I love my iPhone.
Most iPhone users I encounter feel the same. Occasionally I meet someone who says they really don’t like it.
I met Nick at a friend’s house. He said “ I’m sorry I got an iPhone. It just takes too many steps to do anything and it constantly interrupts my phone calls with text messages.”
“Show me what you mean it takes too many steps”, I asked.
“OK.”
Nick pulled out his iPhone and holding it between us says, “For instance, to make a phone call I have to wake up the phone, swipe the unlock bar, tap the phone icon, find the contact or dial the phone number. That’s just not simple! On my old free flip-phone, I can just open the phone and dial.
Why can’t people at Apple make the iPhone that simple and direct?”
Now, I do a lot of iPhone support and training both personally and professionally and I occasionally hear this kind of complaint and comparison.
I said to Nick, “I get it. On a flip-phone you can open and dial. On an iPhone you can’t.
The problem is that the iPhone is not a phone. It’s a handheld computer. It has one application that makes phone calls.
If you stop relating to the iPhone as a phone (even though the name says phone…) and start relating to it as a computer I predict your experience will change.”
I could see his brain processing this info… In a minute, he looked at me and said, “Got it.”
“Next,” he said, “ are these text messages that constantly interrupt my phone calls. I have to tap either “Ignore” or “Reply” to the text alert before I can continue to interact with the phone call. That’s ridiculous!”
“OK… Let’s think about this from the context of a computer. Computers are configurable, customizable, so that you have the experience using them that you want. And… Apple is one of the premier interface companies. How these computer applications interact with you and with each other is largely configurable. Let’s find the options relating to text message alerts.”
We go to Settings…
Messages…
The first option is Show Preview.
“If you turn this to OFF you’ll stop being “interrupted” while on a phone call, and can check your text messages at will.”
Nick turns off Show Preview, nodding his head in understanding.
So, what’s the #1 tip?
Remember that the iPhone is a computer. When it does odd or unexpected things troubleshoot just as you would your computer.
(Those steps coming in a future entry… stay tuned.)
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Wyn Matthews is new to the FoleyPod Digital-Life Coach Blog. He comes to us with decades of Mac and PC troubleshooting experience, and is an expert on both systems.
