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Apple Reportedly Hasn't Given Up on Haptic Buttons for a Future iPhone

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Apple is still exploring solid-state buttons with haptic feedback for a future iPhone, according to a new report from a known Weibo leaker.

iPhone-15-Pro-Multi-Purpose-button-Mute-Switch-Feature-Green-2.jpg

In a new post, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" said that Apple's work on solid-state buttons for the iPhone is ongoing. They said that production cost is not the project's main issue, but rather "mistouches," since a correct response is apparently not "perfectly guaranteed."

Apple is said to currently be adjusting the "tactile design" of its solid-state buttons and working on their long-term reliability, especially for mass production. Apple's current button design is integrated directly into the frame, with no rebound when clicked, but the company is apparently seeking to more closely replicate the experience of a traditional mechanical button.

The advantages of the design are simplicity and reducing mechanical wear, while enabling users to differentiate between a light press and a firm press to trigger different functions. The project is purportedly now "on hold," with the company determining that the current market is more interested in display and battery technology advancements.

It was widely reported that Apple was intending to bring solid-state buttons to the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 as part of "Project Bongo," but it canceled the plan at a late stage. They were then rumored to come to the iPhone 16 Pro, before being shelved indefinitely. The feature is not expected to arrive in the iPhone 17 lineup, but the latest report suggests that they're likely to appear someday in the future.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Hasn't Given Up on Haptic Buttons for a Future iPhone
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/02/apple-hasnt-given-up-on-haptic-buttons/
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MacRumors said:
The advantages of the design are simplicity and reducing mechanical wear, while enabling users to differentiate between a light press and a firm press to trigger different functions.
Click to expand...
By show of hands, how many here have ever had a mechanical button on an iPhone stop working before we replaced the device?

Obviously all anecdotal, but I've never had any mechanical button on an iDevice (buying since 1st gen iPhone) wear out. This includes "Home" buttons on iPads that we've kept in use for many years as they get handed down to the kid. Not sure reliability of mechanical buttons has really been a major issue.

Multiple functions on a single button is not something that adds value for me but obviously, others may feel differently. You know what the multi-function button on my 15 PM does? Same thing the mechanical switch it replaced did in my earlier iPhones, only less elegantly.
 
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I have heard that this is the most requested feature from all their customers trumping everything from displays easier on the eyes to foldables to a better Siri experience. Apple listens to customers!
 
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thejadedmonkey said:
Oh goody, making more features that unusable in cold weather climates. They really need to send a design team to Minnesota in the winter.
Click to expand...

Why would they be unusable? Apple system/design engineers and project managers are not stupid.
 
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They are trying to reinvent the button 🤯.
Then what ? The wheel ? They will make it square with a haptic rolling feel ?
I got iPhones since the 3GS and buttons have never failed ! I had broken displays, broken back glass, broken face ID, but BUTTONS DO WORK, Apple !
 
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I remember the first time I pressed the Home button on my iPhone while the battery was dead. I had thought it was a mechanical button, but no, the feedback was haptic, not clickable! I thought it was broken until I charged it back up and it worked again!
 
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I would rather they focus on something more useful. Trying to correct my tying on the iPhone is a nightmare. There are no buttons to scroll back so you have to try and place the cursor with your finger. It’s so frustratingly difficult to place the cursor on the right place. I usually end up having to use the back/delete button and re type everything again.
 
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Aeronauts said:
I would rather they focus on something more useful. Trying to correct my tying on the iPhone is a nightmare. There are no buttons to scroll back so you have to try and place the cursor with your finger. It’s so frustratingly difficult to place the cursor on the right place. I usually end up having to use the back/delete button and re type everything again.
Click to expand...
They’ve lost sight of the fact that their focus on the details of the most frequent interactions we have with their products helped make Apple great in the first place. I’ll take improvements in finger interactions, autocorrect, and the annoying selection behaviors that occur when typing any day over new buttons, glass devices, or bigger cameras any day.
 
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Mr_Ed said:
By show of hands, how many here have ever had a mechanical button on an iPhone stop working before we replaced the device?

Obviously all anecdotal, but I've never had any mechanical button on an iDevice (buying since 1st gen iPhone) wear out. This includes "Home" buttons on iPads that we've kept in use for many years as they get handed down to the kid. Not sure reliability of mechanical buttons has really been a major issue.

Multiple functions on a single button is not something that adds value for me but obviously, others may feel differently. You know what the multi-function button on my 15 PM does? Same thing the mechanical switch it replaced did in my earlier iPhones, only less elegantly.
Click to expand...
Stop working completely? I saw the home buttons break a lot, Apple started allowing that virtual home button because of that. Eventually they moved to solid state buttons, which were a lot more reliable. Volume and the other side buttons *breaking*? Not so much, but getting stuck by getting gunk, liquid, etc in there? that happens a lot to folks and solid state buttons would solve that
 
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MacRumors said:


Apple is still exploring solid-state buttons with haptic feedback for a future iPhone, according to a new report from a known Weibo leaker.

iPhone-15-Pro-Multi-Purpose-button-Mute-Switch-Feature-Green-2.jpg

In a new post, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" said that Apple's work on solid-state buttons for the iPhone is ongoing. They said that production cost is not the project's main issue, but rather "mistouches," since a correct response is apparently not "perfectly guaranteed."

Apple is said to currently be adjusting the "tactile design" of its solid-state buttons and working on their long-term reliability, especially for mass production. Apple's current button design is integrated directly into the frame, with no rebound when clicked, but the company is apparently seeking to more closely replicate the experience of a traditional mechanical button.

The advantages of the design are simplicity and reducing mechanical wear, while enabling users to differentiate between a light press and a firm press to trigger different functions. The project is purportedly now "on hold," with the company determining that the current market is more interested in display and battery technology advancements.

It was widely reported that Apple was intending to bring solid-state buttons to the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 as part of "Project Bongo," but it canceled the plan at a late stage. They were then rumored to come to the iPhone 16 Pro, before being shelved indefinitely. The feature is not expected to arrive in the iPhone 17 lineup, but the latest report suggests that they're likely to appear someday in the future.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Hasn't Given Up on Haptic Buttons for a Future iPhone
Click to expand...
I don’t see why this is being pursued, a physical button is not something that hinders the phone. I loved how Steve introduced the original iPhone as foolproof: one button, and took you home, with everything else on the screen. Apple should focus its efforts on improving AI, Maps, Email, or even battery life. Imagine if they made an iPhone last an entire week—that would be far more compelling to consumers than these gimmicks.
 
I'm worried that touch buttons will give a worse experience. Are these going to be hard to press with a case on our phones? Also, I don't want my phone vibrating while I'm pressing the volume button in the camera app to take a photo.
 
Please no!

They said that production cost is not the project's main issue, but rather "mistouches," since a correct response is apparently not "perfectly guaranteed."
 
The more non needed things Apple tries to implement on iphones that I don't want, the better the "e" versions start to look.
 
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