Apple users are familiar with the constant updates that the company works on to keep their products relevant in the market against competitors such as Android and Samsung. In particular, iPhone users were faced with the decision on Sept. 13 whether or not they would update to iOS10 immediately or hold off until the phone automatically updated itself. I have used Apple products for the past eight years my switch from a Dell computer to an Apple computer was my first foray into using their products and I have had an iPhone for perhaps half of that time. Despite adjusting to and starting to gradually like some of the features of the iOS10 update, I still share the position of many users that we should not be forced to update our phones if we prefer an older version that works just as well for our daily routines.

When I first decided to update my phone, the first aspect that turned me off was how long that it took to update. Despite taking me about half an hour, I have heard that it took a couple of hours for some people before their update was finished. Additionally, some users ran into technical difficulties in the middle of the update, reported The Verge, a technology news and media network operated by Vox Media. According to The Verge, an Apple spokesperson said to them in a statement, “We experienced a brief issue with the software update process, affecting a small number of users during the first hour of availability. The problem was quickly resolved and we apologize to those customers.” While I understand that most system updates will take time, have technical errors and experience glitches, people whose phones may have immediately started updating should have had the option to wait, as I fortunately did, until the timing is right. Additionally, there should be a grace period given to users so that those who are accustomed to their current iOS version can make the decision as to whether or not they even want to update their phone at all.

One feature of the update itself that I dislike is the new look of emoticons. Most people have emojis on their phone and use them as a way to express themselves when they are either too lazy to use words or feel that there are not enough words to explain how they feel. The iOS10 update has not only made emojis three-dimensional, but has also increased their size. If you use Facebook Messenger, their size is fairly equivalent when sent as a message without any text. I find myself growing frustrated by the amount of space that they take up in a message more than amused when someone sends them to me or vice versa. I also do not think that increasing the size was a necessary update in the grand scheme of things. Instead of changing the size of emojis, I would prefer that Apple address the new issue of why all of a sudden, I cannot save .gifs.

In all honesty, the iOS10 update was a more “pleasurable” update than it was a practical one. I have yet to see some feature that makes me say, “OK, the update has made my life easier and I’m glad that Apple has created it.” Instead, I often find myself glaring at my home screen every time I forget that the thumbprint touch recognition option requires me to sometimes tap the home button afterwards in order to enter my phone. Therefore, I feel that Apple has given us one-too-many updates and if I had the option of returning to my “simple” world of two-dimensional emojis and touch recognition that does not aggravate me when I try to open it while I am half asleep first thing in the morning, I would.

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-- Online Editor-in-Chief Emeritus-- Digital Journalism

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