[mnahkies]

For software that you only occasionally use custom icons with no labeling is a real productivity killer.

It's so much worse on mobile without tooltips as well, maybe we need to standardise a long press giving a description or something similar

[frosted-flakes]

Android already has that standard. Long press almost always brings up a tooltip.

[mnahkies]

I guess much like aria attributes it varies based on the quality of the product/motivation of the business.

I just tried one of my banking apps and a Reddit client and found neither provided tooltips - perhaps they thought those particular icons are too self explanatory or perhaps they didn't bother/used a cross platform tech that didn't make it easy.

Actually even on Google maps I don't seem to get tooltips for the fab icons for center map / directions.

I do remember this being a thing but it feels like it's fallen out of fashion.

Pixel 3a / android 11

[bartvk]

You say "even Google Maps", and something surprised me when I explored their SDK. So I don't know about Android, but the Google Maps SDK on iOS does not use the iOS widgets. They draw everything themselves. Integrating Google Maps is a pain, because standard layout techniques don't work (for example for labels on markers). The whole thing felt really ancient.

It doesn't surprise me in the least that it didn't work as expected.

[iudqnolq]

Writing a map view is like writing a game, you have no choice but to draw everything yourself if you want decent performance.

[bartvk]

Six years ago, I would have taken that as gospel. I wonder if that is still the case, however.