iOS: popover over popover?

Question

I'm developing a iPad app which has a popover which appears to show you a list of items. I need the ability to delete one of the items, so I'm considering adding the ability to press-and-hold (a.k.a. long tap) on one of the list items which would show another popover for that item, with an action list showing a delete button.

Two questions:

• In terms of iPad UX, is this a good idea? Haven't seen it anywhere, and I guess it could be a little confusing...but how else can I do this?
• Is this possible, code wise? I haven't tried it, but I am still pretty new to iOS development so I could see myself fumbling round for hours before finding out there's a technical reason why it's not possible.

Thanks!

Answer 1

It's not a good idea, and I don't think it's possible even though it's possible.

Apple's Human Interface Guidelines clearly state that you should not do it. This is as definitive an answer as there can be regarding UX.

For inspiration on how to delete items without requiring a popover, look at how UITableView does it, for instance.

Often, you'll have an Edit button in the top toolbar inside the popover to trigger edit mode.

If you want some kind of confirmation dialog, use UIActionSheet. They look good and work well enough, especially in popovers. In your case, I think these are the way to go.