Will 3D Touch be the new Home Button?

February 5, 2016

Will the iPhone get rid of the Home Button? A patent application brings us closer to this scenario.

The application was filed by Apple a few days ago and shows that the touch ID Home Button for iPhones and iPads could use a similar 3D Touch technology to the 3D Touch technology already on the iPhone 6s or the track pads on MacBook's with Force Touch.

So you won't need a physical button, like the Home buttonbut the 3D Touch Home Button on the screen will be able to sense how much pressure is needed for certain functions.

Presumably, the use of 3D Touch will be exactly the same as it is today: a light tap to recognize a fingerprint and a larger tap to "wake up" the device or return to the home screen. But perhaps add more functional features similar to what we see on the iPhone 6s.

A loud press of a button 3D touch could display shortcuts to useful functions while an application is already open. For example, if you receive an SMS while browsing the web by pressing hard on 3D Touch, ready-made replies could be displayed for quick response without having to open the Messages app.

It is not yet clear whether a 3D Touch button will have other benefits, such as a thinner design for the iPhone. The already existing Home Button is old technology and Apple has never been afraid to get rid of the old in favor of the new. That's how it eliminated the CD ROM from the MacBook Pro, and by the same token it intends to get rid of the iPhone 7 from the headphone jack.

We should, however, all keep in mind that this is only a patent, which doesn't mean that it's necessarily going to be incorporated into upcoming devices in reality.

From mirelen.