iPhone 2.0 App Trouble Theory
I have a theory about why there are so many apps crashing or not working on the latest version of the iPhone software. I believe that due to the nature of the iPhone’s handling of applications with no background processes, the installation of an app that you downloaded directly from the mobile version of the App Store or the direct deletion of an app right from your iPhone, the installer app (both install and delete) is killed when you try to open another application.
For example, I tried to delete 3 apps from my iPhone that I knew I wasn’t going to use anymore. I clicked the X on each app and I was asked if I really wanted to delete the app and I said ‘delete.’ At that point, the app disappears from the iPhone screen and it seems to be deleted. But what I think is going on is that it is actually being uninstalled in the background. So when I click 3 in a row like I did, it was uninstalling each one individually. As soon as I click another application, like Settings, the iPhone kills the delete process to try and open Settings. But instead of getting the Settings I get a white background where the Settings should be and then Settings crashes. At that point I can’t open any applications and frustration ensues. And there’s a half-deleted application that is still half-on/half-off of my iPhone. When I try to sync with iTunes there’s a noticeable lag in iTunes recognizing the iPhone and then I get an error about syncing the apps I was just trying to delete. This also happens when the iPhone is attempting to install a new app you just downloaded. If you don’t wait until it’s all the way done installing before opening another app, you’ll get a crash.
The kicker is that there’s no way to tell how long to wait when deleting an application. You just have to wait a while and kind of guess when it has actually been fully removed from your phone. The install process has a progress bar and a notification pop-up when it’s finished.
2 Comments to iPhone 2.0 App Trouble Theory
I can’t delete applications at all on my new iPhone 3G
so stupid
fooJuly 23, 2008
you can delete them by holding down your finger on the app for a bit, then clicking the x
July 15, 2008