iPhone X swipe up vs tap.

[mcdj]

Thinking about what it’s gonna be like swiping up every time I want to use the phone (a little weird/annoying at first I’d imagine, after 10 years of home buttons), and wondering what stopped Apple from making the home screen gesture a tap or even a force touch instead. They could even render a virtual haptic home button on the screen where the home button should be as a tap zone for the home screen.

Any ideas why this wouldn’t work?

 

[Technarchy]

Thinking about what it’s gonna be like swiping up every time I want to use the phone (a little weird/annoying at first I’d imagine, after 10 years of home buttons), and wondering what stopped Apple from making the home screen gesture a tap or even a force touch instead. They could even render a virtual haptic home button on the screen where the home button should be as a tap zone for the home screen.

Any ideas why this wouldn’t work?

I forget the source but a few months ago there was a write up indicating the OLED element is more fragile than LCD and the constant pressure on a single point will cause more failure over time.

Allegedly this is why Samsung only has a single pressure point rather than the whole screen on the S8 series.

 

[myscrnnm]

I'm pretty sure the whole point of making "return to home" a gesture rather than a tap/press is because Apple wants to eliminate both the physical home button as well as the waste of space with a virtual home button.

If I understand you correctly with your last statement, I assume you're envisioning a system where you would be viewing an app that takes up the entire screen, but by using haptic controls, eg Force Touch, it would return you to the home screen rather than register it as input within the app. But this wouldn't work because it would create the potential for conflicts with how the app developer designed their app. What if there are scenarios within the app where it requires you to use Force Touch in the area where you'd usually press to return home?

The swipe up gesture is the best possible solution because it solves the problem of wasted space on the bottom of the phone, and is a simple motion that would not conflict with any other system functions.

 

[bambooshots]

It's a simpler motion.

 

[Packers1958]

I'm sure for the first week or so, I will be trying to press an imaginary home button until I get use to it.

 

[flat five]

Thinking about what it’s gonna be like swiping up every time I want to use the phone (a little weird/annoying at first I’d imagine, after 10 years of home buttons), and wondering what stopped Apple from making the home screen gesture a tap or even a force touch instead. They could even render a virtual haptic home button on the screen where the home button should be as a tap zone for the home screen.

Any ideas why this wouldn’t work?

probably way too many false positives if using a tap

 

[serialiphoneuser]

In 14 days, you get used to using it or you return it before buyers remorse sets in.

Constant swiping is one of the many reasons I didn't go with the X.

 

[HylianKnight]

I forget the source but a few months ago there was a write up indicating the OLED element is more fragile than LCD and the constant pressure on a single point will cause more failure over time.

Allegedly this is why Samsung only has a single pressure point rather than the whole screen on the S8 series.

That seems hard to believe, otherwise Apple would have removed force touch in the iPhone X.

 

[mcdj]

I should have clarified that I was only referring to initially getting past the lock screen. I realize there are a million other times we use the home button to get to the home screen from within other apps and that a virtual button won’t work in those instances. But I do think just tapping the screen, anywhere, from the lock screen could be a viable way to get to the home screen from the lock screen, post face-ID.

 

[flat five]

I forget the source but a few months ago there was a write up indicating the OLED element is more fragile than LCD and the constant pressure on a single point will cause more failure over time.

Allegedly this is why Samsung only has a single pressure point rather than the whole screen on the S8 series.

That seems hard to believe, otherwise Apple would have removed force touch in the iPhone X.

Apple is doing something different than Samsung.

while Samsung builds the panels for iPhone X, Apple builds the displays/screens.

(trying to make a differentiation between just the OLED and the entirety of the display sandwich)

 

[myscrnnm]

I should have clarified that I was only referring to initially getting past the lock screen. I realize there are a million other times we use the home button to get to the home screen from within other apps and that a virtual button won’t work in those instances. But I do think just tapping the screen, anywhere, from the lock screen could be a viable way to get to the home screen from the lock screen, post face-ID.

If you're just talking about getting past the lock screen, then I don't see what the problem is. We used swipe to unlock for years and it wasn't a problem. It's one of the most recognized on-screen gestures in the world.

 

[mcdj]

If you're just talking about getting past the lock screen, then I don't see what the problem is. We used swipe to unlock for years and it wasn't a problem. It's one of the most recognized on-screen gestures in the world.

Yeah I guess you’re right. I’m old. I kinda forgot that’s how it used to be. Haha.