It's fair to say Apple knows a thing or two about design. The company is famous (and often thoroughly memed) for its attention to detail, and its smooth, sleek products are pretty unmistakeable. But even Apple occasionally gets it wrong.
From the original Apple Pencil to the Magic Mouse, a few Apple products have come under fire for their less than perfect designs. But the latest design touch to draw ire from users belongs to Apple's most popular product. It might be one of the best camera phones, but when it comes to, you know, taking calls, the iPhone could perhaps do better.
most garbage design ever made pic.twitter.com/9ccqcmKju8July 7, 2021
If you've ever received a second call whilst already on the phone, you've probably experienced the sheer panic, horror and terror of having to decide what to tap. And it doesn't help that Apple throws a bunch of icons in your face, making the decision even more confusing. One Twitter user recently called the second incoming call screen 'garbage' (above) – and it seems to have hit a chord.
"This is literally the most confusing thing ever and I always manage to hang up on the wrong person," one user replies, while another adds, "My heart rate speeds up just looking at this." Perhaps another user puts it best: "disarming a bomb is easier than knowing what to press here".
Does this image scare you? (Image credit: @videojame_ on Twitter)
But of course, this being the internet, there are plenty of dissenting voices too. "Unpopular opinion but this is really easy to understand," says one Twitter user. "It literally says what the icons do underneath, can't you people read?" says another.
But then again – if you're having to read the text carefully, perhaps there's something a little, you know, unclear about those icons. It's clear that the design could be a little more intuitive – and some users have even offered their own concepts for how Apple could improve the interface.
Exploring another idea, to showcase the relationship btwn the two calls that gives more clarity of how a user can proceed before the second call goes to voicemail. pic.twitter.com/J9mJXeHo7sJuly 9, 2021
Yep, judging by the impassioned response, we'd say this is up there with Apple's biggest design crimes. It's by no means the worst, though – that crown still belongs to the Magic Mouse 2. Thankfully, there's plenty to love about iOS – check out today's best iPhone 12 deals below, and pray that two people don't decide to call you at the same time.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
