iOS Settings App Detailed

I've never loved, or even liked for that matter, the iOS Settings app. I've felt for a long time that it's a navigation nightmare and that some user customizability was sorely needed. That's why I was so excited to see that Timotheus Wischniowski went through the trouble last month of putting together an amazing map of iOS 6.0.1 settings on an iPhone 5. The map is a work of art by itself.

What I've always felt, but never verified in any way, is just how spartan some main settings sections are (Twitter, Facebook) while others (General) are completely overloaded. There must be a better way to get at these settings for users.

I'd love to see a similar map for iOS 1.0 at the launch of the original iPhone. Obviously, it was a much simpler time, but there has been an option explosion in the last 5 years that require a rethinking of the Settings App. An ideal system would distribute the myriad of settings in a more equitable way. Much like it's a good idea to rebalance an investment portfolio on a regular basis to ensure a desirable allocation of risk, Apple would be well served to take a hard look at the Settings app to make things a lot more balanced.

One thing that I'd love to see is a user definable menu towards the top of the Settings app. This would be a place that each person could place shortcuts to the settings they use most frequently. Because there are so many ways to customize the behavior of an iPhone, there's no chance that all people place the same value on a particular setting. My phone usage and need to interact with settings are vastly different from my dad's needs.

I would hope that Jony Ive and his team will be taking a look at Settings as an opportunity to improve the platform for all users.

Hat tip to MacStories

Selective LTE Data

The availability of LTE data on new iOS devices is a great thing. In many ways, it's revolutionized whats possible on the devices. I'd never go back to anything that doesn't have LTE.

That said, I'd like a little more control over the availability of LTE data. Apple has seen fit to provide the user with an On/Off switch for LTE Data in Settings > General > Cellular > Enable LTE. What I'd like is to decide availability on an app basis. Instead of a simple switch, the 'Enable LTE' should behave just like the 'Roaming' setting below it. Pressing the arrow on the 'Enable LTE' button would lead to a submenu with additional refinement options.

There should be a simple On/Off switch at the top. When 'Off' is selected, the other options would be greyed out. When 'On' is selected, an option to select by app would be enabled. Switching this option 'On' would provide a list all apps that use data. By default, they would all be switched 'On'. The user could then go through and turn off LTE for any apps they choose.

This option would be helpful in many instances. Many apps take into account the data connection when deciding how to serve up data to the user. Video is a prime example. If a user has an LTE connection, they will be served up HD video content. If LTE is turned off, low definition content will be served. In many cases, I'd be happy to have the reduced quality to conserve data.

More and more people are effectively operating without unlimited data plans. This setting would give more control to the user to decide how they burn through the data available to them.