Quick and easy Delete

[elof]

Hi!

I'd like to be able to delete files more easily.

Today:
* I long-press anywhere on the cover-art
* the popup-menu appear
* I move the finger to the Delete option (slightly center-left on screen)
* the delete dialog appear at the bottom of the screen
* I move the finger to confirm the deletion (bottom right on screen)
This is extra tiresome on my Samsung Note9, which is quite big and wide.
Example:
I hear a tune that I want to erase and fetch the phone from the left jacket pocket
with my left hand. (My right hand is carrying my bag and can't be used.)
With my left thumb I have to do the above steps.
It is hard to stretch it to all places while also holding the phone with the same hand.
Usually the next 5-10 tunes are bad as well (when I play folders of mp3's), so I repeat this
delete actions over and over.
Hence I need a quick and smooth Delete function.
(no, I don't want to delete the entire folder in the Folder view. I want to delete unwanted songs one by one while listening to them.)
(no, I don't want to first use ranking, and later bulk-delete the bad songs.)

Some suggested solutions:

When I long-press the cover-art, show a file-icon beneath my finger and a red trashcan near the tapped location.
If I drag and drop the icon on it, the file will be deleted without any need for a confirmation dialog.

Or just like when you long-press on an icon on the (Samsung) phone's desktop, you get options to Uninstall, Remove icon from desktop, etc.
In the same manner, PA could show buttons instead of the menu-list.
Important: the buttons must be presented *close* to the position where you tapped.
The Delete button will then be near the tapped location.
Now show the confirmation dialog at the same place, with confirm and cancel near the tapped location.
This way I can easily delete a file with three taps close together.

Or make the center line buttons customizeable.
In my case I would replace the first button (Visualization) with a Delete button.
This option is no good if I pick the phone up with my right hand though (the button is too far to the left).

Or make the four bottom buttons customizeable, just like the bottom icons of the desktop of any Android phone.
If I could add a 5th button, I would add a Delete-button in the middle, between the Equalizer and Search buttons.

I guess you get my point. 🙂

/Elof

[maxmp]

Delete (for non-playlist/queue categories) is permanent and removes file from storage forever - some users even requested to disable delete action again.

What I can imagine in future builds, is option for "delete to trash" or something like that - when track is not actually deleted, but moved/marked as deleted. For this option, delete can be 1 click (with easy undo).

Thanks for suggestions!

[hrolf1713]

I second what maxmp is saying. I'm part of the people who would want the delete action to be hidden if wanted. Letting things to be too easily deleted is hazardous considering it's an app where most people wander through their library a fair amount of time.

Not saying that it happens often, but in the long term, a bad movement can be a more irritating waste of time than moving your finger a bit.

[andrewilley]

Agreed, physically deleting files should not be a quick and easy task, it should require thought and confirmation!

Andre

[elof]

I agree with all of you, BUT:

I do want to permanently delete files.
And I do it on a regular basis.
So having the confirmation button too far away is just annoying.

Having it *far* away from the initial tap doesn't add any extra safety, it only adds strain to my thumb and increase the risk of me dropping the phone on the ground. A *short* distance is enough to prevent accidental double-taps that result in an unwanted file deletion.
A common source of irritation is when you (with only the left hand) reach down to the lower right corner to confirm the delete, only to find the GUI-action nullified when a piece of skin simultaneously touches the surface on the left side of the phone. 😕

 

If you don't want to create a completely new Delete GUI action, can you please at least do this:
* move the delete confirmation dialog up to the cover-art (not down at the bottom)
* instead of showing just [Cancel] and [Confirm], show three buttons [Confirm] [Cancel] [Confirm], where the two confirm-buttons are aligned to the edges
This way users who want to delete files on the fly can easily do so with either hand.

Perhaps also a setting for the "Placement of the permanent deletion confirmation dialog"
(*) Bottom (reduces risk of accidental confirmation)
( ) Top

/Elof - who don't want to drop his brand new Note9

[hrolf1713]

22 hours ago, elof said:

I do want to permanently delete files.
And I do it on a regular basis.

But you can. 😉

22 hours ago, elof said:

Having it *far* away from the initial tap doesn't add any extra safety

 

22 hours ago, elof said:

move the delete confirmation dialog up to the cover-art

These two sentences seem contradictory. There's no way in which moving the delete button at the same place you make your selection doesn't add a risk to accidentaly delete that thing. I don't want the delete action to be able to pop under my finger everytime I select something. There's a reason nearly nobody does that (Samsung neither...!) and prefer to place the delete action at the top of the screen or in a dialog box, for example. 

 

22 hours ago, elof said:

A common source of irritation is when you (with only the left hand) reach down to the lower right corner to confirm the delete, only to find the GUI-action nullified when a piece of skin simultaneously touches the surface on the left side of the phone.

Not willing to be rude or something, but in that case, this is not an app's issue but the result of the choice you made when buying your phone. The Note 9 comes with a stylus for that matter. 😉

[elof]

8 hours ago, lrkjglksjhdfgkl said:

But you can. 😉

 

These two sentences seem contradictory. There's no way in which moving the delete button at the same place you make your selection doesn't add a risk to accidentaly delete that thing. I don't want the delete action to be able to pop under my finger everytime I select something. There's a reason nearly nobody does that (Samsung neither...!) and prefer to place the delete action at the top of the screen or in a dialog box, for example. 

 

Not willing to be rude or something, but in that case, this is not an app's issue but the result of the choice you made when buying your phone. The Note 9 comes with a stylus for that matter. 😉

The first section was just to state that I frequently use the delete function, to point out to the users that want to remove/hide the delete function. They are not the "masters" and neither am I.
What I really like with PA is that almost everything is configurable, so imho there should be a setting to hide Delete for those that never use it, and an option to make the Deletion easier.

No, you must read the emphasis on the word "*far* away". I agree that the confirmation button should not appear right beneath your finger. I'm saying that there's no extra safety in having the confirm-button 8 cm from your finger compared to having it 2 cm from it.
I'm asking for a left and right confirmation button *near* my initial tap, so I don't have to stretch the thumb in nearly impossible positions.
If I long-press an icon on the desktop on my Samsung, I get a button to delete the icon 2 cm above my finger.

Yes, this is a GUI issue for *all* smartphone apps, not just PA. There are litterally millions of people who handle their phones with just one hand. And think of the children!!! 🙂  Also, many females and many++ Asian people have quite small hands. I think all of them would also benefit from having a left and right confirmation area near the point where one first selected Delete.
Designing a GUI that's hard to use is bad design. I'm trying to help make PA better, not worse.
PS: When I use the stylus I usually use both hands (and I'm sitting down). 🙂

I'm listening to downloaded mp3's while walking. Whenever I hear a song I don't like I delete it. So when a bad album is being played, I only listen for a few seconds before the next delete.
Try deleting 5 files in a row, using one hand, while walking, and you see why I make this feature request. 🙂

/Elof

[andrewilley]

Poweramp is not really intended to be a walking one-thumb file manager.

Andre

[snakefist]

I liked the way it was in the alpha version of v3. In settings you could disable it. Sad to see that option to disappear in the official release. Phone happens to come on in your pocket while listening to music and certain touches could cause you to delete music.

I hope Max puts the disable delete option back in settings.