iOS 5.1 beta removes access to system settings shortcuts from your home screen
iOS 5.1 beta was released earlier this week and it appears to block access to system settings shortcuts that you may have added to your home screen. Systems settings have been making quite a stir recently when it was discovered that you could access individual settings using a URL type web address. The web address could then be saved as a favorite with a fancy icon on your home screen. This would then give you one touch access to Bluetooth settings, Wi-Fi settings and much more.
One developer even put the various settings options together in one place, created a beautiful icon set and wrapped each up as an easily installable system profile. Now, for whatever reason, Apple has blocked access to system settings via this URL method in the iOS 5.1 beta.
This is a very disappointing move for many as Apple has continually ignored how difficult it is to access settings like Bluetooth without having to navigate multiple settings pages just to get to the one toggle you need. Hopefully Apple has a simple solution up its sleeve which it intends to release when iOS 5.1 makes its public release.
Source: Cult of Mac
UK editor at iMore, mobile technology lover and air conditioning design engineer.
| Tweet |
|
|
Leave a Reply
Note: Comments must be civil, respectful, and on-topic. If a comment does not add to the conversation, if it contains spam advertising, or inappropriate language or content, it will be removed. Insulting the topic, author, staff, site, network, or other commenters will result in the comment being marked as spam and potential prevent future comments from appearing on the site. Do not post as a business or your comment will likely be confused with spam. Comments containing links may be held for moderation. Relax, enjoy, and share in the discussion.
That's disappointing. It's not an exploit, and it makes things easier for users. Why remove it?
This is one of those things that probably has some explanation for security, but we're not going to be told exactly. My assumption is a security patch overrides it. I doubt they've targeted it for removal.
I bet these shortcuts will be in 5.1.
Crossed fingers!
yes, they're needed. no, I don't think we'll see them yet
I'd say 6.0 would be more likely...
Unfortunately, I guess we're gonna have to wait for WWDC and for Forstall to announce toggles in Notification Center as 'Blow Away!", first. /:
Commonly used settings like wifi, bluetooth, etc should be accessible via the notifications swipe down.
that's stupid. notification center is for notifications.
how about the empty space in the quick task switcher screen instead. it's a great place for switching between apps and doing different functions like changing volume
Having toggles in Notification Center is much more intuitive. There's a brilliant jailbreak solution for just that, but I'm waiting for a tethered jailbreak.
As for the multitasking tray, that should be activated by a swipe up from the bottom. It would certainly prevent Home buttons from becoming 'flaky' after a few months of use.
I would love a swipe up for the multitasking tray. Just went into the Genius bar this weekend to address my barely-functional home button. Their response: "Yeah, the home buttons wear out and there is nothing we can do for you since your phone is just over a year old. But you can buy a new phone!" I'm sorry, but if I buy a $700 piece of equipment, I expect the one (primary) button on the thing to work for more than a year.
When that happened to me I used activator (Jailbroken) and used volume up and down as a replacement home button. Works like a charm...
And Weather. And Stocks.
?
Well, weather and stock information is notifying you...
Thanks Apple, I'll have that refund for Project Icon I installed this week,
You paid? That's why it's always a bad idea to donate for these types of things. They're fleeting moments of iOS history. The only sure way to get what you paid for is to buy from the App Store. It's a good and bad thing.
It was purchased from the App store.
Thats what annoys me Apple will gladly sell you an app today knowing that they are blocking it's use in a couple of weeks
I doubt the people approving apps are the same that are writing the new software.
Plus, I don't think they're actively blocking it. I think it's been broken with a new security protocol.
you could find the same thing all over the place for free. why did you pay?
Same reason people pay Geek Squad to install stuff for them???
What does this mean for SBSettings?
guessss i'm not gonna upgrade to 5.1!
Unless there are toggles in the NC then I won't be upgrading
Hmmm - think Apple will come up with a control panel of some sort, pressure is on from JB'ers
as much as I like apple products, moves like this amaze me. Could you be less in touch with the people you are selling to ?
It was my last with apple. I can't carry more this style. They work us.
Every time I enable Bluetooth on my iPad, I'm reminded of the menu rathole that was Symbian.
ah, those heady, good old days
You know here is a thought for Apple, you gave us swipe down for notification center, how about give us swipe up for quick access to toggles for wifi, bluetooth etc. Make it a page that is configurable in the settings app as to what is located on it for easy turn on/off.
that's stupid. notification center is for notifications.
how about the empty space in the quick task switcher screen instead. it's a great place for switching between apps and doing different functions like changing volume
He didn't say IN the Notification center (like the last one you said the exact same thing to) - hes said a swipe UP. That's different.
Besides, why would you put it in the task switcher? That's for task switching.
why would you go to the task switcher to do things like change volume which you could do from settings?
mainly, because it's already the place they've been putting functions to interface with settings.
It's not stupid. It would be a widget, just like Weather and Stock are now
That sounds like sbsettings to me (except the activation method), but if apple releases it, it will be revolutionary and new.
Didn't iOS 5.1 already come out?
For developers, yes.
you are thinking 5.0.1
Couldn't agree more.
There is new stuff to ios 5.1 and your only talking about this wtf?? Who cares it takes just as long for the app to open up than me to go to my settings it's no help to me.
Wow, Apple has become increasingly better at continually disappointing its customers and it seems they do everything to keep it that way...
I love my iphone 4s. I miss the ability to tweek and adjust it had in my Palm Pre+. A lot. Apple works beautifully if you do things how Apple wants you to. And is a pain if you want to do something differently.
I can honestly say that SBSettings is the only reason I want to jailbreak anymore. If they did something intuitive, such as adding these toggles to the Spotlight screen (then fade them away when you search for something) I could honestly say I would (more than likely) never need to jailbreak again. C'mon Apple!
I would need that plus a quick reply then I would be set
Leave everything on, keep your phone charged.
Problem solved (rolls eyes).
the notification center can "notify" whats on or off........
The app.. Icon Project in the app store does the exact same thing... If apple blocks this method the app might still work seeing how its sold in the store.. Check it out.. instead of launching the browser it launches the app in a black screen then flips to the settings.. That's what I have been using this whole time..
You can bet we will see an integrated apple solution at some point, but I'm not sure if it will happen in ios 5.
June seems a way off though... Can't we just get a untethered jailbreak already.
Seeing how apple has been more aggressive with features these days.. (iOS 5) hopefully they introduce toggles into the fast app switcher.. it would be fucking amazing..
IconProject doesn't work anymore..
just saw it on cult of mac.. FACK!!!
Calm down everyone, you'll get your settings shortcuts! Apple is just going to disable the function in 5.1. Then when they release iOS 6, they are going to take credit for re-inventing the wheel and innovating a game-changing feature: The ability to easily toggle settings!
I remember when they announced "cut and paste." You would have thought they invented it by the reaction of the fanboyz in the room. Same with multi-task switching.
I guess then that means it is coming backed into iOS 6
Doing whatever they want hasn't seemed to hurt Apple a bit...no matter what we (consumers) think. We will continue to purchase every new toy they produce, regardless of little things like this.
Basically IntelliscreenX is how Apple should be doing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwx9PUX_tz8&sns=em
Concur.
This is very disappointing and is likely to keep me from updating to 5.1 unless they add in some sort of settings toggles in the app switcher or notifications center...
Get a free $10 iTunes gift card!!! Download "app trailer" from the app store and enter "promogiftcard" in the bonus code and receive a promotional $10 iTunes gift card!!!
I finally understand the "Insanely Great" slogan. Apple makes the greatest products out there, but then does things like this to drive us insane! So glad I have the old bootrom 3GS: Untethered 5.0.1 jailbreak
What's more important is that Tipb is about 24 hours late with all this news. I read about this and all the other stories for today on another tech news app. Can't they be original just once...?
Why?
Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. Navigating through the "Settings" menu on the iPhone is no big deal. I don't have a problem with it.
Good, I'm glad you don't.
But a lot of people do.
I'm one of them. Navigating through the menus is a pain and unnecessary.
Turning off notifications now is impossible to do on a global scale, as you need to toggle EACH one off. But that's another issue.
I often like to turn off wifi and/or Bluetooth. I want to adjust my brightness, to do so I have to enter settings and go through how many menus? Heaven forbid I want to turn off wifi, turn on Bluetooth and turn up my brightness.
Think about it from that perspective and you may see things differently.
See for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxuMf5JRnpo
Swipe to bring up the toggle panel, press desired toggle(s), close panel, done. No need to leave the app, and that's especially great for apps like Netflix that don't support multitasking.
When it's this easy to toggle, you do it all the time and get better battery life as a result. SBSettings is my favorite jailbreak app by far.
Amen to the other posters above me. Navigating through menus is insanely unnecessary and causes loss of data for apps that don't support multitasking so you have the fun of starting all over. There is simply no reason for Apple to make using those features as tedious as they do. High on my list of long-standing disappointments and a main reason to JB for SBSettings. Add apps like IntelliScreenX, CallBar and a few others and you have a highly customized phone. You don't know what you are missing until you've fully explored JBing.
Why do they insist on making Bluetooth access so difficult? It drives folks to jailbreak and maybe even to switch to Android. Why not just implement the silly quick fix?
Do you have to be jailbroken to do this with system settings? Running iOS 5.0.1 on iPhone 4S.
Nope just go to http://brdrck.me/settings/
My guess on the notification bar not having toggles in it is it would be too android-like. This is one of the big things I miss from Android. The whole pulldown bar is a rip-off anyway but like others have said "it's revolutionary because apple did it". I love my 4s for the most part and don't regret the switch but there are a few things I miss.
i use hotspot and bluetooth and sound profile on a regular basis and thought the system setttings shortcut was one of best apps (which should have been part of ios anyway) and its really sad that apple blocks it
. i would be really nice to touch -enable the feature at the top status bar for network connections and sound profile
Yet another reason for users to jailbreak their devices.
It was nice while it lasted but in the end it was just a gimmick. It does the same thing you can do yourself by tapping Settings, Brightness.
I guess the real thing to remember here is, IT'S A BETA! There is no way to know if these changes are going to be permanent, or if it was even a mistake. Apple obviously isn't going to officially support anything that makes using our phones easier so what's the outrage? This is like getting pissed that the Enchirito was cancelled. It was only a matter of time, it was an expected move and we'll just find another way around. Why is this even a story?
I plan on removing those icons anyway because if what I read it true, Siri should be able to control those functions.
Off-topic, where can I get that "postal wallpaper" pictured above?
Wow, I'm new to TiPb and just read these comments. It sounds like nobody here likes iPhones. That's really good, because if you all hate it so much and go away, then there might be some decent comments by people who enjoy using them. I'm actually glad I have one. Anybody else feel the same?