[Implemented in 2.0.2] Return to last active app from lock screen [released]
asked 2014-04-01 00:36:14 +0300
Note: i know about this feature added in 1.0.3.8, but IMHO it only solves part of the problem.
I would like to be able to return to the last used app directly by swiping up the lock screen (no matter whether (and when) the display has timed out or I turned it off manually).
It is just a little bit annoying to have three steps to restore the previous app view
- double-tap to activate
- slide up to unlock
- tap cover tor return to app (requires looking at the display, too - which makes a huge difference while driving a car)
and at least for my usage there are a lot more scenarios in which I actually want to return to the last used app than not, e.g.
- Select some music to listen to. Some minutes later, skip a song.
- Have a look at the map for orientation. Drive a few miles, then check the route again.
- Write a message. Check for a response a few minutes later.
- ... (I could add a lot more)
Basically, when I do not expect to need an app again very soon, I close or minimize it, it is up to me. That's what operating systems (mobile and desktop) taught me to do ever since, and from a usability point of view, I do not see a reason why the user should not be taken back to where they have been before. Apart from being unlike ;-) but sometimes it's better to be alike.
The 30 seconds limit that is implemented now would be configurable in Settings: e.g. 0 sec, 30 sec, 1 min, 15 min, 1 h and no limit. So everyone would choose what suits him. I think you will get more votes for your request if you make it an option like this.
Neo ( 2014-04-01 01:20:49 +0300 )editThis request has not so much to do with the 30s limit as it seems on the first view. The 30s limit is for reactivating an app after the display turns off automatically after a specified time, without seeing the lock screen first (and it fulfills its job very good). I am proposing a faster way to re-visit an app after the display being turned off automatically or manually, keeping the lock screen (to prevent accidental action), but skipping the home screen, similar to how other OS handle it.
tokaru ( 2014-04-01 15:38:47 +0300 )editOk I understand. Still I think that your request should be an option and not mandatory, right? Voting up.
Neo ( 2014-04-01 16:37:55 +0300 )editOf course it is always better to have the choice (at least for the user, not for the developers). But I believe that the requested behavior is what most people would expect to happen. I just recalled different devices with displays I had in the last few years and found just two that always return to their home view after waking them up: my Jolla and my Sony ebook reader.
tokaru ( 2014-04-01 16:58:45 +0300 )editCompletely agree. I fail to see the rationale for the current behavior. Why should screen timeout change the state of the system at all? Why do I end up at the "lock screen" when I wakeup the display? It does not work like that on any other OS I know of, not on Windows, not on Mac OS, not IOS, not any linux desktop I know of. I should be able to continue from where I left off. That is the behavior on Android and on IOS, and it is the expected behavior. Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks.
pingvin ( 2014-04-11 17:17:36 +0300 )edit