Show HN: Fliple - iOS Contacts with Metro UI

[chitza]

This is my try at a iOS Contacts app replacement. I was frustrated by the fact that the default application wasn't showing contact pictures in lists, so I tried to design an app that makes full use of the images.

Another issue I had with the default app was the number of taps until finding a contact, so I tried to minimize that too using various approaches:

- put most contacted people on the main screen (app also proposes new tiles based on number of interactions) - group contacts (work, family, friends, etc.) then put a group tile on the main screen - search the contact list using T9 (3-4 taps to locate contact) - use action tiles to instantly communicate with a contact (phone, SMS, mail) for often contacted people

At the moment the app is free, I haven't yet come up with ideas for monetization - if you have any, please share.

[king_magic]

It generally takes a lot for me to be really surprised & impressed with a new iPhone app, but this is a pretty incredible app. I've been spending an absurd amount of time on the phone with a lot of different people at work and this just inserts itself so perfectly into my workflow that I wish I wrote this app myself :)

It has managed to dethrone the Phone app from my app tray, which is no easy task. Last app I moved into my app tray was Spotify, and that took forever to win that coveted spot.

It's kind of everything I wish the Phone & Contacts apps were. Love the Metro UI. You have found yourself a raving fan. Please don't stop developing this app!

I really like the T9 search, by the way. Nicely done.

[chitza]

Thanks for the feedback. If you have any problems or suggestions you can post them to the UserVoice site I've set up: http://fliple.uservoice.com Some of the features I've implemented lately have been suggested by users.

[ville]

This looks very nice visually, but I had trouble adding contacts to groups, most contacts resulting in "this contact belongs to another account, cannot be added to this group". Maybe this has something to do with the fact that I have synchronized the contacts with my Google account?

The lack of native UI components also makes this app feel like an "outsider" in iOS, which is easy to notice when opening the native contact card inside the application that looks like it's from a different OS, literally.

[chitza]

Thanks for the feedback. I see that this is an issue for some people (mixing contacts with groups in different accounts), I'll try to come up with a way of overcoming the limitation. The problem is described in a support article: https://fliple.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/182665-i...

[nachteilig]

I'm a little confused about using a number pad to find names, as is shown in the graphic on the site. We're doing this on iPhone, so why use that old T9 mechanic?

Looks like a solid effort, in any case.

[CrazedGeek]

I find it's a lot faster to find a contact with T9 than a soft QWERTY keyboard or just scrolling through a list. (CyanogenMod has this built in to its dialer and it is beautiful.)

[archivator]

From a UX perspective, after the initial learning curve, T9 gives you larger tap targets and fewer taps needed (compared to QWERTY). This naturally results in faster finger movement but also less need for movement overall. It's a win-win for search.

[chitza]

This --^ :)

[pastaking]

I can't add contacts from my Gmail account to a group, and a support article says there's no fix to this unless I recreate the contact locally.

Sorry, that's way too much work. The app looks really nice, but if I can't import my contacts, it's useless to me.

Just uninstalled.

[chitza]

Sorry that it didn't work out for you. I'll put more work into solving this problem, I'll have to come up with a seamless method of merging groups or moving contacts from one account to another.

The problem is described in a support article, as you said: https://fliple.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/182665-i...

[mntgmry]

Ugh, Metro interface is so bad. No sense of visual hierarchy or prioritization. The colored tiles all run together. Why would anyone want to bring this mess to iOS??!!

[pedalpete]

In the contact sense, the hierarchy is an alphabetical list. What hierarchy does the native iOS contacts list give you that is better than that?

[shawn-butler]

I would not use "Metro UI" Microsoft stopped using the term due to trademark dispute with a Metro AG. I recall seeing a notice to msdn developers requesting them to stop using the name some time ago.

I have no idea if it was a valid claim, but easier to just avoid the hassle.

[chitza]

I've used the term just to describe the UI in one word to the HN community. I haven't use the term in the app itself or any official description (landing page, App Store, etc.).

[bound008]

I have been meaning to make a Google Voice client with the only feature being T9. If you add google voice support to this (just for making calls and sending a new message) I will send you a gift.

[chitza]

That's an interesting idea. I'll look into it.

[nicksergeant]

This is pretty great. My only gripe so far is the auto-rotating between name / photo. Some people don't actually use photos of themselves so I'd much rather see the name.

[chitza]

If the person doesn't have a picture assigned, there will be no animation, just the name (see this screenshot http://flipleapp.com/img/screenshots/AltLayout.png)

[aaronbrethorst]

Is that AwesomeMenu I see there? http://www.cocoacontrols.com/controls/quadcurvemenu

[chitza]

Nope, it's a modified version of ExpandableNavigation from Tobin Schwaiger (http://tob.in/post/15654557154/how-does-path-2-0s-iphone-app...). Which reminds me I forgot to credit him :(, thanks for asking.

[aaronbrethorst]

cool, thanks! http://www.cocoacontrols.com/apps/271-fliple

[gyrccc]

Apple should have added T9 a long time ago. If it doesn't in iOS 7, its market share in China could fall below Windows Phone in a couple of years.

[jameswyse]

This looks like it could be very useful! I don't like the huge font size on the contact list though, a way to change that would be nice :)

[ErikGelderblom]

I'd love to see an Android version of this, I really don't like Samsung's take on the address/phone app

[gsempe]

I thought T9 keyboard is patented.I'm wondering if Fliple will not have problems with this fact ?

[chitza]

T9 is a text prediction technology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T9_(predictive_text)

Fliple is merely using a method to filter contacts using less keys, I used T9 just to explain the feeling to the people.

[piranha]

No support for cyrillic layout yet? Except for that, I love it!

[chitza]

I've looked into it and at the moment I'm still in doubt about localizing in cyrillic/arabic/chinese/japanese. If I do it, it will have to be a complete implementation, along with T9 filtering, wich frankly scares me because of the vast amount of information I'll have to digest to make it work properly.

[piranha]

Heh, I see... Well, if you decide to add some support for that, I would love to help (you can find my email in my profile).

I have no idea about arabic and of course chinese/japanese is somewhat strange, but for cyrillic it's the same as for latin, just different symbols and a bit more of them (so like АБВГ on 2, ДЕЖЗ on 3, and so on). I can provide layout and info about additional letters which we don't usually show, but use (like Ë and Ъ from Russian and Ї from Ukrainian).

Anyway, thanks for good work! :)

[rastasheep]

Edit contacts feature missing :(

[chitza]

In contact detail screen, there's an arrow in the bottom-right. It takes you to the standard (iOS) contact edit screen.

[wavesounds]

I think this looks better and more useful than facebook home

[geuis]

It doesn't show all of my contacts, only the first 5-6.

[chitza]

Sorry about that, you should switch to "all accounts" in settings (see https://fliple.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/155508-i...). By default it only shows up contacts from the "default account" - lots of people were complaining about seeing duplicate contacts, when in fact they were seeing contacts from all their accounts and indeed they were duplicates.