Lesser-Known 3D Touch Features: Peek and Pop Safari Tabs, Keyboard Trackpad, and More

[scapegoat81]

You missed an extra feature with the App Switcher shortcut. If you press hard on the side and swipe across the whole screen, it quick swaps you back to the previous app.

I use this feature constantly. It was one of my main reasons to jailbreak. iOS 9 is the first v of iOS that I haven't.
Hopefully the next gen iPhone will nix the home button & iOS 10 will bring a way to close an app with a swipe gesture that brings you to the home screen. A Tage UI if you will
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3D Touch or not, text selection is the most infuriating thing that has been left unfixed on iOS imho.

This. When introduced I thought, great ! When in reality, it's very hard to use & extremely inconsistent.

 

[kodos]

The article and the comments thread exposes the fact that 3D Touch is neither discoverable nor intuitive.

 

[FieldingMellish]

3D touch, aka Force Touch, is something I will never seek to learn nor use.

 

[dalthicks]

You should've showed that it can be used for switching between apps. That's super convenient and I use it everyday! I also use peek and pop in Instagram a lot.

Also, I have this issue with "Keyboard Cursor Trackpad", I noticed it from the day one and it still happens even on 9.3, it is that it only works once. After you lift your finger it doesnt respond to 3D Touch, you have to type few letters to make it work again. Does anyone have the same issue?

EDIT: OK I see I'm not the only one.

I thought I had this issue as well - if you simply wait until the cursor starts blinking (.5 second) then it will start to work again. Unless there is some other issue that I'm not having.

 

[ArmCortexA8]

Peek and pop are so cool. It's nice seeing conversations and pictures without actually opening them.

Damn people are getting lazy in order to justify a "feature". Hell is it too challenging to open an App to see the data the close the app? It's not rocket science. 3D Touch is basically a context menu overlay - like a right click mouse button - that's all. Nothing amazing. Again people fall for marketing gimmicks instead of the functionality.

 

[C DM]

The article and the comments thread exposes the fact that 3D Touch is neither discoverable nor intuitive.

The are articles about how to use Siri on the iPhone or iPad, or how to use the App Store on Apple TV. Doesn't really mean anything in particular one way or another.

 

[freepomme]

This is adaptive technology rather than responsive technology. We have to go out of our way to use it.

And no one is doing that because there's barely any benefit.

 

[GoodWheaties]

How so? I was under the impression the only reason the phrase 3D Touch exists is because Apple can't use Force Touch on a phone because that phrase belongs to Huawei. I could definitely be wrong, but it's seems the combinations of capacitive sensors and linear actuators perform the same functionality in Force/3D Touch. 3D Touch may be more sensitive but that seems like a difference without a distinction.

I would say the difference between the two is 3D Touch "knows" where the force is applied, whereas with Force Touch the force is simply applied wherever the cursor is. Since iOS doesn't have a cursor we don't know if there actually is a software difference or just hardware difference. Or maybe somebody can tell I don't know.

 

[69650]

Never used 3D Touch and can't think of a single reason to use it. I've no idea what apps support it.

 

[69Mustang]

I would say the difference between the two is 3D Touch "knows" where the force is applied, whereas with Force Touch the force is simply applied wherever the cursor is. Since iOS doesn't have a cursor we don't know if there actually is a software difference or just hardware difference. Or maybe somebody can tell I don't know.

iOS does have a cursor, ironically, via 3D Touch. Nomenclature still seems to be the only real difference to me. I'm sure there's someone out there who actually knows. It ain't me, but there has to be someone.

 

[C DM]

This is adaptive technology rather than responsive technology. We have to go out of our way to use it.

And no one is doing that because there's barely any benefit.

Clearly plenty of people are doing, just not everyone or anything like that, but that doesn't necessarily really mean anything in particular about that technology yet.

 

[ohms12]

Toe thumbs. I couldn't watch.

 

[JimmyHook]

3D Touch is a must-have piece of tech. I will pay for an app that incorporates it well over a free app that doesn't any day of the week. I'm glad Apple can move an entire ecosystem to embrace it. Samsung will try to copy it (even as they claim it isn't innovative lol). However, they won't get Android devs on board

 

[MacHead84]

I only use it for Mail App.

 

[Arndroid]

My problem is I go between my iPad Air 2 and 6s, using the iPad more frequently, that I never get into a rhythm in terms of learning what I can and can't do with 3D Touch.

 

[stanman64]

Keyboard trackpad is great, but SwipeSelection jailbreak did a wayyyy better job and didn't use/need 3D Touch... That tweak alone is the #1 reason I am tempted to jailbreak again. It was ridiculously useful, changed the whole accessibility of your device.

I would love to see Apple reach the functionality that SS has, so here's to hoping.

 

[fetch101]

In group messages you can use 3D touch on the contact's photo (or initials if they don't have a photo) to contact them straight from there without having to tap on Details.

 

[b1wils1]

i use it, sparingly, but feel it can only be improved upon. i try to force myself to remember to do it for the apps with useful quicklinks.

 

[BruceEBonus]

How things have changed since the simplicity and intuitiveness that was associated with IOS is now gone.

 

[cfc]

If you want to see a completely unique use of 3D Touch then check out Poison Maps, where it is used to provide simple panning across maps by temporarily zooming out according to how hard you press. It requires just one touch of one finger instead of the multi-touch finger gymnastics required by the traditional pinch/swipe approach (which it is intended to complement rather than replace).

It is described in this video (which contains narration):

Full disclosure: I wrote the app, so I'm a little bit biased, but several websites have praised it and suggested that Apple should use it in their apps. It is not just useful for maps but would work on any document that is too big to be displayed on the screen, such as viewing a large PDF or a desktop website.

 

[dannys1]

This is everything I hate about screen "protectors" - hideous. Looks like its got a hairline crack all the way along the phone on the edges and around the touch id button already!
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If you want to see a completely unique use of 3D Touch then check out Poison Maps, where it is used to provide simple panning across maps by temporarily zooming out according to how hard you press. It requires just one touch of one finger instead of the multi-touch finger gymnastics required by the traditional pinch/swipe approach (which it is intended to complement rather than replace).

It is described in this video (which contains narration):

Full disclosure: I wrote the app, so I'm a little bit biased, but several websites have praised it and suggested that Apple should use it in their apps. It is not just useful for maps but would work on any document that is too big to be displayed on the screen, such as viewing a large PDF or a desktop website.

That's brilliant mate, fantastic work!
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I would say the difference between the two is 3D Touch "knows" where the force is applied, whereas with Force Touch the force is simply applied wherever the cursor is. Since iOS doesn't have a cursor we don't know if there actually is a software difference or just hardware difference. Or maybe somebody can tell I don't know.

Nah works exactly the same - the Force Touch trackpad on the Macbook's can sense pressure too. They don't incorporate it as much but it does the same thing as my iPhone 6s

 

[Freeks]

I really do not understand the need of 3D touch in some of the examples. Why it would not work with just long press? Quick tap is a click and long tap is open context menu.

 

[cfc]

I really do not understand the need of 3D touch in some of the examples. Why it would not work with just long press? Quick tap is a click and long tap is open context menu.

You are right that some of the uses of 3D Touch could be implemented with a long touch. I originally wrote the gesture in the video above using a long touch and it worked great (and still does on devices without 3D Touch). However there are definite advantages to 3D Touch that vary according to what you are using it for.

Firstly it is quicker than a long touch, which is useful. Secondly, you have more control throughout the gesture. For example with Peek and Pop you can decide to pop into what you are peeking at, which isn't possible with a long touch.

Another example is for my zoom/pan gesture, where the user can adjust the zoom factor during the gesture by varying the pressure. On the long touch version the zoom factor is controlled by how long you initially press, but after that you cannot vary it. With the 3D Touch version you can vary the zoom factor throughout the gesture.

 

[kdarling]

How so? I was under the impression the only reason the phrase 3D Touch exists is because Apple can't use Force Touch on a phone because that phrase belongs to Huawei.

"Force touch" is an old industry term for the technology and doesn't belong to anyone, I would think. It's like "multi-touch".

Although, "ForceTouch" (as one word in blue) is trademarked by a company called NextInput, who is thought to make the Mac touchpads.

I would say the difference between the two is 3D Touch "knows" where the force is applied, whereas with Force Touch the force is simply applied wherever the cursor is. Since iOS doesn't have a cursor we don't know if there actually is a software difference or just hardware difference. Or maybe somebody can tell I don't know.

Hardware.

Force touch commonly uses a sensor on each corner, while 3D Touch uses an array of sensors behind the screen.

 

[Gudi]

"Force touch" is an old industry term for the technology and doesn't belong to anyone, I would think.

Good, trademarking a phrase always works like someone would think it does.