Author: Chris Hoffman / Source: How-To Geek
Apple’s new iPhone XR doesn’t include 3D Touch. App developers already didn’t use 3D Touch, but now they really won’t use it. Apple will have to design the iPhone operating system not to rely on 3D Touch so much.
Sure, the new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max still have 3D Touch. But we wouldn’t be surprised to see it vanish from future iPhones.
App developers can no longer rely on it.“Haptic Touch” Replaces 3D Touch on the iPhone XR
The new iPhone XR features “Haptic Touch” instead of 3D Touch. Apple’s Phil Schiller quickly explained the new feature during Apple’s presentation, saying of the camera icon on the lock screen: “You just press on it, you’ll feel a haptic tap, and you’re taken right to the camera [app].”
As Apple points out, this is similar to how the Force Touch trackpad works in the MacBook Pro. You press, and you feel a haptic response. It’s just like when using 3D Touch or pressing the Home button on an iPhone.
But wait, hold on: That’s not like 3D Touch at all. From what we can tell, Apple is just adding haptic feedback to the usual long-press action that’s been used on iPhones forever. It doesn’t matter how hard you press. It’s just long-press with haptic feedback.
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About the New iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR
Wait, What Was 3D Touch?
Not familiar with 3D Touch? We’re not surprised. While many people did know 3D Touch existed, we don’t think the vast majority of iPhone users are aware of how 3D Touch works and when to use it.
3D Touch is part of the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max—but not the iPhone XR. It adds pressure sensitivity to the entire screen. In addition to tapping and long-pressing, you can hard-press an area of the screen with more force to perform additional actions.
There are also different degrees of pressure sensitivity. A drawing app could use how hard you’re pressing your finger to control how thick the lines you’re drawing are. A game could perform different actions depending on the degree of pressure you’re applying. Even in Safari, you can start hard pressing on a link to open a pop-up preview or press even harder to launch it in full-screen.
This technology uses a layer of sensors attached to the phone’s display. When you press, they measure tiny changes in the distance between the glass on your screen and the backlight. In other words, when you press hard, the glass bends just a tiny bit, and your phone can measure it.
Most 3D Touch Functionality Works Fine as Long Press
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