iOS 11 iPhone icon labels missing in dock

Actual answer to your question, as supposed to a justification of why the labels are missing ...

no, you cannot add the labels back.

There is a funky workaround where you can enable restrictions, toggle an app on and off, and if that app is on the dock, the label will appear. It seems more like a bug than an actual solution, so the answer still stands, the labels cannot be added back.

While I know that it will be personal preference, these four icons should be in the dock based on they are used the most. Shouldn't be too much of an effort to know what these icons are for. I would guess that most people open apps based on the icon and not reading the actual title.

It is a bug, in that any change to the interface that leads to user discomfort or confusion is a design defect. It may have been a deliberate decision, so the coder responsible might say, “it was executed correctly, i.e., per specification.” But it is still a design defect.

The guiding rule of human computer interaction is, for outfits that are really good at it, “never make your user feel stupid.” If A set of users experience discomfort identifying what an icon represents, there are two design choices. Either make a text label optional (in my view the superior approach), or expect your user to become trained in the reading of icons over time so as to avoid the issue.

By the way, it isn’t clear to me how screen readers for the visually impaired deal with the absence of a text label. This could also point out an accessibility issue. In some geographies, and some industry segments, this could be a violation.

A "design defect" or some aspect of the UI that you just don't like is very different from a bug. Don't try to use the terms interchangeably just because you don't like a deliberate decision. As already provided, you can submit your feedback to the proper page. Not that it'll make a difference...

Design defects are bugs. If your design for, say a function to compute factorial, is incorrect, and the code precisely implements the (bad) design, it is a buggy function. For software that exists to serve human users, the facility with which those human users can successfully interact with the software is of primary importance. Really, it is the most important thing, because if the software's function is to allow a human user to do something, and the human user can't readily do that something, then it is a significant failure.

Software outfits that build software for human interaction who understand these things tend to build beautiful and highly usable software. In contrast, outfits that treat the human interaction aspect of their software design as a not as important or meaningful as algorithm design or the coding itself, tend to build difficult to use and unpleasant software. The consequence of this in commercial software is user generated system failures because of mis-understanding of the correct use of the system, or delays in implementation or operation due to difficulties in installation, configuration, and use of the system.

It is the hope of the professional human interaction design community that everyone associated with software development for human users understands the fundamental importance of successful human interaction models. In other fields of design, this is sometimes better understood perhaps because the implementations are physical in nature. For example, to the extent aircraft controls are designed to be used by human pilots, you would pay attention to their placement and actions. For a silly example, putting the "shut engine" button next to the "ask the flight attendant for coffee" button is probably a design that can lead to a rather adverse consequence.

You can get more information about human computer interaction design (aka human factors, aka computer human interaction) from the ACM CHI group, or proceedings from their annual CHI conferences. The IEEE has an analogous effort (with perhaps an even broader mandate) in the Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society; they also have an annual conference. The point being, this is a serious topic in the computer science and software engineering fields, with serious attention from both academics and practitioners, and not to be dismissed as trivial.

You're complaining about a mindset that has always existed in Apple's philosophy in one form or another. Whether is bad decisions in removing useful ports, or bad design such as no file system in iOS, or the entirety that is iTunes. If you feel as strongly about this as you do, why do you still buy their products? No one is forcing you to do so, nor is anyone forcing you to put up with their "design defects" and there are many other alternatives to each and every product that Apple makes. All in all, you're wasting your time and your breath, Apple is as likely to change this philosophy as both political parties becoming honest and upstanding.

Why would one think it is a waste of time to try to inform others of a better (at least in the view of the credentialed experts in the field) design decision? Any more than it is a waste of time to protest against anything that one opposes? Does this "wasting your time" view that one can never challenge those in power to improve their ways also apply to political movements? To societal movements? That one should let one's "leaders" do as they please, and that we as serfs should just quietly take what scraps we're given? This uncomplaining approach has not been the recent history of humankind in any endeavors.

It should be clear that there is an information gap with regard to the professional and academic discipline around human computer interaction. Attempting to inform folks about this is not a waste of time. There might be just one person who takes from this discussion the initiative to learn more about HCI, and that person might make substantial improvements in some future, unrelated project.

By the way, I'm personally fine to not turn on text labels on my icons. I respect, however, that others may have a real need for text labels, and that the option to turn them on (even if one defaults to "off") would be a good thing.

Finally, I'm a bit curious about the potential accessibility issue of not providing an option for text labels. I do not know the interpretation of accessibility regulations on tablets. In the US, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1986 requires that software procured for government employees be accessible, and the Americans with Disabilities Act requires businesses with 15 or more employees to be accessible including their IT capabilities. Outside the US there are similar regulations: in Germany, the BITV law, in the UK, the Disability Discrimination Act, etc. Perhaps current tablet -centric accessibility software does not require text labels on icons or images. In traditional computer software systems, text labels are used to provide information to vision impaired users. For example, using the "alt = 'text'" attribute for images.

Hi microranch. You evidently have a very good understanding of human factors and user interface design, particularly its application to mobile devices. Instead of merely arguing in this technical support forum, you should put your thoughts and recommendations down in a letter and send it to Apple. Make them aware of these technical societies and conferences that thay could attend in order to advance towards your level of expertise. And certainly advise them of any possible accessibility issues they may have missed. I'm sure the Apple designers would welcome your help and advice.

Me too. My brain works FAR better reading text than working our what icons are supposed to mean.

Apple - please don't go down the route of REMOVING options and forcing users to do things in the way you have dictated for them. I've seen many software companies do this before... and they have failed.

New features = good.

Removing options = bad.

It's things like this that make people regret updating their OS, or even refuse to update because the new version is WORSE with fewer options.

Does anyone know if Apple read these forums and actually take feedback?

All Apple has ever done is exactly what you're asking them not to do. See slide to unlock... They may read them, but do long as it doesn't affect sales, I don't think they care. You want them to care, then buy a different product and affect their bottom line.

This is a horrible change. Many people, especially those with sensory processing issues, process words far faster than stupid little graphics. The labels actually help those folks use their phones more efficiently. PUT THE FREAKING LABELS BACK! Or at least make it a toggle switch so we have a choice. Why does Apple change things that don’t need to be changed every time there’s an update? IT STINKS!

Please add the labels back or an option to include them. This is just basic usability which should be an easy fix.

Also, I liked having folders in this area to group my apps by themes. This helped me find apps without digging through screen after screen.

Thank you!

Alan

I absolutely hate this feature. Especially for my kids that are just getting iPhones. They have a hard time knowing which is the call button in the message button at first. I want an option to put the names below the icons. Everyone I know does not like this feature so why not fix that Apple?

Hi. There are no labels in the Dock. This lets the icons be smaller and closer together, similar to the Mac dock.

The missing labels in the Dock is a really dumb feature. It at least should be an option to toggle on/off. Now the dock looks naked compared to every other icon and folder which has a label.