One super, incredibly great iOS 10 feature in Safari

If you remember the very first iPhone unveiling by Steve Jobs, then you remember that pinch to zoom was THE huge feature everyone was bowled over by and truly loved.

It was an iPhone exclusive for ages before Google dared to allow one if its first Android devices to finally get an update that allowed the patented pinch-to-zoom feature.

But as time has gone by, breathtakingly arrogant web designers decided to stop this feature from working on their websites.

One egregious example of this is - or at least was - News.com.au - and anyone who hasn't yet updated to iOS 10 can confirm it for themselves. 

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For years this website allowed you to zoom its articles, so you could get a better look at a photo or any element on the page.

A couple of years ago in a redesign they took this feature away. I don’t know if anyone else complained, but in the survey they issued about the changes, I complained BITTERLY that this was a horrible change, and DEMANDED they change it back.

They did.

Then, in the last major update, whether it was earlier this year or late last year, some BONEHEAD at News.com.au decided to take pinch-to-zoom away AGAIN on its 'mobile' site. Just because a site is viewed in its mobile mode doesn't mean I want to stop pinching and zooming!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I complained once more, but this time my complaints were ignored. I have been supremely pissed off at this arrogance ever since, and have used the excellent Puffin Browser to my preferred Safari browser on News.com.au at times to get around this situation.

Sure, I could 3D Touch the image in Safari on News.com.au to load it separately, and then zoom that, but why? It’s an extra step that was and is unnecessary.

I’ve seen other sites make this same, stupid, hostile anti-end user move.

Even the New York Times website - one of the very first ever showcased on an iPhone - decided, at some point, to stop users from zooming in and out as desired - or at least, did so on its mobile site. 

So, when iOS 10 came along, I was very surprised and extremely pleased to see that Apple, in its infinite wisdom, has forced pinch to zoom back on.

Now I can zoom into sites that previously blocked this feature with abandon, and I am loving it.

Note, web masters and web site owners… when you take away a KEY FEATURE of the iPhone from its inception, you are MESSING with end users.

I am so glad to see Apple has forced pinch to zoom back ON.

I hope it never goes away and I hope the arrogant webmasters trying to dictate to ME how I surf THEIR websites learn a major lesson from this.

Mess with Apple features at your peril, or you just may find Apple undoing your mad, user-hostile UI changes - as has happened with iOS 10.

Thank you, Apple!