iPhone 15 Pro Solid-State Button Sensitivity Can Be Customized to Cater for Cases and Gloves

[MacRumors]

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users will be able to customize the sensitivity of the solid-state buttons on their device, thanks to a new sensitivity toggle in Settings. That's according to details provided by a hitherto reliable source that shared additional details on the MacRumors forums.

Earlier this week, the same anonymous tipster revealed that the iPhone 15 Pro models will use a new ultra-low energy chip allowing the new volume, power, and "Action" solid-state buttons to remain functional when the handset is powered off or out of battery.

Some iPhone users immediately raised concerns about how the new capacitive buttons will work properly when a case is fitted or when gloves are worn. In response, the tipster has revealed that iOS 17 will include a new toggle in Settings that will enable users to customize the sensitivity of the buttons to accommodate these different usage scenarios.

iPhone case makers typically receive design details about Apple's upcoming models ahead of launch that allows them to make tweaks for button positioning and other external changes. Combined with the new sensitivity setting, this should avoid any potential issues with the peculiarities of the new capacitive buttons, which will detect presses, holds, and respond to various levels of pressure via the use of a new Force Touch-style mechanism and Taptic Engine feedback.

In line with previous rumors, solid-state capacitive buttons are expected to be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro models, with the standard iPhone 15 models retaining the same traditional button mechanism as on the iPhone 14 series. The iPhone 15 Pro is also gaining a new customizable Action button in lieu of the mute switch, with a unified volume button replacing the separate up/down volume buttons.

The iPhone 15 series is expected to be announced in September, as per Apple's typical iPhone launch timeframe. For everything else we know about the new iPhone 15 series, check out our dedicated roundups using the links below.

Article Link: iPhone 15 Pro Solid-State Button Sensitivity Can Be Customized to Cater for Cases and Gloves

 

[mrr]

Hope it works when the battery is dead

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

That’s great! Reminds me of Touch Bar. But I still want Apple to leave the Mute Button alone.

 

[Populus]

Last night, no joking, I dreamt that I was buying the 15 pro. No idea why, maybe it’s because it’s rumored to be physically slightly smaller… but it will be too expensive, and with an excessive protruding camera.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Apple should have released the Solid-State Buttons on iPhone Mini to determine if people like it or not.

 

[MayaUser]

Apple already tried with the iphone 7/8 solid state home button and people adjust to it from the first second...like the new trackpads from the 12" Mb towards

 

[andyadler]

Why do I get the feeling that this is a solution in search of a problem?

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Last night, no joking, I dreamt that I was buying the 15 pro. No idea why, maybe it’s because it’s rumored to be physically slightly smaller… but it will be too expensive, and with an excessive protruding camera.

While we're at it , last night i dreamt that i bought a magic keyboard for my ipad pro

Im glad it was just a dream lol

 

[redbeard331]

Apple already tried with the iphone 7/8 solid state home button and people adjust to it from the first second...like the new trackpads from the 12" Mb towards

Yea when I first used a iPhone 7 it was so weird, it felt like I was pushing a button, felt like it was moving. To this day I still have it and the home button feels the same as the day I bought it, couldn’t say that about any of the phones with the old home buttons that moved.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Why do I get the feeling that this is a solution in search of a problem?

What problems do the current physical buttons have? We’ve had it for over a decade.

 

[ian87w]

Putting a bandaid over a problem caused by a newly introduced thing that replaces an older thing that had nothing wrong and worked fine.
Is Apple taking cues from politicians in how to do things?

Meanwhile, the software running these things are falling apart.

 

[chasemac]

This is a horrible idea. Consumers would be outraged! Next!

 

[ian87w]

Oh and does anyone remember 3D Touch? 3D Touch seems like a more innovative thing in utilizing the Taptic Engine.

 

[zakarhino]

Why do I get the feeling that this is a solution in search of a problem?

The same argument could be made for 3D touch but in my opinion that actually made certain tasks faster (in particular Peek, one of the most useful features ever). The long press haptic version of Peek is slower and speed is everything especially for power users and young people that use their phones at 1,000mph.

Because these buttons will be pressure sensitive and work in conjunction with haptics you can create a volume rocker that lets you instantly mute without holding down the Volume Down button for a couple seconds. It also means the Volume Up Camera trigger button can operate like a two stage trigger whenever you're taking a picture.

Usually I hate these Apple "innovations" that actually make your life harder (touch bar) but this is the rare instance I get the vision and I'm excited. I think this will end up being a feature loved by a lot doubters but it's all dependent on a rock solid implementation.

Also my initial reaction to the solid state (no rocker) Mute switch was confusion but it makes complete sense. I've seen so many other people like myself on here that hardly ever use the mute switch because we always keep our phones in vibrate mode anyway. Instead I find myself frequently using the Lock Rotation switch. The problem with having a two state hardware rocker switch is that you cannot sync it with a software switch so the only solution is to make a solid state toggle button instead. This new design will let you remap the Mute button into something you use all the time without the out-of-sync issue I mentioned. I suspect Apple will implement a unique taptic 'feel' for 'on' and 'off' respectively so you can figure out the state of the button without actually looking at your phone.

 

[zakarhino]

Oh and does anyone remember 3D Touch? 3D Touch seems like a more innovative thing in utilizing the Taptic Engine.

Right! This is 3D touch for physical buttons though. This is going to be useful and save time. I think everyone will come to like this feature.

 

[Aleh]

People can be so tiring. You don’t have to like the changes but acting willfully ignorant isn’t needed either. These buttons will have new functionality and will be more durable with time and yet we always get all these comments going on about “change for change’s sake” and “solutions in search of problems” and it’s just so bizarre to me.

 

[redbeard331]

Right! This is 3D touch for physical buttons though. This is going to be useful and save time. I think everyone will come to like this feature.

Agree, yes, now that I think of a user customizable button like the iPhone 7 home button, people will come to love it. That one was also customizable if we all can remember you could change the power of the vibration to your liking.

 

[redbeard331]

People can be so tiring. You don’t have to like the changes but acting willfully ignorant isn’t needed either. These buttons will have new functionality and will be more durable with time and yet we always get all these comments going on about “change for change’s sake” and “solutions in search of problems” and it’s just so bizarre to me.

Hi 👋

Yes 👍

 

[zakarhino]

Apple already tried with the iphone 7/8 solid state home button and people adjust to it from the first second...like the new trackpads from the 12" Mb towards

Bingo. The new Mute switch will have a unique feel for whether you've toggled the specific setting (default Mute, maybe customizable to other things like rotation lock or Do Not Disturb) and everyone will figure out the new paradigm in a few presses. This change is a non-issue unless your case sucks and cannot confidently transfer the haptics through the case material. Net positives: customization of mute switch to other useful actions, force-based volume toggling (hard press down is quick mute for example), software based remapping of the volume up button into a two stage camera shutter, etc.

 

[ian87w]

People can be so tiring. You don’t have to like the changes but acting willfully ignorant isn’t needed either. These buttons will have new functionality and will be more durable with time and yet we always get all these comments going on about “change for change’s sake” and “solutions in search of problems” and it’s just so bizarre to me.

Do the buttons actually failing left and right that better durability is needed? How about the extra moving parts with more Taptic Engines being put in? And which one is easier to repair, a simple button or a Taptic Engine failure?

 

[ian87w]

Agree, yes, now that I think of a user customizable button like the iPhone 7 home button, people will come to live it. That one was also customizable if we all can remember you could change the power of the vibration to your liking.

The solid state home button made sense because there were actually real reliability issues with the physical home button failing. Plus the benefit for water proofing.

 

[Aleh]

Do the buttons actually failing left and right that better durability is needed? How about the extra moving parts with more Taptic Engines being put in? And which one is easier to repair, a simple button or a Taptic Engine failure?

Never had a taptic engine fail, and it’s more about buttons becoming mushy than outright failing, but for the mute switch, that actually is pretty fragile compared to normal buttons too

 

[wanha]

Putting a bandaid over a problem caused by a newly introduced thing that replaces an older thing that had nothing wrong and worked fine.
Is Apple taking cues from politicians in how to do things?

Meanwhile, the software running these things are falling apart.

Really? You have non-stop software issues with your iPhone?

 

[zakarhino]

Now that I think about it this is a net POSITIVE for glove users because if the buttons are multi function depending on pressure applied then you can create a secondary 'deep press' (like 3D touch or the new trackpads) for each button:

The existing system:
Volume Up = Volume Up (glove compatible)
Volume Down = Volume Down button (glove compatible)
Vibrate toggle = Useless for music playback
Play / Pause / Next Track / Previous Track = You HAVE to use the touchscreen to toggle these or poke around your AirPods stem (not glove friendly)

New paradigm:
Volume Up = Volume Up (glove friendly)
Volume Down = Volume Down button (glove friendly)
Action button = Toggle play/pause (glove friendly)
Deep press volume up = Next track (glove friendly)
Deep press volume down = Previous track (glove friendly)

Glove users that were decrying this change will actually be the biggest beneficiaries of this new system 🤯 Holy smokes!!!!!! I've been wanting a way to toggle all of the above without touching the screen or fiddling around with my AirPods stem for YEARS!!!! Also if the haptics can be configured to be stronger than the feeling of a physical button press it will be even easier to confirm a button press than vs. the old buttons

 

[deaglecat]

It is about reducing returns and repairs. Not the user experience.