Landscape orientation splash asset

[Greg Galipeau]

I have an app that I built for iOS. I've upload my Asset file (2208x2208) to the assets in the properties of the Visual Studio AppBuilder extension. It created all the assets for iOS. I can see them right in the properties of Visual Studio. It created a bunch of portrait splash images and a bunch of landscape splash images.

My app is also locked for landscape orientation. I did that right in the General settings of the Visual Studio project. Set the "Supported Interface Orientation" to landscape. This is very important for our app to work.

The locking on landscape works well. However, the splash image is all messed up. For a split second it shows a horizontal splash image (literally, a split second). But, the image is stretched out. I know it is using one of the portrait images for that (because, with a little trial and error of setting different images within Visual Studio, I was able to determine which image it is showing). Then, after that split second, it flips the orientation to Portrait and shows the portrait image correctly (not stretched) for the splash screen (I also see the spinning icon, so I assume this is Telerik's setting this). Once it is finished loading, it takes the user to my welcome screen and flips the orientation back to horizontal.

This looks really weird. If the settings work like they should, I expect that it would load the splash screen completely horizontal through the whole loading process and that it would use one of my horizontal splash images the entire time. Even if it does the portrait image for the splash screen, I at least would not expect that really stretched out horizontal image for a split second before I see the portrait image.

Anyways, there is nothing really special about this app and how the splash works. I "think" this might be a bug in the Telerik product. But, I don't know for sure. Can someone please help me?

FYI - I am seeing this on my iPhone 6 when I do a real development deploy (i.e.: I am not in the simulator). Maybe it is phone specific, I don't really have any other devices to test with.

[Ventsislav Georgiev]

Hello Greg,

I've managed to reproduce the issue on an iPhone 6S Plus device with enabled Zoomed view on the Home screen. I suppose you are using the iPhone 6 Plus as the landscape splash screen is not available in smaller iPhone devices (iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 5/5S/5C, iPhone 6/6S), since they do not support Home screen landscape mode.

The splash screen stretching that happens when the Zoomed view is enabled may be related to the way the cordova-plugin-splashscreen detects the device version based on the screen size. 

Having this in mind, there are no workarounds until the cordova-plugin-splashscreen is updated to correctly detect the screen size and screen rotation when Zoomed view is used. What I can suggest you is to post an issue in the Apache Cordova issue tracker.

Regards,
Ventsislav Georgiev
Telerik

 

 

[Greg Galipeau]

I am not using iPhone 6 plus. I am using iPhone 6. What do you mean landscape is not supported in iPhone 6? I see it all the time in apps. Did you mean not supported in Cordova? Or not supported in Telerik? Because, I know it is supported by iPhone. I am confused by your reply. Seems like a "huge" issue that landscape splash screens do this. In my opinion, the product is not usable in landscape mode because of this. Looks completely unprofessional. I can't be the only one experiencing this.

[Ventsislav Georgiev]

Hello Greg,

I apologize for this misunderstanding, I will now elaborate more on my previous response. What I meant is related to the cordova-plugin-splashscreen's implementation. By reading the plugin's source code, we see that it shows the splash screen in the current orientation of the device, and on smaller devices your Home screen orientation (the system status bar and icons) is always portrait so the splash screen will be shown in portrait if the application has not changed the orientation yet. This is an assumption based on the source code of the plugin and my tests on iPhone 5 and 6. Without debugging the plugin's source code, we cannot be sure what exactly is happening.

It seems you are not the only one experiencing this issue, here are other posts I have reviewed:

• Cordova/Phonegap iPhone splashscreen bug
• Splash screen weirdness on Cordova iOS w/landscape orientation preference
• When I open the app, the splash screen shows up in landscape mode and in few seconds moves to portrait mode

I have managed to reproduce the 'split second' landscape splash screen behavior you have described only on iPhone 6 Plus with enabled Zoomed view of the Home screen. Here are screencasts of the devices and combination of settings I have tested so far:

• iPhone 6 Plus with enabled Zoomed view (the described issue reproduce - the portrait splash screen is shown in landscape mode and then shown in portrait mode)
• iPhone 6 Plus in portrait Home screen without Zoomed view
• iPhone 6 Plus in landscape Home screen without Zoomed view
• iPhone 6 with enabled Zoomed view (the splash screen launches in portrait)
• iPhone 6 without Zoomed view (the splash screen launches in portrait)

Note: The screencasts are slowed down and not real-time, as it proved difficult to capture the application's splash screen.

Here are the splash screens I have setup for the test application: portrait, landscape.

The Cordova plugins implementation is not in our control, even if we reproduce the issue on iPhone 6 the fix should be in the CordovaLib or cordova-plugin-splashscreen. This is why I suggest you to post an issue in the Apache Cordova issue tracker where it can be addressed accordingly.

Regards,
Ventsislav Georgiev
Telerik