IOS Wish List: Misc stuff

Okay while writing the rest of my articles a few things popped into my head that don't really fit with the  other stuff. So this is my hodgepodge of other things

Quick access to wifi, bluetooth etc. A lot of folks have been calling for this kind of easy control and I can understand why. I think it would be a great idea and would fit best in the task bar. 

System checks on wifi, bluetooth etc. By this I mean the system detecting when the wifi is on but there's no networks to connect to and alerting users that they might want to turn off wifi to save battery. Same if bluetooth is on and in particular there are no devices paired. 

Better backup schemes. I talked a bit about this with iCloud. Same ideas for iTunes backups. Including in both cases checks for things like whether contacts etc are being backed up. Nothing would suck more than for someone to do a backup thinking contacts were in there but they aren't cause you are supposed to sync those and weren't. Perhaps it could be a setting that is on by default but the geeks that don't need babysitting could turn it off. 
And while we're on the subject of backups, how about coming up with a way to deal with this 'corrupted data' issue. For those that don't know what I'm talking about, I'll explain by way of example. I have both an iPhone and iPad that are a good 8 months old. About a month ago I noticed that my iPad's battery seemed to be draining faster than normal. I have AppleCare like a good little owner so I called and they did some remote diagnostic thing and said my battery is fine but it was my data. To fix it I had to erase everything and set it up as new. No using any backups cause they might be corrupted. It did fix the issue but it was a total pain setting things back up and since not all my games use iCloud data saves I had to start over which was a bummer. It would be hecka nice if there was a way for the stuff that could corrupt to not get backed up or for us to restore app by app or something. 

Wifi v Cell Data. Back when iOS 6 was announced there was a mention of better automatic shifting between wifi and cell data for iPhones and those of us with cellular iPads. But it never happened. And it seems like every time it detects wifi when you are on cell data, even if you aren't connected, it borks up connections. How about a new scheme like it alerts you that there are new wifi networks detected and do you want to join one. It could be part of the whole 'ask to join networks' scheme. 

More taps and gestures. I know some folks aren't too keen on them but I find the multitouch gestures great. I just wish there were more of them. Swipes or taps. Actually using the buttons should be reduced only to the most vital tasks. Some folks would say get rid of the buttons, especially the home button but that would reduce accessibility which is a big point in Apple's favor. But for those of us that are happy with doing something like a five finger double tap to take a screen shot or even a twist to adjust volume why not give it to us. 

Palm detection and 'muting'. As an artist this is a biggie for me. It's built into a few apps but it really should be universal. I would put with it more precise touch/pressure detection for drawing etc but that I suspect is mainly a hardware issue. But telling the difference between a palm brushing the screen and something making an actual move should be possible particularly with the finger recognition systems that Apple bought last year. 

File System. Okay this is a huge debate with the geek crowd. That crew is heavy into the idea that iOS needs to have a 'Finder'. But I disagree. I don't think that users need to see into the core system in such a way. But what is needed is a single system where all data lives. Doesn't mean that every app can use everything. But at least have common file types in a place where every app that can use it has a single copy to play with. Say like PDFs. Sucks that if I want to see it in iBooks, PDF pen and GoodReader that means I have 3 copies of the file filling up space. And then there's that clunky 'Save to'/'Open from' file sharing system. 

Bugs, stability etc. Unlike some folks that think that Forstall was fired for being an ego, I suspect that the major wifi bug in iOS 6 was the straw. And as a victim of the overage charges, my biggest wish is that there's none of that kind of crap anymore. I'd happily take an iOS 7 that has no new features, UI etc if it is thoroughly purged of all the bugs and the crashing. To this end how about detecting if an app is using a particular large amount of battery without a logical reason like you are streaming Netflix. And detecting and alerting about low memory that might make apps crash. There's also this not cool Music bug that delays responsiveness and another with music files not totally downloading but they still appear to be okay they just don't play. Not cool.