Hi Guys,
Well just installed the latest public beta which I think is 4 and the app switcher is still not working on my iPhone13 pro. To me this is a major bug and I'm very surprised this has not been fixed. Despite updating the feedback bug report nothing seems to be done. Has anyone else installed the latest version and the app switcher is now working again. Surely, we can't get a full release with such a major issue?
By Lee, 16 August, 2022
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Comments
What the bug?
I haven't experienced this bug at all. What is going on exactly? Could it be iphone 13 specific maybee?
Definitely still an issue.
This is definitely still an issue. There are a multitude of bugs and it doesn’t seem like anything is going to be fixed in 16. I think that Apple tends to prioritize bugs and then focuses on fixing them and later iteration. Probably won’t see fixes for many of these issues until iOS 16. Two or iOS 16. Three.
For those who don't know
Hi,
Basically, using a phone you cannot use any gesture to open the app switcher. Neither the apple gesture or any user defined gesture works. It does seem it maybe better on iPad and/or using a external keyboard. The only solution I have found is to turn off VO and do a swipe from the bottom of the phone as a sighted user would then turn VO Back on and you are in the app switcher. I have found this is not completely reliable as it sometimes just locks the phone.
Unfortunate
Hello,
probably the reason this wasn't fixed yet is because it definitely doesn't affect everybody.
For me, the app switcher worked since the first beta, with almost no issues other than VoiceOver's focus being very unpredictable, but that seems to be the theme.
I can't think of what possibly triggers that.
Nevertheless, I also hope they find a solution before the public release. There's still a bit of time, and we should be getting weekly updates now until the RC, so hopefully it gets the priority it deserves.
Also works flawlessly here
As Nikola said, I just face random VoiceOver focus issues in the App Switcher. Other than that, it can be brought up flawlessly on my iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Working flawlessly here as well
For those of you experiencing the problem, what configuration are you using? I mean maybee this is the root of the problem? Its odd that some people are getting it and not others.
Thanks to Lee.
Hi Lee
Thanks for your suggestion. Works like a charm using an iPhone 13Pro
Not sure how but I wonder
You're welcome Blackcat. Just looking at all of us who have this issue and they all seem to be iPhone 13 models. Does anyone else have this issue not on a 13 model?
I don't have this
13 Pro Max running public beta... I think3? It's the public beta released like a week or two ago, and the app switcher works fine... aside from the focus issues that still exist
Same issue here
I'm seeing the exact same behavior as the OP, in my case on an iPhone 12 Pro.
Works flawlessly on my iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The only thing I found is a focus issue while in the app switcher but, other than that, works perfectly.
Not getting this either on a…
Not getting this either on a 12 mini. The focus in the app switcher does seem to be eratic though. Usually it focuses on the last app I was using, so I have found that touching the right side of the screen usually focuses on the most recent app in the list and I can do a 3 finger swipe up and close it. Sometimes flicking will focus on the two least recently used apps, in which case a 4 finger tap at the bottom will put focus on the currently open app again. So it's an annoyance that is easily worked around.
Working well here on my iPhone 13 Mini
I'm using an iPhone 13 Mini that's been on the public beta since it first came out, and I haven't had any trouble with the app switcher. I'm not sure what focus issue people are mentioning either, although I'm a newer iPhone user so I'm wondering if I'm missing something here. When I open the app switcher, focus usually lands on the last app I had open. Where should it normally go?
Working Fine On An iPhone 12 Pro
The app switcher is working
as it should on my iPhone 12 Pro with the latest developer beta. The only time I experience focus issues is if I open the app switcher from within an app. If I open it from one of my home screens, I have no problems at all. I've reported the focus issues to Apple in the feedback app. So hopefully we will see a fix soon.
It is strange
Thanks Oliver. Ye'h I don't think I am the only one but maybe there aren't as many people with it out there as I thought there were. Tried checking every setting I can find and nada. Even stranger is if you use the apple gesture of sliding up from the bottom and leave you're finger on the screen VO says lift to go to app switcher or something like that. Then nothing. So the issue seems to be literally at the point when the app switch should open. Tried removing my customised gesture just in case it was causing some odd conflict but still no joy. Just have to hope somehow it fixes itself. Didn't realise just how much I used it to switch apps and close apps. I know 4 finger swipe left or right takes you through you're apps but you can't do that from the home screen. You have to be in a app to do this and there is as far as I know no other way of closing apps.
Hi One work around until it…
Hi
One work around until it's fixed may be to enabling voice control and asking it to open app switcher. Also, does the app switcher open if you bring it up from an external keyboard?
If this is your primary device, you can always roll it back to iOS 15 until the bug gets fixed - stuff like this is expected in beta software after all.
Best
Malthe
Yes and No
For those who say they are not experiencing the issue, can you try opening the Files app?
I don’t have the more severe version of this bug as described above, but as soon as I open the Files app, I am no longer able to open the app switcher with VoiceOver. If I reboot the phone it fixes it, until the next time I open the Files app.
It would be good to know if anyone else is experiencing this version of the bug.
Dave
just tried opening the files app and
I tried opening the files app, but I can still open the app switcher.
The app switcher works fine…
The app switcher works fine for me on my SE 2020 aside from the focus issues. One workaround with that is to go to your home screen, then open the app switcher and the focus issues are gone.
App switcher gesture still not working.
Hi all, I’ve just bought an iPhone 13 mini, and the app switcher gesture is still not working, even with the public release of iOS 16. Very frustrating. I’m having to turn VoiceOver off, slide finger up screen and then turn VoiceOver back on again, very clunky, so will report to Apple.
Enable invert colors to test
Hi,
This is for anyone wanting to test the bug.
If you want to see it, enable then disable invert colors.
The easiest way to do that, is to ask Siri.
Once that's enabled, try going to your app switcher and see what happens.
I seem to be having a more severe version of the bug, where even after I've disabled invert colors, I'm still not able to access the app switcher normally, until I restart my phone.
Same but
Hi, I had to reboot the phone to make it work once invert colours was turned off. It then works perfectly. In iOS 16.1 beta the focus issue that people have been having seems to have been resolved as I'm now not having that issue. I haven't turned inverted colours back on as I don't need it and so don't know if 16.1 fixes the issue.
Custom gesture.
I have the 12 mini and use a custom gesture for the app switcher. That works as it should but I have to do the three-finger swipe up twice instead of once to close an app.
I can get it to work...
and what I do is swipe left to right until I hear the app followed by the word active. Then the gesture works perfectly. My phone is a 13 mini. It's a bit of a pain, but when the app switcher closes, Voiceover says the app is closed. If I just try to close it twice, the app closes, but Voiceover doesn't say anything. I hope this trick works for you.
I've got a switcher problem too but found a work around
I have found since IOS 16 that in app switcher I can't simply swipe up or down to close or activate apps. However, If I single tap first and then swipe up or down I get the usual option to activate or close. Depending on the number of apps open, I can often close all apps once I've done this initial single tap but sometimes halfway through I have to repeat it. Annoying but doable.
Should all be fixed
These should all be fixed in 16.1 based on my testing. I had major issues before finding the fix on 16.0 which have now all gone away.