Lukas Mathis on Whether iPhone Settings Should Go in the Settings App

Lukas Mathis:

  1. If you can at all avoid them, don’t offer preferences.
  2. If you absolutely need to offer preferences, put them into your app.

It’s a subtle distinction, but it’s worth noting that in iPhone OS, they’re called settings, whereas in Mac OS, they’ve always been preferences. Settings are often unavoidable — things like usernames and passwords for online services must be adjustable.

And as for which way the wind is blowing, note that even Loren Brichter, who created the SettingsAreInTheSettingsApp.com web site back in December 2008, has moved the settings for Tweetie 2 out of the Settings app and into Tweetie itself.

★ Friday, 23 October 2009