I still maintain that iOS is the best mobile operating system on the market, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. There's still a lot of room for improvement, and I hope Apple continues to push forward year after year.
Here are a few things I'd like to see added to iOS 12:
The new Files app in iOS 11 shows that Apple is looking at better ways to store, move and access files across the system, but there are still a lot of pain points that need to be addressed.
For example, it's still very difficult to manage music and videos. As an example, I ripped one of my audiobook CD and put it on my Synology. Getting from there into Music or iBooks on my iPhone should be simple. Airdrop from the Synology? Nope. Neither iBooks or Music are Airdrop targets. Open from the Synology app on the iPhone and use the Share interface? Nope. Again, neither iBooks or Music are available options – for M4A files! iOS should handle this with ease.
The same is true with video files. If I have an MP4 of my wedding video on Dropbox, it's impossible to get it into the TV app on my iPad where all the rest of my video content resides. Why? These are problems Apple should have solved 5 years ago.
Yes, I know that iTunes on the Mac could help with some of these issues, but the iPad is being sold as a laptop replacement. The answer can't be "Find a Mac and use iTunes" for simple problems like moving a video from one iOS device to another.
This is probably on everyone's list. Of course we all want it to be smarter about giving us the right answers to the basic questions we ask. That's a given, but I want more.
Why does Siri answer most of my questions by showing text on the screen? If I start the interaction using Hey Siri, shouldn't the phone be smart enough to assume I don't want to pick it up and read an article? Just read the answer to me out loud.
And why can't I get back to past Siri answers easily? Shouldn't there be a history somewhere that I can refer back to an hour or a month later?
Why can't I unlock my iPhone phone with my voice? It's incredibly frustrating to be using Hey Siri in the car to listen to the last text message that came in, only to hear that the iPhone needs to see my face first. You know my voice, you just heard it, use that as authentication! Instead you want me to take my attention off the road and face the iPhone?!? It's ridiculous.
Why can't I lock the iPhone with my voice? If some grabs my unlocked phone, it sure would be nice to yell Hey Siri, lock my phone and have it happen.
As texting becomes the dominant communication method for many people, it needs to get smarter. Letting me write a text now to send at a later date and time (like during business hours, for example) would be a great addition to Messages.
Ditto for email. That feature has existed in other email clients for decades. It's nothing novel. Just add it already.
How has this problem not been solved already? I meet you at WWDC, we want to exchange contact info. Now what? Apple could use the myriad of radios and antennas on the iPhone to make this much easier, and let me decide how much I want to share by default.
I get that security is key, but when I'm in the comfort of my own home, the passcode – on iOS and macOS is annoying. Yes, FaceID does alleviate the pain a bit, but I'd love an option to disable the passcode when on my home network.
The WWDC keynote is just hours away. I'm excited to see if any of these wishes are addressed this year.
Here's to hoping!