When it comes to software, people tend to hate change. Since so many programs are used by people on a daily basis, radical redesigns can be intrusive and off-putting. As the saying goes, "If it aint broke, don't fix it."
But software developers don't always feel the same way. Some companies are notorious for changing software design and function on the fly. Whether it's actual innovation or not, the reception for sudden shifts is almost always negative. Click or tap to see this iOS change that frustrated users last year.
Now, Apple has another design blunder under its belt. The iOS 13 update included a change to a familiar and frequently used app: Mail. Two long-time icons have been moved for no apparent reason — and people are starting to get angry. If you made the jump to iOS 13, here's what you need to know.
Thousands of messages lost.
Apple users noticed an unusual change in iOS 13 that seems to have come out of nowhere. In the default Mail app, the positions of two critical icons — Trash and Reply — have been moved for unknown reasons. Now, the Trash icon occupies the spot on the screen where the Reply icon used to sit. This has unfortunately led to numerous cases of emails being deleted by accident.
As you can see in the image above, things no longer look as they used to. To the left we see how Mail appeared in iOS 12, and iOS 13's new design on the right. Several icons for flagging and organizing have been outright removed, and the Reply icon now sits in the far right corner of the display.
The new position of the Trash icon is dangerous for users who rely on muscle memory to compose email. iOS doesn't require extra confirmation to delete a message, so one tap of the Trash icon will send your message away.
Users across Twitter have already weighed in on the unusual placement of the icon and are calling on Apple to change things back in their next software update. Apple has yet to publicly respond to any tweets or requests for comment on the matter.
78 people are talking about this
WHY did @Apple think it was a good idea to put the trash icon in the mail app where the reply button was in the old iOS? I have been deleting all my important emails.
19 people are talking about this
@Apple please rethink the placement of the trash icon.... I’ve deleted so many emails in the last few weeks lol. #Apple #MoveTrashIcon
18 people are talking about this
I hate this change! What can I do to avoid it?
Unfortunately, if you're already on iOS 13, there isn't much to be done. People across the web are already submitting complaints to Apple regarding the change, and it remains to be seen whether the company does anything about it.
For now, you might want to seek out an email client for your iPhone that offers a more intuitive control scheme. If you use Gmail, Google's native GMail app is a fantastic addition to your phone and features some extra goodies like dynamic email that you won't get on the vanilla iPhone Mail app. Click or tap for more information on dynamic interactive mail in Gmail.
If you have an icloud.com or me.com email address through Apple, you're out of luck. Those email addresses are specifically designed to work within Apple's native mail app.
We'll keep our fingers crossed in hope of Apple coming to its senses by the time the next update rolls around. In the meantime, we'll leave you with this quote from Fox anchor John Roberts that sums up how we all feel about this:
Anyone else ready to throw their @Apple iPhone out the window because of this new iOS 13?
573 people are talking about this
Well said, John.
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Don't update your iPhone yet! Buggy iOS 13 may put your phone at risk
iOS 13 made its official debut on Sept. 19 to an enthusiastic response from fans. But all that excitement came crashing down once users actually got a hold of the update. A number of bugs, slowdowns and crashes have left iPhone owners stumped, and a new security issue has even prompted the Department of Defense to advise their staff not to download. If you've been thinking about downloading the iOS 13 update, here's why you might want to hold off for now.
