Apple Changes Stance On Widgets Again

Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 8, has had a rough start. Aside from just plain rendering devices useless, there is also a group of new features that are all very new to iOS. Growing pains persist, and they aren't done just yet. After side-lining a few notification widgets, Apple is once again changing the rules as they go along, and is asking that one prominent app be changed by its Developer. this time, it has to do with buttons and actions instead of in-widget functionality.

Drafts is a popular note taking app for iOS. A widget accompanying the app let you launch a new note from the 'Today' screen in iOS. The "new note" option would re-direct you to the app for completion of the task, which is where Apple takes umbrage.

Greg Pierce, the app's Developer, says Apple has informed him that Notification Center widgets are for "information presentation" only, and shouldn't contain buttons. That's a contradiction to many other widgets that have buttons, though, so the real issue seems to be the re-direction to an app.

Whatever the case, it's a bit of a confusing matter. If there were to be no buttons, or re-direction to an app, why was it allowed to begin with? Apple should probably take a hard look at just what they want from Notification Center widgets before Developers just give up on the feature altogether. Apps pass a review, so the decision is a newly formed one, but so were the rest of Apple's oddball decisions on widgets of late.

Via: 9to5Mac