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Apple Offers a Temporary Workaround if the Home Button Fails on an iPhone 7

MacRumors said:
With the introduction of the iPhone 7, Apple did away with the classic click-mechanism home button in favor of a "solid-state" pressure sensitive one that uses haptic feedback to mimic traditional button presses.


... the haptic feedback began malfunctioning after a restart. A dialog prompt warns that the home button is in need of repair, but presents an alternative onscreen home button for temporary use until the phone has been turned in to Apple for servicing.

MacRumors has previously noted that the Taptic Engine can become unresponsive if the OS freezes,
Click to expand...

Isn't that just trading one simple problem for a more complex one ?
Physical buttons can break, but so can the IMO more complex eccentric rotating mass vibration motor.
Electric motors, even miniature ones are surely more complex beasts than a simple trigger button, no ?

If previously the physical button was working independent of OS freeze ups and able to reset the phone in conjunction with the power button, then why remove the button and place a surely more costly device like this haptic engine in its place, including a pressure sensitive button to activate the motor via software and in addition remove the headphone jack because of it.

Seems a bit convoluted to me.
 
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I know it was the haptic engine started malfunctioning, but doesn't say whether it still works. I'm wondering: does it emulate a click when you press the onscreen button?
 
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tentales said:
Isn't that just trading one simple problem for a more complex one ?
Physical buttons can break, but so can the IMO more complex eccentric rotating mass vibration motor.
Electric motors, even miniature ones are surely more complex beasts than a simple trigger button, no ?

If previously the physical button was working independent of OS freeze ups and able to reset the phone in conjunction with the power button, then why remove the button and place a surely more costly device like this haptic engine in its place, including a pressure sensitive button to activate the motor via software and in addition remove the headphone jack because of it.

Seems a bit convoluted to me.
Click to expand...
The haptic engine isn't required for the button to work is it? Why couldn't it still detect a press even if it can't give physical feedback to the user about it?

Also, the Taptic Engine may be no more likely to break the the old vibration motor, so eliminating one physical button does still lower the overall likeliness of failure.
 
mazz0 said:
The haptic engine isn't required for the button to work is it? Why couldn't it still detect a press even if it can't give physical feedback to the user about it?

Also, the Taptic Engine may be no more likely to break the the old vibration motor, so eliminating one physical button does still lower the overall likeliness of failure.
Click to expand...
Then why do they need the on-screen software button ? It seems the OS freeze up suspends *both* the reading of the pressure sensitive button AND the haptic engine.
Or, more likely, if one fails, the other does as a result of the OS not reading the button in the first place.
Still more complex than a firmware level recognition of the original click-button.
 
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mazz0 said:
The haptic engine isn't required for the button to work is it?

Also, the Taptic Engine may be no more likely to break the the old vibration motor, so eliminating one physical button does still lower the overall likeliness of failure.
Click to expand...
Epic Apple Fail...

They should've used a proven capacitive button like Nexus uses.
 
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tentales said:
Isn't that just trading one simple problem for a more complex one ?
Physical buttons can break, but so can the IMO more complex eccentric rotating mass vibration motor.
Electric motors, even miniature ones are surely more complex beasts than a simple trigger button, no ?

If previously the physical button was working independent of OS freeze ups and able to reset the phone in conjunction with the power button, then why remove the button and place a surely more costly device like this haptic engine in its place, including a pressure sensitive button to activate the motor via software and in addition remove the headphone jack because of it.

Seems a bit convoluted to me.
Click to expand...

Except the taptic engine is rated for about 10,000x more "button presses" than the physical button was. So not really (and it can easily be swapped out if required for repair)

I mean my MacBook Pro has a taptic engine for the trackpad and think how many times a day I click that - probably an average day i'm clicking the trackpad as much as i'd use the home button on my iPhone in a month - I've had it for what, 17 months now?
 
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At least we know for sure that the iPhone 8 will have physical volume buttons and not edge-display based 'virtual' ones. Otherwise OS freezes would be bricking phones left right and centre.
 
Two questions

1 Does that on-screen home button move around like its Accesibility counterpart?
2 Is this the test run for a future button-less iPhone?
 
smacrumon said:
It's good to have a fallback, but the aim is to never need a fallback. Why is a device so new already popping up such errors? iPhone 7 is truly an experimental device release. Looking forward to 2017's all new device.
Click to expand...

Errors are popping up precisely because the concept is still so new. Software can be refined. Hardware can and will be fine tuned.

2017's iPhone will improve on existing features, but because it will likely introduce new hardware as well, expect other problems to crop up as well. What more when it is a whole new form factor with new materials and manufacturing process.

You are never going to get a flawless phone.
 
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mazz0 said:
The haptic engine isn't required for the button to work is it? Why couldn't it still detect a press even if it can't give physical feedback to the user about it?

Also, the Taptic Engine may be no more likely to break the the old vibration motor, so eliminating one physical button does still lower the overall likeliness of failure.
Click to expand...
No it isn't required. I removed it from my 7 Plus to see if I liked it better without any physical feedback but put it back in after a week. Worked fine.
 
marvz said:
You know how many iPhone 7's have been sold, right? Millions. If only one of 1 million iPhones has this problem it means 0.000001 %. But yeah this iPhone is such an experimental device. Please stop posting this nonsense.
[doublepost=1476529947][/doublepost]
Then don't post such arguments if you don't know nothing. iPhone's old physical Home Button is the part that has to be repaired the most.
Click to expand...

Actually, one in 1 million is 0.0001%.
 
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keysofanxiety said:
This is properly clever. It also demonstrates just how much thought Apple put into designing the new home button. Not only how it functions when it goes right — but what happens when it goes wrong.
Click to expand...
When you are being sarcastic, , it always helps to add an emoji else some folk will actually think you are being serious lol
 
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SO the "alternative onscreen button" is just the accessibility menu button or is it an onscreen home button?
 
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