Inside iOS 5: Update apps in place within iOS App Store

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Apple has consistently improved the experience of updating apps on iOS devices, and iOS 5 beta 6 sports a new example of this: you can now update individual apps from the App Store without being booted out to the Home page to watch an animated progress bar.



After navigating to app that needs to be updated within the App Store Updates page, simply clicking the Update button will now result in the app being updated behind the scenes. Once finished, the button will convert into an Installed label.







This process also works from the Purchased list, which lists all apps you have ever bought from the App Store. Apps that are not installed are listed with an iCloud icon that enables you to "install from the cloud," and previously installed apps are listed as such.







However, apps that have a pending update are now given the same Update button, and clicking it will similarly update the app in the background, without dropping the user out of the App Store.



Users can still opt to bring all their apps up to date by clicking on the Update All button, which does return the user to the Home screen, where each app update in installed in sequence.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 31
    That's an improvement, but I don't think it should ever force you out to the home screen. There's no reason to do it since you can't immediately open any of the updated apps. On top of that, once I go into the app store, I like to browse a little. So every time I update apps, I immediately go back into the app store to look around.
  • Reply 2 of 31
    shenshen Posts: 434member
    much better.



    can't wait for iOS 5. Hurry up guys.
  • Reply 3 of 31
    msuberlymsuberly Posts: 234member
    What about apps that you purchase for the first time? I don't think the article addressed that. When I purchase an app, iOS kicks me back to the homepage. Then I have to go back into the App Store to browse for other apps. Very annoying.
  • Reply 4 of 31
    noirdesirnoirdesir Posts: 1,027member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msuberly View Post


    What about apps that you purchase for the first time? I don't think the article addressed that. When I purchase an app, iOS kicks me back to the homepage. Then I have to go back into the App Store to browse for other apps. Very annoying.



    Unless you actually intended to start using that app right away, for this, being transported to right homescreen is a big help (otherwise you might have to swipe through multiple homepages to find the app).

    I would not be able to tell what the majority of users would prefer (continue browsing the app store or start using the app), so without any data anything you or I say is just personal preference.
  • Reply 5 of 31
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shen View Post


    Hurry up guys.



    No, guys, get it right. Fewer bugs than the Lion launch is the goal here.
  • Reply 6 of 31
    My iPad isn't exhibiting this behaviour. I get booted to the home screen on iOS5b6
  • Reply 7 of 31
    I'm a complete Apple fan boy. But really? Now they have an install system equivalent to Google Android. Wow. I'm underwhelmed.
  • Reply 8 of 31
    hittrj01hittrj01 Posts: 753member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheEdge View Post


    I'm a complete Apple fan boy. But really? Now they have an install system equivalent to Google Android. Wow. I'm underwhelmed.



    ??? It's a better way to get the process done. Software Update doesn't force you to sit there and watch the progress bar, Windows Update doesn't, Linux doesn't. This is just a step in the right direction of becoming more of a desktop-caliber OS, not aping Android, at least IMO.
  • Reply 9 of 31
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    Someone needs to learn how to write headlines. I clicked through simply to post this, because it's getting out of hand.
  • Reply 10 of 31
    srangersranger Posts: 473member
    That is how it works in the Android Market..... nice update....
  • Reply 11 of 31
    vadaniavadania Posts: 425member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MadGoat View Post


    My iPad isn't exhibiting this behaviour. I get booted to the home screen on iOS5b6



    Anyone have the issue where your iPad will not updated connected, "Sync Failed due to Time Out". However, syncing over wifi works fine?



    Just curious...
  • Reply 12 of 31
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheEdge View Post


    I'm a complete Apple fan boy. But really? Now they have an install system equivalent to Google Android. Wow. I'm underwhelmed.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sranger View Post


    That is how it works in the Android Market..... nice update....



    And this was Android before the iPhone was announced.







    Game, set, match.
  • Reply 13 of 31
    milkmagemilkmage Posts: 152member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mebbert View Post


    That's an improvement, but I don't think it should ever force you out to the home screen. There's no reason to do it since you can't immediately open any of the updated apps. On top of that, once I go into the app store, I like to browse a little. So every time I update apps, I immediately go back into the app store to look around.



    what really bugs me about it is when you go back to the app store, you lose your place (if you were looking at, say, page 5 of some section), or you are on apps 50-75 of the "top" sections.
  • Reply 14 of 31
    Yeah this totally didn't work on my iPhone with beta 6.
  • Reply 15 of 31
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by milkmage View Post


    ...or you are on apps 50-75 of the "top" sections.



    Here's the part where I rant about how we not only need subcategories, but subcategories of subcategories for the categories in the App Store right now.



    Because it's complete nonsense. Hit Games. "Okay, here are all the games." Okay, what about [genre] games? "Uh, here are all the games."



    Okay, Utilities, then. "Okay, here are all the utilities."



  • Reply 16 of 31
    vadaniavadania Posts: 425member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Here's the part where I rant about how we not only need subcategories, but subcategories of subcategories for the categories in the App Store right now.



    Because it's complete nonsense. Hit Games. "Okay, here are all the games." Okay, what about [genre] games? "Uh, here are all the games."



    Okay, Utilities, then. "Okay, here are all the utilities."







    I totally agree with you! When you look up a genre, you should get a tree, like a file tree. It's not hard to do in your program. However all of my programs work off of an OS. So the OS usually does it or supply's your App or program the information on how to do it.



    Anyway, i'm happy the Weather Channel works correctly with the new Beta 6!



    Is there a market for MMO on the iPad, or is that a dying breed? Would love your input on this. I haven't seen one yet. (I may have missed one).
  • Reply 17 of 31
    irnchrizirnchriz Posts: 1,616member
    Audio and video playback bug fixed (used to jump back a couple of seconds every few minutes)

    Video now working in the BBC iPlayer app

    All apps launching first time now, before they would sometimes crash on first launch.



    Getting more solid as September approaches.
  • Reply 18 of 31
    macapfelmacapfel Posts: 575member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Here's the part where I rant about how we not only need subcategories, but subcategories of subcategories for the categories in the App Store right now.



    Because it's complete nonsense. Hit Games. "Okay, here are all the games." Okay, what about [genre] games? "Uh, here are all the games."



    Okay, Utilities, then. "Okay, here are all the utilities."







    I couldn't agree more!! And I would add, the experience searching e.g. a film in the iTunes store is also a rather frustrating experience. I don't understand, why Apple isn't looking into this properly. It's quite crucial and making the user experience fun and convenient is what they are usually good at. One very simple thing I really would like to have is something similar to the hide button in iphoto: simply click it and the film/app/etc will not be shown again in the future. How nice not to see all these films again in the iTunes list I never want to watch! And how much this could shorten this list over time! In addition - why isn't there an indication, which film I've rented before? Or why ant I indicate this with a simple click as well? iTunes and the app store are astonishingly rudimentary. Since years. No nice user experience here. I really don't know why. This doesn't seem difficult to improve.
  • Reply 19 of 31
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Here's the part where I rant about how we not only need subcategories, but subcategories of subcategories for the categories in the App Store right now.



    Because it's complete nonsense. Hit Games. "Okay, here are all the games." Okay, what about [genre] games? "Uh, here are all the games."



    Okay, Utilities, then. "Okay, here are all the utilities."







    It would be nice if they labelled the apps correctly. Tetris is listed as an action game. I'm pretty sure it hasn't been an action game for the past 25 years so I see no reason to change it now unless they added a first-person shooter mode to it. It's a puzzle game.



    They consider Doodle Jump to be an adventure game. I don't really know how much of an adventure you can really have jumping up ledges. It's an arcade game.



    Angry Birds is top of the action games chart despite also not being an action game - it's an arcade game too.



    It's a bit unfair to the developers of actual action games who aren't getting their deserved place in the charts and who are subsequently losing money because of this.



    IMO, it's a very broken eco-system where the handset maker pretty much determines the success or failure of a software franchise.



    It's good of them to improve the update feature but I think they need to fix the more pressing issues.
  • Reply 20 of 31
    technotechno Posts: 737member
    FINALLY! I am so happy about this. I am surprised it took so long for such an obvious thing
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