Google+ for iOS is out
itunes.apple.com
itunes.apple.com
This problem is arising frequently for me with Circles - I'm not exactly sure what the impact will be beyond blanket posts to Friends and Public.
I've experienced this from the other end, though, so I know what actually happens: nothing. I have a couple of friends who included me in huddles days and days ago on their Android devices. It wasn't until today that I knew about them: they were all there for me to read after I installed the app on my iPhone.
I like that they did it this way. If you don't know you're missing out, you don't really care... then when you finally get it and jump in, you're excited about all the content and chats happening.
I can't really give any impressions on the app without these things working, but viewing photos and photo comments feels nice and responsive.
No doubt an update is forthcoming. :-)
Hopefully that doesn't mean waiting another 3 weeks for Apples approval.
"We discovered an issue with the version of the iPhone Google+ App that was on the App Store. When we launched, the App Store started serving a previous test version of the App which didn't have the stability and fixes that the latest version had. It started serving the correct version a little later. If you downloaded within the first 1 hour 40 mins, you may have downloaded the older test version. "
I mean, come on, you just alienate a ton of users without implementing iPod or iPad compatibility...
iPod touch is generally easier. It usually comes down to gracefully degrading features. Much care must also be taken to ensure that the app performs well on the iPod touch models which are often running much weaker hardware specs. The reality is that sometimes devs will only test on their personal iPhones and forget to test on older-gen iPod touches, so the iPod touch experience can sometimes be less than ideal.
The "nearby" and photo features seem pretty baked into the Android version. It just may not be worth the wait to condition those features and start the QA process for v.1
It’s just dumb.
Location Services will still work without a GPS, though the accuracy will be reduced since it's relying on WiFi APs.
G+ doesn't use the compass.
On G+ for Android, they allow you to call people from their profile page if a phone # is provided; I assume they have the same feature on the iOS version. Yes, it's an extra few lines of code to determine if the device is a phone and can make calls, but again: lack of this is just laziness.
The iPad is, of course, a different beast, and often calls for a very different UI. Plus I wouldn't be surprised if the G+ website works better in iPad Safari than a native app would, at this point.
But there's no excuse for no iPod Touch support.
Maybe someone will find an unofficial way of easily getting it onto the Touch ... that would make users who really know what they're doing happy, while also preventing the sort of people who are going to give it a 1-star rating when it doesn't work in the subway from installing it.
That doesn't really help things. If this was a conscious decision because they assume iPod touch users are mentally deficient, well then it just bit them in the ass. Apparently Google didn't realize that they could just download the app in iTunes to leave a bad review.
To date the Google+ app has seven reviews in the US app store. Five short five-star ones, two one-star reviews: one complaining about the lacking iOS5 Beta support (incredibly stupid but people apparently write stuff like that) and one complaining about the lacking support for iPod touches.
Excluding the iPod touch may make some sense for apps that fly under the radar – but for something that gets as much exposure as Google+? I doubt it.
Most apps written for < iPhone 4s tends to work ok on my iPhone 2G (i.e. apps written for iPhone 3G or 3GS).
Long Answer: Depends on the features you're using. If you're reporting location, you can double your edge cases when you start to rely on skyhook to give you locations. Also, the lack of camera may be what's actually filtering you out (if you have an old one).
iPad is incredibly difficult to fill up with certain apps (there is a TON of screen there).
In fact I tested the app using my android phones wifi hotspot feature and the iPods wifi based location access.
Tweetbot's fourth button allows you to rapidly change its behavior, it's fast enough and the best UI I've seen so far.
I find that hard to believe considering that launcher concept is implemented by Apple in the iOS home screen.
For 5 or less tabs it requires two tabs to browse between tabs, vs. 1 tap for a bottom tab bar that is persistent.
Also as mentioned in the talk the user has just arrived from a launcher, which is why it's poor design to show another one.
I thought you were referring to the launcher style in general as "bad design," not in the context of an in-app sub-launcher which is why it made no sense to me.
As a result, we've seen apps like rdio using the launcher in a way that goes against the user's expectations of how a launcher should work. Instead of zooming the controller in from the center of the screen, the controller gets pushed onto a navigation stack. In rdio's case, they should have built a simple table view with each 'sub-application' having its own row. Tapping one of those rows would then push the controller onto the navigation stack in the same way that it currently does with the launcher.
-- From a holistic user experience applications "spring forth" from the system launcher, creating a consistent feeling of two functional modes in the operating system. The first being finding and launching applications, the second being using the launched application. Introducing a third layer of launched sub-applications complicates that model, oftentimes unnecessarily.
* None of the back buttons look like iOS back buttons or state where they lead.
* The tab controls are taller than usual, taking up room for no good reason.
* The open in Safari icon looks like nothing I've ever seen and it displays an alert view instead of an action sheet.
* The People view has a tabs on bottom and a segmented control on top. The segmented control is treated as primary (changes the entire view including tabs).
* It takes five taps to get from your stream to the posts of a particular circle.
I am quite honestly surprised that the brainplex released something with this many sharp corners.
conveniently, i have a meeting with the plus folks so i will tell them :)
I still don't understand why would someone want to alienate users of certain areas or countries. Doesn't it make sense to release in all the stores to get the most exposure?
I did, and it looks awesome, much better than Facebook. Really!
Open up the app store and choose Categories -> Social Networking -> Release Date
You should find it there!
Between that sheer ridiculousness and the Android-esque navigation bar, this is shaping up to be one underwhelming iOS app launch from Google.
https://plus.google.com/111499908439497508351/posts/dESepcDj...
Google then rushed to release the stable app, didn't know that App Store would still serve the old version until a few hours later.
For myself: I've got an iPod. No text messages there (I have Voice, but not everyone does).
And, previously, not after the contract runs out.
(That's what it says when I try to install it on my Wifi iPad and it did not show up in the App Store on the iPad either)
However, if you search for the words "google huddle" it should come right up.
I was able to find it there.
Update: I'm reading that it's only available on the iPhone currently. Alas, my iPod Touch and iPad are not the iPhone. If this is the case, then that's too bad.
I can get to the app from the link (and I’m in Germany), I can’t actually get it to show up through search, that’s probably another one of those early issues. It’s gonna get better eventually.
Really, Apple can’t reject the Google+ app without causing a huge shitstorm. It would be stupid to do so. Also: The app doesn’t actually violate any rules Apple has laid out, not in any way, shape or form – Apple most certainly doesn’t want to confuse developers with arbitrary rejections, at least not anymore.