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Along For The Ride

It’s probably too late to complain about something in iOS 7, since we’re probably already using the last pre-GM beta. They’ve fixed most major complaints since the first beta, but there’s a big one still left:

The Springboard animations take far too long.

It’s pretty cool the first time we see all of the icons fly in. But do we really need to sit through that every time we unlock the phone or leave an app? The show-home-screen animation is simply too long, and for such an extremely common task, it adds up.

Potentially even more common: the new fade-in and fade-out when the Sleep/Wake button is pressed. In iOS 6 and earlier, the screen would turn on and off instantly. Now, it’s simply slower as we wait for the animation.

Entering and leaving the multitasking switcher is much less common, but it’s also too long.

Animation can be impressive, instructive, and delightful when done right. But when it’s too heavy-handed, it becomes annoying and patronizing: You think you’re impressing me, but you’re wasting my time.

These animations in iOS 7 feel like its designers are showing off their cool new abilities, and we’re just along for the ride. After sitting through all of these, day after day, it’s no longer impressive — it just feels needlessly, artificially slow.

Cut the animation durations in half.