Apple Expected to Remove 3D Touch From All 2019 iPhones in Favor of Haptic Touch

[MacRumors]

Four years after 3D Touch debuted on the iPhone 6s, the pressure-sensitive feature appears to be on the chopping block.

Last week, in a research note shared with MacRumors, a team of Barclays analysts "confirmed" that 3D Touch "will be eliminated" in all 2019 iPhones, as they predicted back in August 2018. The analysts gathered this information from Apple suppliers following a trip to Asia earlier this month.

This isn't the first time we've heard this rumor. The Wall Street Journal said the same thing back in January.

Apple already replaced 3D Touch with Haptic Touch on the iPhone XR in order to achieve a nearly edge-to-edge LCD on the device, and it is likely the feature will be expanded to all 2019 iPhones. Haptic Touch is simply a marketing name for a long press combined with haptic feedback from the Taptic Engine.

It's unclear why Apple would remove 3D Touch from the next-generation iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, since Apple has already proven that it can integrate the feature into edge-to-edge OLED displays without issue.

Haptic Touch on the iPhone XR works in fewer places than 3D Touch, including the flashlight and camera shortcuts on the lock screen, in Control Center to view hidden toggles, and to expand notifications. Haptic Touch does not support Quick Actions app menus or Peek and Pop for previewing content.

3D Touch features: Quick Actions on left, Peek and Pop on right​

Perhaps we'll see some hints that 3D Touch is going away entirely in iOS 13, which Apple is expected to unveil at its WWDC 2019 keynote next Monday. That should be followed by new iPhones in September as usual.

Article Link: Apple Expected to Remove 3D Touch From All 2019 iPhones in Favor of Haptic Touch

 

[berrymetal]

If they add all the 3D touch shortcuts as haptic touch, sure why not.

 

[Briskit]

It’s difficult to advertise “visually” what force touch is. So I’d understand why.

 

[Biu_miu]

Sad. It was really convenient to reply to texts/e-mails from lock screen with 3D Touch.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

3D Touch works by measuring the changes in atmospheric pressure between the glass and LCD display. I believe that in order to make the glass/bezels slimmer, they would need to consider omitting 3D all-together.

 

[n-evo]

It's unclear why Apple would remove 3D Touch from the next-generation iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, since Apple has already proven that it can integrate the feature into edge-to-edge OLED displays without issue.

Well gee, I dunno, maybe to cut back costs if Apple can achieve pretty much the same thing through software? Saves them from building in additional hardware. It might even be possible to slim down the iPhone by a fractional margin or prevent it from becoming much thicker.

 

[its93rc]

This is a feature mostly everyone on here calls a gimmick but I love using. I hope they keep a variation of it on the new iPhone.

 

[Nimoy]

I'm hoping this change is "invisible" because I use 3D Touch all the time. Also hoping we "get something" for it, like longer battery life.

 

[kanki1985]

In the pursuit of shaving off another .005mm from an iPhone.. Go Jony!

 

[cigz]

I wouldn't mind if the Haptic Touch was as fast as 3D Touch. It's just too slow for me. With 3D Touch i can quickly turn on the flashlight and other things, with haptic touch on XR it's taking too long. So if they want to remove it, then at least make 3 options - slow, normal and fast with fast being as fast as 3D Touch

 

[rocketman80]

Another reason to keep rolling with my 7+

 

[Elijen]

Probably because nobody is using it. it's to unintuitive.

 

[Mike MA]

Once you got used to 3D Touch you won’t want to miss it. Let’s see the reason why and the replacing feature and judge afterwards.

 

[spintronics]

Soon we will have no-bezel-displays as phones with no additional features. Great.

 

[goobot]

But I like 3D Touch. The real problem is Apple doesn’t know how to make software that highlights their hardware functions anymore. Since iOS 7 the whole ui sucks.

 

[bbednarz]

In the pursuit of shaving off another .005mm from an iPhone.. Go Jony!

You know they've gotten thicker in the last few years right?

 

[plotikai]

Probably because nobody is using it. it's to unintuitive.

I disagree, I use it every day and once you learn which apps have the function built in, it's extremely intuitive. Being able to quickly see how far an address is when someone messages it to me is much better than opening it in another app, then moving back to the messages app to respond, you don't even have to move your thumb! Removing 3 steps to do the same thing, tripling the total time to accomplish the same task

 

[s51kuprel]

Another reason to keep rolling with my 7+

As an 7+ owner, I was debating a iPhone XS vs. An iPhone XR because of 3D touch. I elected to go with the XR, not looking back - Haptic touch is good enough for me, even with the less than 3D touch performance. Minor compared to the price difference.

 

[Gudi]

It's unclear why Apple would remove 3D Touch from the next-generation iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, since Apple has already proven that it can integrate the feature into edge-to-edge OLED displays without issue.

Cause it’s virtually free to program a software solution compared to putting an additional hardware layer in every display. That’s why!

 

[indiekiduk]

After using haptic touch on the Xr I knew this would happen. Haptic touch is light and effortless, 3D touch is unergonomic and error-prone. Haptic touch is comparable to how nice it is to do a touch to tap on a MacBook trackpad, and 3D touch is like doing a force click.

 

[nfl46]

I definitely saw this one coming after using an XR.

 

[mi7chy]

Long touch haptic is less effort and simpler than 3D Touch which requires pinching the phone one handed. Good riddance.

 

[kurosov]

This is the one rumour that will prevent me from upgrading. 3D touch is one of the better interaction additions since multi-touch.

 

[nortonandreev]

I don't use it anyways, but if the same thing can be achieved via software, why not.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Really won't miss it. Don't miss it all on my XR, long-pressing works as well in most instances and it was never clear where 3D Touch would and wouldn't work... it was mostly a guessing game. In all honesty, the biggest feature I enjoyed about the 3D Touch was pressing firmly on the keyboard to get a mouse-like cursor. That is still present on the XR by long-pressing the space bar.

It wasn't a bad feature, but was mostly a novelty.