Apple Makes Life More Frustrating For The Rest Of Us

Thing is, a smartphone is supposed to be, well, smart. All of that miraculous computing power in your pocket exists to make life easier for you, right?
That’s the main draw behind Siri, remember? “Siri, remind me to call my mom when I get home.”

“Yes, Michael. I’ll remind you.”

That simple sentence and response is a shortcut for a bunch of tapping, swiping and other gestures needed to do the same thing without the shortcut.

But this is Apple we’re talking about. As such, it should come as no surprise that Apple has pulled the Bluetooth OnOff app from the App Store.

This single-purpose $0.99 app allowed you to toggle Bluetooth on and off with one touch, something users — including myself — have been clamoring for since the iPhone came out in 2007.

Now, you may or may not turn Bluetooth or off a lot. Or at all. But like Siri, the app in question is just another shortcut, one that eliminates a few steps (five, to be exact) and in the process makes your life just a touch easier.

I, for one, would have liked that app to have stayed on the store, along with others to toggle WiFi, Airplane mode, the personal hotspot, and so on.

Apparently Bluetooth OnOff used private APIs and because of that it was summarily yanked from the App Store, just six days after it was approved.

Look, Apple. People were downloading and using that app. They were paying for that feature. That indicates an unfulfilled need. So much so that Apple should either provide those kinds of app themselves, or provide a public API that allows developers access to those settings.

And while we’re on the subject, little tasks like that are ones I wish Sir could handle. Then again, that could be an issue with network connections, as then could tend to cut her off in midstream. “Siri, turn off Wifi.” “Yes, Michael, I’m turning off Wi….”

But Apple, just because someone there doesn’t change those settings often doesn’t mean that everyone else isn’t doing it constantly.

Then again, Apple has always been behind the curve in letting people customize and personalize their devices. Heck, we couldn’t even change our Home screen’s wallpaper until iOS 4.

Little passive-agressive behaviors like this one are why there’s an active jailbreaking community, dedicated to bypassing Apple’s “father knows best” attitude.

And yes, it’s hard to argue with a near $40B quarter. Or the fact that there’s over 600,000 apps available in the App Store. Apple is obviously doing something right.

But, like I said in the beginning… isn’t an iPhone supposed to make my life less frustrating?

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If you think Apple should bring back the app, or make their own, or provide public APIs, then let them know. Leave your feedback at Apple.com.