An improved way of quitting running applications in Ubuntu for devices is being prepped to land in development builds.
Borrowing interactivity cues from Chrome on Android, the OS now allows applications to be closed from the 3D apps switcher by vertically swiping away on the preview image of the relevant image.
Prior to this change closing applications in the mobile OS had chiefly been done from the ‘Recents’ section of the Apps Scope, where long-pressing on a listed entry would reveal an ‘x’ button for exiting it.
Developer Mirco Müller shows off the new approach in the following video:
One of Many, Many Changes Inbound
Ahead of the first developer-orientated handsets launching in the autumn, Ubuntu developers have been chipping away at the platform to add more polish and features to the user experience.
Other changes that have either recently arrived or are on the way include the transition of apps from hidden bottom edge toolbars to Firefox OS-style header bars; improving the push notifications server framework used to keep apps ‘alive’ in the background; and bringing increased functionality to core apps like the web browser and camera.
One ‘missing feature’ unlikely to find its way back is allowing users to set a custom background image. Canonical says this is a design team decision. OEMs and scope makers will, however, ‘have some potential to [customize]’ the appearance and branding of the dash, so do expect some visual leeway to be found further down the line.
