8 Things You Can Do With 3D Touch on an iPhone

Understanding 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus introduced a groundbreaking feature known as 3D Touch. This technology marked the first implementation of pressure sensitivity on an iPhone.

3D Touch enables the device to discern the degree of force applied to the screen. By pressing with varying levels of pressure, users can access additional functionalities within compatible applications.

How 3D Touch Works

The functionality of 3D Touch relies on a subtle deformation of the display glass when pressure is applied. This minute bending is key to the technology’s operation.

Beneath the glass surface, a capacitive sensor meticulously measures the distance between the sensor itself and the user’s finger. This measurement accurately determines the intensity of the applied pressure.

Essentially, the system interprets the distance change as an indication of how firmly the screen is being pressed. This allows for a nuanced interaction experience.

Leveraging the Keyboard Touchpad Functionality

Often underestimated, the keyboard touchpad feature provides a remarkably convenient method for precise text cursor placement during typing. Instead of directly interacting with the text itself, a more accurate approach is readily available.

A firm press on the touch keyboard transforms it into a touchpad, signified by the disappearance of the key labels. This allows for nuanced cursor control within the text field. Simply release your finger to resume standard typing.

How the Touchpad Works

By applying pressure to the keyboard area, the standard key display is temporarily replaced. This creates a touch-sensitive surface for cursor movement. The cursor's position is directly correlated to your finger's movement across this surface.

This functionality is particularly beneficial for making edits within longer passages of text. It eliminates the frustration of imprecise cursor placement often experienced with direct text selection.

Precise cursor control is now at your fingertips, offering a streamlined typing experience.

Utilizing Quick Actions Directly From Your iPhone Home Screen

A growing number of applications developed by Apple natively feature Quick Actions, readily available through a simple interaction on your home screen. Furthermore, a significant portion of third-party applications have integrated these functionalities, with ongoing expansion in support across the app ecosystem.

Accessing these quick actions is straightforward. Firmly press an app icon located on your home screen. Rather than launching the application itself, a selection of shortcuts will be displayed, allowing for direct access to specific features within the app. For instance, a firm press on the Clock app reveals options such as "Create Alarm" and "Start Timer".

Social media and messaging apps also benefit from this feature. A firm press on their icons typically presents shortcuts for composing new posts or initiating new messages. Similarly, Safari offers quick access to functions like opening a new tab or viewing your reading list. The specific actions available are determined by the individual application – experimentation is encouraged.

Should an application lack Quick Action support, you will receive haptic feedback, but no shortcut menu will appear upon pressing the icon.

Navigating Between Applications

Instead of utilizing the traditional double-press of the Home button to access the app switcher, a quicker method exists. A firm press along the left side of the screen, followed by a swipe towards the right, allows for rapid application switching.

Repeated swiping to the right will bring previously used apps into view. Alternatively, a partial swipe and release will invoke the app switcher, functioning identically to the double-Home button press.

Alternative App Switching Method

This gesture provides a streamlined way to navigate between open applications on your iPhone. It offers a faster alternative to the conventional method, enhancing user efficiency.

The technique relies on pressure sensitivity, allowing for intuitive control over app selection. Mastering this gesture can significantly improve your workflow.

Quick Access: Swiftly switch between recently used apps.
Efficiency: Reduce the time spent navigating to desired applications.
Intuitive Control: Utilize a natural gesture for seamless app switching.

By employing this method, users can optimize their iPhone experience and enjoy a more fluid multitasking environment.

Utilizing Pressure Sensitivity for Drawing

Several note-taking and drawing applications support drawing with pressure sensitivity, a feature enabled by 3D Touch. This functionality is integrated into the native Notes app on iPhones.

Beyond the built-in app, popular platforms like Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, and Paper have also incorporated support for this technology.

Experiment with this capability by launching the "Notes" application on your iPhone. Initiate a new note and select the drawing tool, represented by a squiggly icon located at the bottom of the screen.

As you draw with your finger, observe how varying the pressure alters the line thickness. This mimics the experience of drawing with traditional tools on paper.

The intensity of your touch directly influences the weight of the lines, providing a more nuanced and expressive drawing experience.

Exploring Apple's "Peek" and "Pop" Interactions

Apple has introduced innovative interaction techniques referred to as "Peek" and "Pop". These functionalities are integrated across a wide range of Apple’s native applications.

Furthermore, support for these features is expanding to include applications developed by third-party developers.

The "Peek" function is activated by applying firm pressure to an element – such as a hyperlink within Safari, an email in Mail, or a photograph in Photos or Camera.

This action causes a small preview window to appear, displaying the selected content. Removing pressure dismisses the preview, allowing for quick content previews without navigating away from the current screen.

During a "Peek", a swipe upwards reveals additional options and actions. For instance, when previewing an email, swiping up provides quick access to functions like replying, forwarding, flagging, or archiving.

This streamlines common tasks and enhances user efficiency.

How "Peek" Enhances User Experience

Quick Previews: View content without fully opening it.
Contextual Actions: Access relevant options with a simple swipe.
Seamless Navigation: Remain on the current screen while previewing information.

The implementation of "Peek" and "Pop" represents Apple’s commitment to intuitive and efficient user interfaces.

These gestures offer a novel way to interact with content on Apple devices.

The "Pop" Functionality

Should you wish to fully load the content currently being previewed, applying increased pressure is the necessary action. This is known as the "pop" gesture.

Activating Full View

When you perform the "pop" action on an item you are "peeking" at, it will transition into a fully loaded view. The content will then behave as a standard web page, email, image, map, or any other applicable file type.

Essentially, the "pop" functionality allows for a seamless transition from a quick preview to a complete and interactive experience. It provides a method for loading the item as it normally would be accessed.

Understanding the difference between "peeking" and "popping" is key to utilizing this feature effectively. "Peeking" offers a brief glimpse, while "popping" delivers the full content.

Experiencing Live Photos: Animation and Lock Screen Functionality

For those interested, a guide on capturing compelling Live Photos with your iPhone is readily available.

Once a Live Photo has been captured, animation can be initiated within the Photos application by firmly pressing on the desired image.

Furthermore, Apple provides the functionality to utilize Live Photos as dynamic lock screen wallpapers.

Setting Up an Animated Lock Screen

Users can personalize their lock screen by selecting their own Live Photos or choosing from a selection of pre-installed options provided by their iPhone.

It's important to note that the animation may not be immediately visible upon setting a Live Photo as the lock screen background.

To activate the animation, a firm press on the lock screen is required after the Live Photo has been applied as the wallpaper.

Modifying or Disabling 3D Touch Functionality

Users have the ability to customize 3D Touch settings by accessing the Settings application and proceeding to General > Accessibility > 3D Touch. Within this menu, 3D Touch can be either activated or deactivated, and its level of sensitivity can be adjusted.

It is important to note that this is not an exhaustive compilation of 3D Touch applications. Emerging software, particularly games exploring innovative control methods, may leverage 3D Touch in diverse and unforeseen ways.

The Potential of a New Input Method

Essentially, 3D Touch represents a novel form of input, and its ultimate utilization is contingent upon the creativity of application developers. A growing number of applications are anticipated to incorporate features such as Peek and Pop, Quick Actions, and other functionalities initially introduced by Apple.

The versatility of 3D Touch allows for a wide range of possibilities, and its full potential is still being explored.

Image source: Karlis Dambrans via Flickr