Apple earlier today seeded a second beta of iOS 11.1 to its registered developers, along with new betas for tvOS 11.1, macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 and watchOS 4.1.
Video: hands-on with new emoji & 3D Touch app switcher in iOS 11.1 beta 2
App Switcher
3D Touch app switcher is back with iOS 11.1 beta 2
The popular 3D Touch app switcher gesture that was intentionally removed from the initial release of iOS 11 has been brought back in iOS 11.1 beta 2.
This tweak rounds your App Switcher cards’ corners like on the iPhone X
After Craig Feherighi demoed the iPhone X for the first time at last month's keynote, it became evident that several changes to the iOS user interface would need to accommodate for the new edge-to-edge OLED display, its rounded corners, and the notch.
One of the differences was in the App Switcher where each of the cards exhibits heavily-rounded corners that match the aesthetic of the device's display. Other iPhone models don’t have as pronounced of roundness, but a new free jailbreak tweak called switcherRadii by iOS developer CreatureSurvive can replicate this effect on your non-X handset.
3D Touch app switching gesture to return soon to iOS 11, says Apple
With iOS 11, Apple has inexplicably removed the popular app-switching gesture that was available on iPhones with 3D Touch. Fortunately, it's just temporary because Apple's reportedly confirmed bringing that tremendously useful feature back with a future iOS 11.x update.
Video: possible app switcher changes coming to iPhone 8
You may have noticed a pair of curious videos, recently uncovered from the iOS 11 beta, that show off what looks like a possible new gesture on iPhone that could serve as a viable replacement for the now defunct 3D Touch-ing the left screen edge for app switching.
The feature shown on the videos hasn't yet been announced, meaning it could be exclusive to the upcoming iPhone 8. If not, Apple has probably decided to save it for its iPhone event.
The polished tutorial videos are from May.
In other words, it's entirely possible that Apple has since abandoned this app switcher. Watch Andrew's video in which he discusses UI navigation changes headed to iPhone 8.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjyL_UPqNqk
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This is precisely how app switching in iOS 11 works on iPad—a quick upwards swipe brings up the Dock and if you continue swiping you get to a much improved app switcher containing Control Center along with the horizontally scrollable thumbnails of your recent apps.
From a user experience standpoint, any app switcher should be form factor-independent and behave the same on iPads and iPhones, so this could be the real deal.
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/899793840495763456
Although the device depicted in the hidden tutorial videos appears to resemble an iPhone 7 sans a Home button, it's almost certainly a placeholder for a real iPhone 8 chrome photo.
I think this is precisely what we're going to see on iPhone 8.
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/899788217112825856
What I'd like to know is if this gesture will work on existing iPhones. If not, 3D Touch-ing the left edge for app switching could make a comeback in one of the subsequent iOS betas.
What do you think?
iPhone 8 mockup via industrial designer Quinton Theron
Videos found in iOS 11 depict new iPhone multitasking gestures
A pair of tutorial videos hidden in the iOS 11 beta image show a new app switcher gesture on a Touch ID-less iPhone along with what appears to be an alternate Control Center interface.
CallPlus improves the Phone app on jailbroken iPhones
If you have an iPhone, then chances are you rely on the built-in Phone app to handle your inbound and outbound calls. While the app is useful, it’s also barebones by nature and could do with some improvements.
A new jailbreak tweak dubbed CallPlus by iOS developer Elias Sfeir supercharges the Phone app, giving you more features than you’re probably accustomed to out of the box.
SwitcherCC merges the App Switcher and Control Center interfaces
The App Switcher and Control Center interfaces are among some of the most important throughout iOS. Each is utilitarian by nature and serves a particular purpose, but as previous jailbreak tweaks like Auxo have demonstrated, they look and feel better when combined.
A new free jailbreak tweak called SwitcherCC by iOS developer Skittyblock brings both interfaces together, making it so you can access everything in one place.
The best jailbreak tweaks for the App Switcher
Some use the App Switcher more than others, but it can be a useful tool whether you multitask all the time or just occasionally need to troubleshoot a problematic app. A whole host of jailbreak tweaks have dropped since the iOS 10 jailbreak was initially launched, and with that in mind, choosing what to install to mod out your device can be tough.
In this roundup, we’ll showcase a hand-picked list of our favorite jailbreak tweaks for the App Switcher, all of which work with the Yalu jailbreak for iOS 10.
ForceTouchSwitcher gives you more control over App Switcher-based 3D Touch gestures
On 3D Touch-enabled devices, you can access your App Switcher with a 3D Touch gesture on the left side of the display. Once you observe the screen beginning to shrink down, simply follow through with a rightward swipe.
With a new free jailbreak tweak ForceTouchSwitcher by iOS developer CydiaGeek, you can further customize your App Switcher-based 3D Touch gestures.
This tweak opens your App Switcher to the app you’re currently using
The App Switcher in iOS automatically opens to the app you last used upon launch rather than the one you were using when you opened the interface, and love it or hate it, a new free jailbreak tweak called AppSwitchCurrent (9 % 10) by iOS developer DGh0st flips this concept around.
Apple confirms 3D Touch app switching was intentionally removed from iOS 11
The convenient 3D Touch power-user gesture for quickly opening iOS's app switcher has disappeared from iOS 11 beta. According to Apple Engineering's response to a Radar that developer Bryan Irace recently filed regarding its removal, the gesture was pulled intentionally from iOS 11 beta and might not be coming back in subsequent betas.
On iOS 10 and older, you can view your recently used apps by pressing the left side of the screen with 3D Touch. You can also use 3D Touch to quickly switch to a previous app by pressing the left edge of the screen hard, then swipe right.
Neither gesture works in iOS 11 beta.
When asked about the removal, Irace received the following reply from Apple Engineering:
Please know that this feature was intentionally removed.
The wording confirms it's not a bug—Apple did remove this power-user gesture on purpose.
Here's the screenshot of Apple's response to Irace's Radar.
I have a problem with the wording of the statement.
For starers, it doesn't make it 100 percent clear whether or not they intentionally removed the gesture from iOS 11 beta only for it to return in subsequent betas. We were, of course, hoping it was merely a bug. But the fact that it isn't listed as a known issue in the release notes accompanying the iOS 11 installer is rather telling.
This could be related to iPhone 8.
With major design changes coming to the next iPhone in the form of a nearly full-screen face with a seamless OLED display, the feature's removal might quite possibly indicate a brand new way of accessing iOS's app switcher on iPhone 8.
I wish Apple made it an optional setting rather than remove it completely. That way, people who still wanted it could keep it. On the other hand, Apple has stats on iOS features people use and perhaps numbers for the app switching 3D Touch thing were dismal, who knows?
The fact is, it doesn't make much sense if you use your Plus iPhone model right-handed. Besides, I know many people who accidentally activate it all the time and get annoyed.
Could it have been deprecated by iPhone 8, because it was too easy to trigger accidentally without a bezel around the display? Will iPhone 8's rumored function area at the bottom doubles as an app switcher of sorts? Last but not least, has Apple decided to remove the gesture because very few people were using it or were unaware it existed in the first place?
Tell us what you think in the comments section!