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Slide to Unlock patented by Apple? It’s one of the most annoying iPhone features

First the gossip:

The United States Patent & Trademark Office this morning issued a patent grant to Apple pertaining to the familiar Slide to Unlock gesture. Remember, the now ubiquitous sliding move debuted on the original iPhone as a fun way to keep your device secured while in your pocket. “To unlock the phone, I just take my finger and slide it across. Wanna see that again? We wanted something you couldn’t do by accident in your pocket. Just slide it across – BOOM.”, Steve Jobs said entertaining the invitees at the phone’s unveiling in January of 2007

via Slide to Unlock? Patented! | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence.

And now the reality: Slide to flipping fracking tossing unlock is a total arse.

It was GREAT in 2007. Absolutely GREAT. Simply gorgeous.

Now though, I can’t tell you how fucking annoying it is. Every sodding time I want to do ANYTHING on my iOS devices.

I tap the button.

I wait for the device to light up.

And then I drag my sodding finger across the little slider.

GAWD!

Save me.

Someone save me from this shit.

EVERY TIME?

How many minutes a-day am I bollocking away sliding every time I want to switch on my phone?

Give me a BlackBerry one-button-unlock ANY day.

Admit it, iOS fans: Slide to unlock has got very, very old.

15 COMMENTS

  1. Rumour has it they’re about to get the patent for the “Peek-a-boo” unlock as well. That’s the one you mention in your earlier apple post, where you flap a cover on and off quickly to unlock the device…

  2. If there was one feature I could get rid of this would be it.   Considering I enter a passcode to unlock the phone anyway the slide at the beginning seems a complete waste of time.

  3. “How many minutes a-day am I bollocking away sliding every time I want to switch on my phone”

    well lets say it takes 2 seconds to mount this impossible mission

    now you ask the question how many minutes a day?

    So this can’t be one single minute as you moan its “minuets” so to give you the benefit of the doubt we will say more than 2 but less than 5 minuets of your day is waisted. If indeed Ewan is telling us the truth he is potently opening his phone between 60 and 150 times a day!  and if we average that out as 3 mins a time. You are telling us you spend between 3 to 7.5 hours on your phone! no wonder your article is so “bollocking” “flipping fracking” well written.

    If you are too like Ewen please vista my instructional video on you tube. search Ewan MacLeod cant use an iPhone

  4. You’re absolutely right that it’s not difficult to unlock the iPhone. I’m most definitely checking my iPhone more than 120+ times per day, much more when I’m highly active at, for example, an event.

    I’m not alone though!

    Tomi Ahonen, the mobile industry expert (tomiahonen.com) reports that the average person in the West checks their phone 150 times per day!

  5. Idiots. Even the dead Jobs is an idiot. The iphone can’t dial in a pocket bescreen the screen measures changes in electrical current. Unless you carry your phone in your pocket and play pocket pool it won’t do anything inside your pocket. Shheeeesh. Idiot fanbois

  6. I’m loving the new quick access to the camera without using pin to fully unlock the phone. This is hands down the fastest cameraphone – and possibly the fastest *camera* – I have used  (excluding serious DSLR’s)

    I haven’t noticed the difference between my Torch and 4S in terms of unlock nuisance. It might be an extra gesture, all things being equal re length of passcode, but once open the iOS beats RIM hands down IMHO, for doing just about anything. I don’t want to have to learn all RIM’s shortcuts for doing things – the fact these shortcuts exist is an admission they couldn’t make it intuitive enough in the first place.

    Could Apple remove the slide and take you direct to PIN entry on a home button press? I don’t see why not. I have a 6-digit PIN, the chances of that being entered in my pocket are next to nil. However, if you have ‘wipe on X unlock attempts’ set – as mine does and many corporates do – then it could be risky. So it could be an option for consumers but not if a wipe mode was in force.

    We worked really hard to get the INQ ‘bubble’ unlock screen working well – you pressed a button, then swiped up to unlock either the whole phone (plus PIN if set) or launch the camera or notepad. Good to see Apple catch up with something INQ did 9 months ago 😉

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