Brilliant break-down.

The ‘lock-screen’ is possibly my most used in-house feature on the iPhone. I use third-party replacements for almost every other default Apple app. So this has been the single biggest frustration about iOS10 for me, and is probably one of the main catalysts making me re-assess whether it’s time to experience the ‘other’ and try an Android phone.

There’s a few things I’d add.

I know you didn’t want to mention the countless problems with ‘press home to unlock’ – but for the broke minority of us still holding onto pre-touch-ID devices, it’s absolutely painful.

The same scenario occurs multiple times a day. I’ll pull my phone out of my pocket, and somehow the act of pulling it out of my pocket has slid across to the widgets screen.

As per habit of ~6 years of iPhone use and the fact this looks exactly like the pull down widgets screen, I’ll hit the home button to see a notification I heard/felt come in.

Oops, it wants my unlock code. But, I just want to see my notifications!

I’ll hit home, again out of habit, expecting it would cancel the unlock. Nothing.

Another thing. I use (or now rather ‘TRY’ to use) regularly* is the contextual ‘suggested app’ launcher. Mainly to go back to whatever I was last listening to when plugging in headphones.

The previous iOS lock screen had that area protected by the ‘Swipe to unlock’, and was thus always visible.

Now, more often than not, there’s at least a screens height worth of random notifications there, and after scrolling to find the icon, for some reason it consistently takes me at least 3–5 swipes to get it to activate.

I’m fully aware I’m getting into some absolute nit-picking and there’s definitely more important things I should be worrying about, these kinds of things are the little cracks in trust and faith in Apple’s design quality that have me considering trying my luck with an Android device for the first time since the iPhone was invented.

*Disclosure: this whole suggested app complaint is likely a carry-over from another bad user habit of mine, which is that my default, sure-fire, fastest way to pause any audio — is simply to reach into my pocket and rip the headphone jack out (not sure how I’ll adapt to bluetooth headphones, likely by having a minor meltdown anytime I need to pause audio in a rush)