How to Use 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

[MacRumors]

Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus has been selling strongly since its launch last month, thanks in part to a number of new features including 3D Touch. With it, users can access Quick Actions from the home screen and Peek and Pop from within a variety of stock and third-party apps.

If you're wondering about what all of the hubbub is about, or want to know how to make it work better for you, we've put together this handy guide for 3D Touch.

If you are still trying to decide whether to upgrade to the iPhone 6s model, why not stop into an Apple Retail store and test out 3D Touch (along with the device's other great features) for yourself on one of the many demo units.

Quick Actions

You can only use Quick Actions on an app's icon, and it works as shortcut to specific features within the app. For example, the Pinterest app includes direct access to trending pins, the search function, and board creation. Instagram's Quick Action lets you create a new post, view your activity, search, or send a direct message.

To trigger Quick Actions, give a firm press on an app's icon. When the menu appears, drag your finger to the shortcut you would like to use. The app will open directly to that feature. If you don't press hard enough to pop up the shortcuts and feel a bit of haptic feedback, your phone will instead register a long press that allows you to enter the familiar mode where you can rearrange and delete apps on the home screen.


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Article Link: How to Use 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

 

[Benjamin Frost]

All seems rather a fiddle to me.

Thanks for showing how to turn it off.

 

[shanson27]

I like it, especially for dribble, to see the gifs. without open the link

 

[r-m]

I so often get about a 4 out of 5 fail rate for the trackpad feature!
Sometimes feels like if I do the 3D Touch on a letter, it fails and taps the letter. So I end up repeating a few times deleting the letter, trying again..
But if I 3D Touch aiming for a gap between letters, it's more likely to work.
I usually give up and use the old method for text selection and cursor positioning.

 

[larrylaffer]

How to use 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus:

* touch harder

 

[Futurix]

I found 3D Touch very useful - especially quick actions for apps like Shazam (to start listening immediately) or Flipboard (to skip useless cover stories). My only concern is how all this force pressing will affect durability of my new phone - it feels odd to press HARD on such precious thing.

I so often get about a 4 out of 5 fail rate for the trackpad feature!
Sometimes feels like if I do the 3D Touch on a letter, it fails and taps the letter. So I end up repeating a few times deleting the letter, trying again..
But if I 3D Touch aiming for a gap between letters, it's more likely to work.
I usually give up and use the old method for text selection and cursor positioning.

I thought it only supposed to work for Space button?

 

[tomifazzio]

I so often get about a 4 out of 5 fail rate for the trackpad feature!
Sometimes feels like if I do the 3D Touch on a letter, it fails and taps the letter. So I end up repeating a few times deleting the letter, trying again..
But if I 3D Touch aiming for a gap between letters, it's more likely to work.
I usually give up and use the old method for text selection and cursor positioning.

This happened to me too all the time! Now I figured out how it works: the iPhone ignores force touches when you perform them immediately after laying your finger on the touchscreen to avoid unwanted triggering of the feature. The way to trigger it without the iPhone ignoring it is by first laying your finger super softly on the glass, almost hovering on top of it, then wait a couple miliseconds before applying pressure. That's the most effective method!

 

[nortofthe13th]

It's magic! And totally genius! (Sure, because it's got levels of pressure the learning curve is definitely there. But seriously - it's not that bad.) The convenience of peaking in and out of things quickly is fun, but more than that - the quick actions and multitasking integration are wicked slick!

 

[Menopause]

I found 3D Touch very useful - especially quick actions for apps like Shazam (to start listening immediately) or Flipboard (to skip useless cover stories). My only concern is how all this force pressing will affect durability of my new phone - it feels odd to press HARD on such precious thing.

Exactly what tomifazzio said. Wait for a second after lifting your finger — it will work perfectly. Learned it the hard way!

 

[mfvisuals]

In the interest of accuracy for this article, iMovie and the iWork suite of apps aren't 3rd party apps, as they're made by Apple too.

 

[asleep]

Nice.

Thanks for putting that together!

 

[wheelhot]

Yeah, initially I got frustrated as I'm unable to get 3D Touch to work, always ended up triggering the reorder apps command instead then I switched the 3D Touch sensitivity to lightest and then realized that when you lightly tap it harder, the app icon boundary box slowly expands, this means 3D Touch is activated, the deeper you press the faster it expands.

Use it all the time for camera to select photo/selfie/video, also to make the keyboard into a trackpad (much better then 2 finger to activate like on a iPad), and I use it to go into app switcher, so no more double tapping the home button.

It works in most areas, but I don't see its benefit in previewing SMS msges

 

[Rafagon]

This happened to me too all the time! Now I figured out how it works: the iPhone ignores force touches when you perform them immediately after laying your finger on the touchscreen to avoid unwanted triggering of the feature. The way to trigger it without the iPhone ignoring it is by first laying your finger super softly on the glass, almost hovering on top of it, then wait a couple miliseconds before applying pressure. That's the most effective method!

How does one "wait a couple milliseconds"?

 

[Sill]

How does one "wait a couple milliseconds"?

When you're hovering over something and the Force Touch contextual menu pops up, select the "couple milliseconds" timer in the native Clock app.

 

[Gigaman]

I LOVE 3D Touch, especially when it comes to multitasking- I definitely use it everyday. Trackpad is another great thing I use a lot.

I didn't think I'd use the app icon menus, but I do use them occasionally.

 

[SlipperySlop]

All seems rather a fiddle to me.

Thanks for showing how to turn it off.

I find it very useful. Why do you hate it so much?

How to use 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus:

* touch harder

Huh??

 

[Shirasaki]

I like it, especially for dribble, to see the gifs. without open the link

But you still open that link and wait sometime to download it. Right? In my opinion, I am still viewing a link. Only difference is I don't open it in a new tab. This is somewhat convenient for iPhone and iPad.

I find it very useful. Why do you hate it so much?

Yes it's very useful.
But I think haptic engine feedback feeling is Awful.

 

[appledefenceforce]

I find it very useful. Why do you hate it so much?

Anything made by Apple is hated by some people nowadays. But still ironic considering we're on Apple-centric website.

I found 3D Touch very useful - especially quick actions for apps like Shazam (to start listening immediately) or Flipboard (to skip useless cover stories). My only concern is how all this force pressing will affect durability of my new phone - it feels odd to press HARD on such precious thing.

I find 3D touch a lot more useful when I adjust the sensitivity to Light in the setting. It's easier to use.

 

[lars666]

Is the 3D Touch trackpad function also open for third-party keyboards like Swype – or are those forbidden to implement it like the microphone dictation?

 

[ConnYoungy]

Thank god for this! I was beginning to think I'd never understand this feature

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I played with a friend's iPhone 6S the other day (I have a 6+ - see little reason to make such a small upgrade - I'll just wait for the 7 or 8), and I was surprised at how difficult and non-intuitive I found force touch to be.

I only played with it for ~30 seconds, but I feel like normally when Apple has a new IO feature like this, it has no learning curve - you just immediately understand how to use it.

I find Apple Pay kind of awkward, too... you have to double click the home button with the screen off, but if it misfires the screen will just turn on, and then you'll have to lock it again to try again... super awkward/embarassing. It's honestly probably easier to just use my credit card - it's not like it ever misfires and I accidentally end up swiping my driver's license instead or something.

 

[ConnYoungy]

I find Apple Pay kind of awkward, too... you have to double click the home button with the screen off, but if it misfires the screen will just turn on, and then you'll have to lock it again to try again... super awkward/embarassing. It's honestly probably easier to just use my credit card - it's not like it ever misfires and I accidentally end up swiping my driver's license instead or something.

If you want to ready your card in advance, sure that can happen, but Wallet will open no matter what screen your phone is open to when it's near the paypoint, then you just have to scan your thumb. Embarrassment avoided.

 

[dampfnudel]

I found 3D Touch very useful - especially quick actions for apps like Shazam (to start listening immediately) or Flipboard (to skip useless cover stories). My only concern is how all this force pressing will affect durability of my new phone - it feels odd to press HARD on such precious thing.

I can definitely see how 3D Touch would be beneficial for an app like Shazam where a few seconds may mean the difference between identifying a song and missing it. At first I thought it would be a gimmick, but after playing around with it at the Apple store, I'm looking forward to using it.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

If you want to ready your card in advance, sure that can happen, but Wallet will open no matter what screen your phone is open to when it's near the paypoint, then you just have to scan your thumb. Embarrassment avoided.

#1 - I have a wallet case, so it's not like my iPhone is easily accessible but my credit card isn't.
#2 - I haven't found that the app always opens automatically. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. Often when it does, there's a several second delay during which I feel like an idiot.

 

[ConnYoungy]

#2 - I haven't found that the app always opens automatically. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. Often when it does, there's a several second delay during which I feel like an idiot.

It sounds like a problem with your phone then, I've never had any delay. But you know, it's OK for Apple pay to just not-be-for-you