like a toy.
7) Add video to the camera. You know, like pretty much every single cell phone has by now.
8) Add Copy/Paste ability
9) Tethering (wired or wireless through BT)
10) User removable battery
For a first try, the current version isn’t bad. The OS is amazing, but as a whole I find it to be unacceptable for the price. I have a Moto Q with a 2Gb MiniSD card and Opera. It does everything the iPhone does plus it has 3G and push email and cost $100 with a 2-year Verizon contract.
here, i posted my comprehensive list of gripes:
http://lonelysandwich.tumblr.com/post/4878402
here’s the text in full:
iPhone v1.0 GRIPELIST
after i had opened it, synched it and spent about a minute with it, i made a pronouncement: “this is the best piece of technology i have ever owned,” and then i braced myself for laughter from my girlfriend and my buddy who’d spent the previous night in line with me. but they know i’m given to such pronouncements, so they for the most part ignored it. and my love for the iPhone grows deeper with each swipe and tap. but by its second day in my hand, i had begun to compile a little list of its pecadilloes, using the Notes app (which, itself, makes an appearance on my list). this is NOT a list of missing features (eg, GPS, video capture, flash, etc) which have already appeared on everyone else’s list. i have respect for the 1.0 nature of this thing, and that features must be rolled out in controlled doses, for the health of the product’s lifecycle and the acclimation of the user base at large. having preambled, here are some of my gripes:
1) let’s start with the Notes app, because here is where the list began: i can forgive the notepad metaphor. it’s kind of cute and it looks sort of neat when the pages are turned. however — i don’t need to see my thoughts represented by a ridiculous approximation of humanized handwriting – Marker Felt Thin, like someone else out there said, might as well be Comic Sans. i feel like the iPhone, in transcribing my ideas into magic marker, is belittling my mental acuity. i can at least think in Arial bold, if anything.
1a) no synching of Notes. sure i can email them. but that takes them out of their context, and i don’t like that.
2) this one’s out there already, but the ringtones? wow, awful. again, as a firm believer in ‘everything for a reason,’ i can only assume that Apple hopes, by offering us such lame defaults, to force us into the market for their deluxe iTunes-based offerings. if any ONE of the default ringtones were “good enough,” adoption of the ringtone-for-purchase model would be cut in half.
3) the predictive text is pretty damn good. still, i am used to being offered MULTIPLE options for T9’s predictions, not just what the dictionary presumes is the BEST option. it would be nice to be able to cycle to the next pop-up hinted word in the list instead of having the option of only accepting or ignoring the one suggested.
4) this one is quick – i want, compulsively, to play with my iPhone. and this makes me obnoxious to others, especially others without iPhones. therefore, the iPhone makes me obnoxious (yeah, the iPhone and other things).
5) no Preferences within applications. this model doesn’t really make sense to me – all Prefs are accessed through the one Settings area. does this mean that for any new app that’s introduced to the phone, the Settings will have to be expanded to include that app’s Prefs? seems kind of cumbersome for maintenance.
6) no voice recorder. i used this function constantly on my old phone. whether it be an idea for a song, or a spoken idea i couldn’t type out while driving, this was indispensible. Apple has always seemed media creation-centric, not just consumption-centric. and by excluding voice and video recording, they are positioning the iPhone as a media consumption device. which is fine, but maybe uncharacteristic. but not really, since it is a damn iPod.
7) taking a photo with the camera and adding it to a contact is really fluid – it is one of the processes i like to show off to people, but the one step that could use a little help is the crop/scaling. the iPhone tells me only that this is what my photo will look like when someone calls, but then it crops differently for the thumbnail. so when i take pictures and add them as contact photos, i usually just end up guessing where the person’s head would be cropped off and i reposition the image down accordingly. no markers to guide, which is strange.
8) the metaphors are mixed with the placement of Mail in the bottom of the Home screen, and SMS in the top. i know where to find them now, but it is counter-intuitive why they are separated. (or why Safari, iPod, and Phone are singled out as well.)
9) the lack of Copy/Paste functionality is criminal. now, it’s probably that Apple feared the users would become overloaded with gestures to learn, but (as has been suggested in other forums) the magnifying glass would aid in this function. i think that the slickest technique for Copy/Paste would be the following:
– tap and hold to place the magnifying glass cursor at the first desired character, then tap with a second finger, anywhere on the screen (or the thumb if the first finger is at an edge that wouldn’t permit the middle finger — this would trigger “selection mode”
– lift up and tap and hold to place the magnifying glass cursor at the second point (either before or after the first, just as in desktop-based selection) and trigger the end of “selection mode” with another second-finger tap
– this would trigger a pop-up menu of two options: Copy or Clear
– navigate the cursor to another insertion point, use the second finger to tap and hold, which triggers a pop-up of the last few selections copied to the clipboard
– select on item from the clipboard by tapping it and this will Paste the selection into place
10) EXTREME NITPICK HERE: the Home button is an elegant utility, but i wish it didn’t feel so chinsy and clicky – for an elegant and simple button, it sure has a huge audible and tactile footprint.
11) i LOVE the feature that allows you in the Contacts list to drag the scroll bar (as it were) to the desired spot in the alphabet, much like in any desktop-based browser or finder window. Apple should implement this in all windows of the iPhone, rather than making me endlessly swipe swipe swipe in the direction i want to scroll. i can see why they left this out initially – the reverse of directionality is confusing, which is why plug-ins like SmartScroll allow you to reverse the direction of your swipes to match the use of the scroll bar
12) the shutter graphic on the camera. boo. useless (as is the shutter sound effect, Pissing People Off Since 2002!!!).
13) regarding earbuds and phone calls: i claimed (to my enthralled self) a couple of years ago that one of the biggest hidden revolutions of the inevitable iPhone would be in its taking the typically mono telephone conversation to binaural (that is, in both ears, by the same medium as our music – earbuds). therefore, a more immersive experience, preparing us for the day that our telephonic conversations are crystal clear (an eventuality for which we need to be prepared). so this has definitely come to fruition in the iPhone. but the fact that unless my iPhone is in Silent mode, if i get a call, the ringer sounds both in my earbuds and in the speaker – it doesn’t really bother me, it’s just something to watch out for. it’s actually a feature. now i like it.
14) i quickly found myself propagating the Favorite contacts list. then i found myself over-propagating it. and a long shortlist is no shortlist at all – it’s just a confusion of little black letters on a white background. it would be Awesome if my Favorite contacts had their thumbnail images next to them. i already know that my girlfriend’s picture is predominantly green, because she was sitting on the grass with our dog when i took it.
15) when i delete a Note, i get a shrinking/minimize special effect to take it to the trashcan. when i delete an email, same thing. how about some consistency and use the effect in the Safari tabs when i use the little red X to close a tab?
16) as far as i know, there is no way to mass delete emails. and spam was put on this planet for this specific reason – the aesthetic satisfaction of mass deleting email. let’s work on that, Apple!
17) most phones with dedicated keyboards put this (annoying) feature to use by allowing entry of text to filter lists (of contacts and such). in my iPhone’s contacts and bookmarks and such, i would love to have a little keyboard icon to pop-up and allow me to enter the first letters of the name or item i’m searching for. that would be great. thanks.
i’m sure there are more to come, but this is a substantial list. you may agree with some, you may agree with none, you may agree with all. welcome to Costco, i love you.
Great ideas so far. Another one: The weather icon should be dynamic. In other words, instead of just displaying 73 degrees on the icon, it should reflect the current weather in your local area rather than the user having to go to the application just to see the current temperature.
Oh I got another one – just like someone else suggested earlier with mail messages – ability to select multiple messages to be deleted. The same concept should be applied to SMS messages as well.
The alarm sounds out loud even when the phone is in silent mode. There should one more setting while we set alarm… whether it is a wakeup alarm or a reminder alarm. The wakeup alarm rings loud even when the phone is in silent mode whereas the reminder alarm will only vibrate when the phone is in silent.
Aside from a lot that I have already read, I’d love an RSS reader accessable from the home screen.
Cut and paste could use the top sleep wake button to select text. Bring up the cursor movement circle zoom display and then hold the sleep wake button to select text. Once the test is selected use an up gesture to copy. To paste brink up the cursor movement circle and then with another finger touch the circle.
Full podcast management.
1. Subscribe to podcasts (audio or video) from the iPhone
2. Download new podcast episodes straight to the iPhone
I sent a iPhone camera pic via email to http://www.ScanR.com and then to myself to check the following limitation:
Emailed pictures are re-sized to 640×480 even though they are actually twice that size when synced to the Mac. When synced to iPhoto they are full-size.
“CONTACTS SEARCH with KEYBOARD in addition of scrolling” – When making a phone call or looking for a contact, instead of scrolling through names I’d like to type the 1st letter of the first name and then the last name and it should find the contact – this has been available on treos for ever and I can’t tell you how valuable this feature is for a real fast lookup.
Support of alternative keyboard input methods from 3rd parties, like:
Z1 (from ForWord Input, Inc.)
TenGO (from Xrgomics)
I have had problems with WEP password Wi-Fi. After extensive trouble-shooting I ended up assigning the MAC address to the Netgear wi-Fi router. This required the iPhone to be listed as an “approved device” under the advanced settings of the router. Since the MAC address was programmed into the netgear settings (my me), other devices not on the approved device list cannot gain access to my Wi-Fi network. This is important since I had to turn off any kind of WEP protection.
Need a more robust WEP set-up on the iPhone.
Non-secured Wi-Fi’s work great, BTW
One other important feature is turn that home button into a D-PAD!. If the iPhone had a D-Pad instead of a Home button I could navigate most of the features on the phone without touching the screen. I have a PPC-6700 and I go days without touching the screen because of the D-Pad. It can still be the home button just hold it for 3 seconds and it goes HOME.
Seeing as this is so far down on the list, I doubt it will be read, but anyway. About the deleting multiple messages, and copy and pasting, I think there should be some way to highlight text, then from there new options appear such as Copy. The way to highlight something would be to put one finger on the first item (e.g. a letter, word, or message) in the range of items you want to select, then you slide another finger across the range, starting at the first item and ending at the last item.
Add radar to the weather widget. You can view cities by flicking left and right, but view a radar map by flicking up on the city.
instead of having a home button, shake the iphone to return to the main menu (using the built in motion sensor), like a etcha-sketch!
How about NOT having a recessed headphone jack in the next model of the iPhone??
WTF were you thinking Cupertino? You know those pretty pretty Bose QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones that you sell in your stores for $350?
Well I bought one just two days before I got the iPhone, and when I was expecting them to work with the iPhone (because the headphones were sold in your store), I was very disappointed when they didn’t.
And then you wanted me to buy a long ugly gray Belkin adapter, which looks like it will snap with the slightest pressure. Um… thanks! So, the next day I returned the headphones to your store. Loss of sales due to your lack of QA must suck.
You should fire who thought the headphone jack should be recessed. S/he obviously didn’t test a few of those headphones out.
1. A To Do list that syncs with iCAl
2. The ability to sign up a corporate account form Itunes. (But Apple is clueless when it comes to enterprise)
A removable battery, now granted I know this is something Apple can’t add to the current model, but I won’t buy one until I can replace the battery like I can with any other cell phone.
since there is not GPS chipset inside the iPhone, have google maps jump to the cell tower that you are currently logged on to….