It’s Time to Optimize Your Mobile App to Fit the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR

September 19, 2018 | Sakshi Sharma

Since the day Apple introduced its first iPhone they have become a force in the industry. There is something about Apple that people just can’t get enough of. Even when a new release has unimpressive features people still line up around the block to get it. That mentality doesn’t seem to be changing much at all. Now, with Apple about to release 3 new versions of the iPhone X, it’s time to get your app ready. If you have an app on the market or are about to launch one you should seriously consider updating it to fit the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.

Their newest releases are the iPhone XS (pronounced as 10s), XS Max, and XR. The iPhone XS is the same as the iPhone X with regard to screen size. The improvements on the iPhone XS are minimal in comparison to the other 2. The XS Max and XR are quite different than any other iPhone with regards to screen size and many other specs.

The specs in a nutshell

The iPhone XS Max has a 6.5” screen size. The plus-size of iPhones is only 5.5”. The XS Max is the largest screen iPhone has ever made. The iPhone X and XS are the same sizes at 5.8”. The width of the XS Max is the same as the plus size phones. The height, however, is longer.

The iPhone XR has a screen size of 6.1” which is in-between the size of the iPhone XS and XS Max. In case you haven’t realized it already, Apple is now giving users 3 phone size options instead of the typical 2 (standard and plus).

App optimization

Due to these size changes, you will need to optimize your app to fit these screens properly. You don’t want functions to be near the home indicator or the camera. Landscape mode is incredibly important especially since the biggest change is the height of the phones. Your app could still look good in portrait mode but landscape mode is a whole other story.

The behavior of the UI split view controller in landscape view has changed for both XS Max and XR. It’s similar to that of portrait mode on the iPad. This is very important to take into account and will need to be addressed for your app upgrade. You may also notice that your content shows up incorrectly on the new screens especially when there is an image with it. Those items along with many other things need to be taken into account.

To give you a better understanding, let’s take images as an example. If you have an app that shows blocks of images, you can still see 3 images across the screen in portrait mode. Instead of seeing 4 images down you may see 5 or 6 which will look perfectly fine on the new iPhones.

However, once you turn your phone into landscape mode, the images may end up being covered by the camera making it look very odd. This has been adjusted for users to be able to view it properly.

That example may not seem like a big enough deal to completely upgrade your app but it is. There are so many variations to that example. Every feature and UI experience will be altered if you do not have your app properly optimized to fit those screens. You will end up losing current users as well as new users dropping off quickly.

Screen resolution

Resolution plays an important role as well. Your app will not look clear on either the XS Max or the XR if it is not upgraded properly. Due to the major changes in resolution, your app will be zoomed in making it blurry.

If your app is heavily focused on 3D touch and/or dual camera features then it’s good to note that the XR doesn’t support 3D touch and dual camera. You will need to make adjustments so that your app still works properly on the XR. The performance with regards to the use of ios 12 is also very important to help it function properly.

Of course with all that being said, if you haven’t updated your app for quite some time, this is the time to do it. With all these new iPhones coming out you don’t want your app to fall flat. Apple does do a pretty good job at making older apps fit the newer devices but this round of releases has changed more than previous updates. If you have already adapted your app to fit the iPhone X then you don’t have to do much except link against ios 12.

If you are in that boat and you know it’s time to upgrade your app, contact an app development company now to get started on the process. There are a lot of details that go into upgrading your app. It can be a pretty quick and simple process or it can be more complex depending on how it was built. Either way, contact a certified developer right away as it’s definitely something you should do.

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