This update is a milestone. Widgets is now in 2.x territory. That means the app is becoming more refined. Major issues are being resolved. Looking back, Apple’s been a big part of that success. Their tech support has been legendary. I rejoined the Apple Developer Program last May. Since then, Apple resolved four of my technical issues. Looking at my “App Development” folder in Thunderbird (my email client), there are 48 messages from “Apple Developer Technical Support” just this year.
Category: Development
Widgets – Version 1.8 Update
Wow, that was rough! The Widgets app had a really nasty issue. The app would freeze on startup. If you had too many contacts – boom! The fix was not easy. The “Contacts” widget had to be redesigned and rewritten. It would have been easier to delete the widget and create a different widget from scratch. I’m not sure where the motivation comes from, as the challenge was bit beyond my level as a developer. But somehow, this project is different. I stuck with it until I figured it out.
The Widgets War
While not as dire sounding as the title of this article, (I like alliteration.) I’m in the middle of a battle. The difficultly of creating widgets was severely underestimated. Every single widget (except maybe the clock) has been a struggle. What’s even more surprising is how much I love it. It’s an epic challenge of man-vs-machine. The thrill of victory, in this cerebral conflict, is exhilarating.
Widgets Promo Video
Widgets Preview – Switching Themes
About two weeks from now is the deadline for Widgets. The app is set for preorder, which makes September 23, 2019 a hard deadline. With so much work to do, why fuss with coloring? Customization is a key feature of Widgets. The idea is to make this app something that you’ll want to use every day. Being able to change the look of the app helps keep it fresh. Customization also makes the app more inviting to more people.