How many of your third party iPad-native applications only work in portrait mode?

[Yebubbleman]

I generally try to keep iPhone-only iOS apps off of my iPads. I have an iPhone, so I don't need either a blown up adaptation nor a "smaller" version in the center of the iPad's screen.

That all being said, of the iPadOS apps that I'm left with, several of them ARE compatible with the iPad and will use the entire display, but will only work in portrait mode. Most of (if not all of) these apps are marked as universal (which is to say native to both iPad and iPhone). Someone clearly put in the time to make it so that their iPhone app will size to an iPad's screen, but stopped short of designing a screen for landscape mode.

I won't fault app developers; Apple REALLY doesn't make this easy most of the time. But, to a point, why are you bothering to make an app iPad compatible at all if you're only making it compatible with portrait mode? I have no problem using my iPad mini in portrait mode (as there are still a lot of use cases for that device that still make sense to use in portrait mode). But with the camera now moving to the landscape mode side of the display, one would imagine that portrait mode only iPad apps would make for a blaringly bad user experience.

How many apps do you have that have this problem? I've got a decent handful of them. Or am I crazy and do most folks with 12.9-inch/13-inch iPad Pros/Airs primarily use them in portrait mode?

 

[Mike Boreham]

I don't bother with them on my iPad which is always horizontal on a Magic Keyboard. Any like this or a small central (but right way up) I delete from iPad and use on my phone. There haven’t been many.

 

[apostolosdt]

HP-15C.

 

[adamlbiscuit]

The Linksys app for iPad only works in portrait despite being an iPad native app. Very frustrating when using my iPad with a keyboard and having to either take the iPad off the keyboard, or turn the whole thing on it’s side (which you’d never do with a MacBook).

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Linksys is the only one I haven't deleted, since there's no alternative for it.

I've SEEN others but immediately deleted & found alternatives for them.

 

[RLRabb]

I always use Stage Manager on my 12.9 iPP. Do these apps work in iPhone-size windows properly (landscape) in that mode?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I always use Stage Manager on my 12.9 iPP. Do these apps work in iPhone-size windows properly (landscape) in that mode?

As I recall, Linksys would go into landscape when I used Stage Manager on my 12.9" iPad. I've since sold that iPad and only use my iPad mini now so can't say for certain.

 

[gigapocket1]

I hate apps that have fake landscape… it’s landscape but all the content is in the center with unusable space around it.

 

[purplerainpurplerain]

Our apartment block’s tenants app has no landscape mode and is really crumby. It looks like they got some dude in India to make it. Buggy as hell and a new update every two days that does nothing.

 

[MisterSavage]

I won't fault app developers; Apple REALLY doesn't make this easy most of the time. But, to a point, why are you bothering to make an app iPad compatible at all if you're only making it compatible with portrait mode?

Honestly, in some cases I think it's justified. If they didn't have an iPad version then we'd be able to use the apps in landscape.

The ones that annoy the hell out of me are Uber Eats and Dyson.

 

[MisterSavage]

I hate apps that have fake landscape… it’s landscape but all the content is in the center with unusable space around it.

That means it's an iPhone app. Before that fake landscape I had to switch my iPad to portrait to use those apps. Now I can just leave it in landscape.

 

[gigapocket1]

That means it's an iPhone app. Before that fake landscape I had to switch my iPad to portrait to use those apps. Now I can just leave it in landscape.

No, there not iPhone apps because those are usually black around the app.. I'm talking about the reddit app for instance..

 

[MisterSavage]

No, there not iPhone apps because those are usually black around the app.. I'm talking about the reddit app for instance..

Oh I see what you're saying. Yeah that is a lot of blank space on each side.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Honestly, in some cases I think it's justified. If they didn't have an iPad version then we'd be able to use the apps in landscape.

The ones that annoy the hell out of me are Uber Eats and Dyson.

Uber and Uber Eats are pretty annoying in this regard. The one that absolutely kills me is DC Universe Infinite. Unless they only made the iPad app intending it to be used on an iPad mini, this one is sending a very clear message of "use it in the browser", which does prompt me to ask myself: for larger (non-mini) iPads, can I install apps very minimally and just use Safari for iPad the way I would (and for the very same services that I would) use Safari on a Mac rather than using dedicated apps that make more sense on smaller devices anyway?