Customize iOS7 App Switcher with custom card view • Hacker News Board

Re: Customize iOS7 App Switcher with custom card view

#21

Post by smackfu » Fri, Jan 17, 2014, 8:08 PM UTC

quux wrote: post #6

0x0 wrote: post #2

It looks like the trick here is to hook into a global NSNotification called "UIApplicationWillBeginSuspendAnimationNotification", which is assumed to be "app will enter background", and then throw up a fullscreen UIView on top of everything. I think this is an undocumented notification, so it's possible other iOS versions will break this feature.

I can't find it at the moment, but I think there is a supported way to achieve the same thing. I remember it being mentioned at WWDC to allow apps to hide sensitive data in the UI before the screenshot for the app switcher is taken.

Yes, 1Password does this. If you have it unlocked, and then switch to another app, then switch back, the thumbnail is the lock screen, even though that's not the last thing you had onscreen.

Re: Customize iOS7 App Switcher with custom card view

#22

Post by smackfu » Fri, Jan 17, 2014, 8:10 PM UTC

nsxwolf wrote: post #8

I'll wager Apple will shut this down or reject apps that do this. If you're going to do this you have to consider the ramifications of how stale the information on the card becomes over time. The example, showing a "Checked in since..." will become stale if someone checks in/out on another device. A real iOS 7 API to update these cards in the background would be a nice addition.

Yes, releasing an API for a feature that essentially has never been in an approved app is pretty risky.

Re: Customize iOS7 App Switcher with custom card view

#23

Post by shock-value » Fri, Jan 17, 2014, 8:19 PM UTC

ctdonath wrote: post #19

nsxwolf wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you lose a lot of context. The screen shots help you remember what you're doing. In most cases, I would rather see the last state my app was in.

You're missing the point. Several, actually. Sometimes screenshots are not acceptable - such as when they show Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers and contents, or NSFW stuff (imagine switching when AirPlay-projecting for a group during a meeting). Sometimes screenshots hang on for a long time in the switcher - the session may have expired, but the thumbnail is still there days later, showing wrong context.…

Screenshots are fine as long as they reliably show the last thing the user saw before switching from the app. It's up to the user to shut down the app or ensure it's not in a sensitive state if they need to. If your browser is resting on a page with your social security number on it, then that's the problem right there --- not that there also happens to be a screenshot of this on the switcher.

Some niche apps might benefit from employing a scheme like this to bolster security (I'm thinking for example a password manager which requires its own passcode whenever you switch to it), but the potential minor security drawback for these niche situations is definitely not sufficient to require this across all apps.

Re: Customize iOS7 App Switcher with custom card view

#24

Post by nsxwolf » Fri, Jan 17, 2014, 8:34 PM UTC

ctdonath wrote: post #19

nsxwolf wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you lose a lot of context. The screen shots help you remember what you're doing. In most cases, I would rather see the last state my app was in.

You're missing the point. Several, actually. Sometimes screenshots are not acceptable - such as when they show Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers and contents, or NSFW stuff (imagine switching when AirPlay-projecting for a group during a meeting). Sometimes screenshots hang on for a long time in the switcher - the session may have expired, but the thumbnail is still there days later, showing wrong context.…

I'm just not able to see the point. You're the user and the device is in your possession. If that's not the case, that's what a PIN or TouchID addresses.

A OS X desktop analogy would be having sensitive information in a Safari window, then hitting the Mission Control key, and expecting the zoomed out image to be replaced with something obfuscating the sensitive information, only to be restored when you click on the window. I don't see what's gained.

Re: Customize iOS7 App Switcher with custom card view

#25

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jan 17, 2014, 10:03 PM UTC

ricardobeat wrote: post #20

I'm guessing Apple will shut this down. The thumbnails are there for the sole reason of you visually identifying the apps as you left them. If applications can change that snapshot at will then it becomes a mere gimmick.

[deleted]

Re: Customize iOS7 App Switcher with custom card view

#26

Post by jilbralta2222 » Fri, Jan 17, 2014, 10:04 PM UTC

jeffzoom wrote: post #12

nsxwolf wrote: post #8

I'll wager Apple will shut this down or reject apps that do this. If you're going to do this you have to consider the ramifications of how stale the information on the card becomes over time. The example, showing a "Checked in since..." will become stale if someone checks in/out on another device. A real iOS 7 API to update these cards in the background would be a nice addition.

I saw this in the WWDC videos from this year, Apple provides this functionality.

Seconded. This is already possible.

Re: Customize iOS7 App Switcher with custom card view

#27

Post by e28eta » Sat, Jan 18, 2014, 5:25 AM UTC

shock-value wrote: post #23

ctdonath wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're missing the point. Several, actually. Sometimes screenshots are not acceptable - such as when they show Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers and contents, or NSFW stuff (imagine switching when AirPlay-projecting for a group during a meeting). Sometimes screenshots hang on for a long time in the switcher - the session may have expired, but the thumbnail is still there days later, showing wrong context.…

Screenshots are fine as long as they reliably show the last thing the user saw before switching from the app. It's up to the user to shut down the app or ensure it's not in a sensitive state if they need to. If your browser is resting on a page with your social security number on it, then that's the problem right there --- not that there also happens to be a screenshot of this on the switcher. Some niche apps might b…

Screenshots with sensitive info are not fine, that screenshot is stored on disk unencrypted. They also often outlive the running instance of the app. This bypasses any protection regularly used by the app for that information, and therefore the best practice is to blank out anything the typical user deems sensitive.

Re: Customize iOS7 App Switcher with custom card view

#28

Post by ctdonath » Sat, Jan 18, 2014, 2:20 PM UTC

nsxwolf wrote: post #24

ctdonath wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're missing the point. Several, actually. Sometimes screenshots are not acceptable - such as when they show Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers and contents, or NSFW stuff (imagine switching when AirPlay-projecting for a group during a meeting). Sometimes screenshots hang on for a long time in the switcher - the session may have expired, but the thumbnail is still there days later, showing wrong context.…

I'm just not able to see the point. You're the user and the device is in your possession. If that's not the case, that's what a PIN or TouchID addresses. A OS X desktop analogy would be having sensitive information in a Safari window, then hitting the Mission Control key, and expecting the zoomed out image to be replaced with something obfuscating the sensitive information, only to be restored when you click on the w…

The point is sensitive data is stored unencrypted and displayed outside the app during normal usage. That is flatly intolerable to many users.