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Does anyone else prefer a physical home button.

D

davelees76

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 2, 2014
54
29
As an android user for many years, I always kind of looked down at the physical home button on the iPhone. Just seemed clunky and outdated compared to virtual controls.

However, since getting the iPhone SE, I've really come to appreciate it. The home button does a lot of different things, from touch id to going to the home screen to multitasking. There is something nice about having such a useful control always there giving you that physical feedback when you use it.

The only thing I don't like about the iPhone SE button is that it is physical and can wear out over time.

The haptic feedback button on the 7's and 8's seem like the perfect combination of usefulness and durability. I'm really looking forward to upgrading to the 8 plus, and that virtual home button is a big reason why.

Virtual controls are great, but I've really become fond of the physical home button. Anyone else feel the same?
 
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Yes! Especially the solid state version on the 7 and 8 series. Combined with TouchID, this is why I'm agonizing over choosing the 8 Plus or X. I like the new form factor, but also like the old home button. I guess there's no having your cake and eating it too.
 
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Not sure..I think I'm really going to like swiping up to go home as its a very natural movement and will be very intuitive. I also like how swiping up and holding will bring up the app switcher. Much easier than having to double click imo. The fact that Apple finally got rid of the 2 huge top and bottom bezels means I'm all for a no physical home button. Can't wait for the X!
 
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It might be because I'm fairly new to iPhone so the home button is more of a novelty.

For you grizzled iPhone vets I can definitely see why you want a change :)
 
I use the gestures a lot, so unless a complete fail by FaceID, I don't see the need for TouchID or the home button anymore.

If FaceID is a success I don't see Apple bothering with a TouchID under the glass implementation. After all its 20x more secure than TouchID.
 
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andyw715 said:
I use the gestures a lot, so unless a complete fail by FaceID, I don't see the need for TouchID or the home button anymore.

If FaceID is a success I don't see Apple bothering with a TouchID under the glass implementation. After all its 20x more secure than TouchID.
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree, this is probably the last year we will see the physical home button. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!
 
I will happily use Touch ID for another year & by then Apple should have polished Face ID well enough & started incorporating it everywhere. We’ll see how well it works once X is out.
 
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Going without the home button (aka TouchID) is very much disjointed now, in Apple World.

Apple JUST put TouchID on the MacBook Pro, it waited a year after the 5S to get it on the iPads.

Now we're disjointed again. UGH. Buyers be aware!
 
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I like the home button. 'Going home' happens potentially hundreds of times a day and I just find a press to be mechanically simple and shorter, not to mention reachability. It's a bummer there's nowhere to press, although Tim is probably putting that one back up his sleeve to roll out as a 'feature' in a year or two.

The button centralises a few tasks, and makes things neater
 
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i think without being able to get hands on with it, right now yes but i think it will take a lot getting used to. being it's been a staple since the original iPhone. i think Touch ID under the display would have blown me away. maybe it will re-appear one day.
 
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yes, i do. i like mechanical interaction. i just bought two new iPhone SEs to provide back-up to my current SE (since Apple discontinued them).
 
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I very quickly became used to the lack of a physical home button and now prefer it.

I wouldn’t be against a side button that acted like an optional home or programmable function button.

I think I would like programmable side buttons.
 
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Phone Junky said:
More prone to failure.
Click to expand...

Not really, Which is also is an _extreme_ rarity, considering that the home button is capable of thousands of presses. Being frequent member on here, I barely recall a time where others are experiencing home button failure due to mechanical issues.
 
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I miss the home button but I missed the physical keyboard back in the Droid 1 days for many... many years. Face-ID is a huge success. 7 months ago I got my Xs from an 8+ and yeah... I couldn't be happier with it. It works really well and I see why they went to it from the thumb print. I still like Touch ID and kinda miss it, but only nostalgic, no good reason.

Laying in bed with my face on a pillow, Face ID doesn't like so I have to lift my head up, never had to do that with Touch ID, but it's a minor inconvenience. Works in dark too!

Still, within a month I completely adapted to gestures - swiping up, swiping up and to the right for double home button press. 7 months in and it's completely 100% natural.

Like @Relentless Power said, I've owned iPhones since the 4s and never seen or had a button fail.
 
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I like the full screen and gestures are ok since they are well done. But I do not like Face ID and the ideal would be an in screen fingerprint sensor with the edge to edge design.
 
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