Beyond the Screen – Explore the Prowess of Revolutionary 3D Touch Technology.
The technology around us is evolving at a fast pace and redefining how we interact with our devices. One such game changer in user experience has been the Revolutionary 3D Touch feature.
Launched by Apple, it revolutionized touch screens with the introduction of 3D touch iPhone in 2015. This responsive technology became instantly popular with the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. It completely altered the way we use and experience our smartphones. All the models, from iPhone 6 and 6s to XS Max, offer 3D Touch.
What is fascinating about this cutting-edge technology is that it's designed to recognize our touch and the depth and pressure of our fingertips to extend a superior user engagement experience.
3D Touch technology has elevated the user experience across most devices, including laptops, display screens, watches, and consumer durables. It has permeated our daily lives, replacing bland button press-driven static interactions with devices with a more immersive, tactile, and intuitive experience. It has added a new layer of interactivity and enhanced functionality, creating a more dynamic and responsive user interface.
Let’s delve deeper into the critical dimensions of this cutting-edge technology and how 3D Touch features are all set to pave the way for enhanced interaction and control.
Table of Content
- What is 3D Touch?
- 3D Touch Test
- 3D Touch iPhone features
- Some 3D touch gestures
- Some 3D Touch apps
- 3D Touch technology in Apple
- Conclusion
- FAQ
What is 3D Touch?
The 3D touch feature is an advanced touch-sensitive feature that assesses the pressure and depth of a user’s touch on a device's screen. Based on the intensity of the touch, it offers the users a range of options to experience the app. The 3D touch feature is a hardware that runs on the iOS 9 operating system. It facilitates different functions or actions on the devices based on the amount of pressure applied on an app icon while staying on the existing or home screen.
What sets this technology apart is its enhanced interactivity and functionality for previewing content and accessing information purely based on range and concentration of touch.
To better understand how this technology works, let us go beyond the surface of an Apple iPhone screen construct and see the mechanics of its working.
3D Touch Test
To check if a device supports 3D Touch, examine the forceTouchCapability property of an object, like your app's views or view controllers, that conforms to the UITraitEnvironment protocol.
Let us now focus on how you can activate or test the 3D touch settings on your iPhone.
To streamline production costs and simplify design, Apple replaced 3D Touch with "Haptic Touch" on the iPhone XR and subsequent models. Haptic Touch mimics some of the 3D Touch features through a long-press interaction. In the recent iOS 17 update, Apple has enhanced Haptic Touch speed, but this improvement is tucked away in the accessibility settings.
Within this menu, you'll find a new option called "Haptic Touch duration," offering three choices:
- default, fast, and slow.
- Opting for the "fast" setting significantly accelerates Haptic Touch responsiveness, reminiscent of the quick and responsive feel of 3D Touch in its heyday.
3D Touch iPhone Features:
Now that we are acquainted with the basics of 3D touch functionality, we must explore another dimension of this revolutionary technology through the iPhone’s 3D touch key features.
The introduction of the soft press and complex press options makes the iPhone stand apart from the previous short and long button presses in terms of user experience. This comes into play through three main features: “Peek and Pop,” “Quick Actions,” and “Pressure and Intensity Sensitivity.”
A closer look at each of these features will help us understand what triggers the iPhone’s enhanced user experience.
1. Home screen Quick Actions.
This feature entails applying a 3D touch on an icon on the home screen that enables quick action. For example, a single press on the Mail icon provides instant access to actions like viewing the inbox or writing a new message. One can create a new post, look at the DMs, or even switch accounts on Instagram from the home screen.
This is possible with the help of one press on the icon on the home screen. A hard press on the camera icon will directly open the Selfie mode on the camera. Similarly, sending one’s location through a hard press on the Maps icon through the 3D touch features is easy.
2. Peek and Pop
Another feature, aptly called Peek and Pop, allows you to "Peek" into an app notification with a light press. A hard press "Pop" opens the notification to let you take action on it. This feature is applicable even when inside an app.
For example, a soft press in the Instagram app will allow you to peek at a picture. A harder press will pop open the details of the picture. It will take you into the picture and let you take action. While viewing the inbox of the Mail app, a light press on a specific email will allow you to peek into that mail. A harder press on that email will open it and let you act on it.
3. Pressure and Intensity Sensitivity.
3D touch feature senses light to medium to firm pressure and the intensity of touch on the screen. The app developers for iPhone use this feature in the apps to detect the pressure of the touch and respond. Users can also change the pressure settings to light, medium, or hard press. As mentioned above, editing the “Touch” option in Settings makes this possible.
Having explored the mechanics of 3D touch and its sensitivity levels, let us deep dive into some innovative 3D touch gestures that are adding depth and dimension to end user experience:
Popular 3D Touch Gestures:
1. 3D Touch Cursor
A 3D touch on the default iOS keyboard converts it into a trackpad. This makes it convenient to move through the text and edit it. Multiple words can also be copied, deleted, or formatted. This feature can also be used in Apps like Messages, Mails, etc.
2. Updates from the App Store.
The user can update all the pending apps in the App Store with the help of just a 3D touch on the App Store icon. Similarly, this feature can download an update for an app stuck in a pending list of downloads.
3. Uses in other Apps.
Several Apple-based apps and third-party apps use 3D touch. Some drawing and sketching Apps, games, and notes are compatible with this feature.
4. Swiping between Apps.
A right swipe on the screen one-fourth of the way shows a preview of the open apps. One can switch to an app by pressing that App.
5. Controls on iPhone:
Controls like WiFi, screen brightness, flashlight, and volume also respond to 3D touch. Action can be taken without going into settings for each control.
6. Photos App:
A 3D touch on a photo allows the user to preview, share, and copy a photo, among other features.
7. Drawing:
3D touch enables doodling on the iPhone screen with the Notes App.
8. Live Photos:
Live photos can be brought to life with a 3D touch.
3D Touch Apps:
Let’s transition into the next aspect, i.e., prime examples of apps seamlessly embracing 3D Touch to offer an elevated and intuitive experience.
- Camera – The most popular and used app that has redefined photography. With 3D touch integration, this app helps you capture those perfect moments easily by giving quick access to camera modes and settings.
- Evernote – This app has leveraged the power of 3D Touch technology to boost productivity by helping you streamline your note-taking tasks.
- Mail - With 3D touch, this app helps you manage your inbox and efficiently streamline email access and response.
- Messages - With 3D touch technology, this app facilitates a quick preview of your messages without fully opening the conversation.
- 5. Citymapper - Utilizing the 3D Touch feature provides quick access to transit information and directions for a more intuitive and hassle-free travel experience.
- Shazam - This app utilizes 3D Touch for instant song recognition, enabling quicker music and a more convenient music discovery process
- Dropbox - Leverages the 3D Touch feature to allow you the benefit of efficient file management and collaboration while on the go.
- Open Table - Reserve dining experiences seamlessly – OpenTable uses 3D Touch to access restaurant details and reservations, simplifying dining planning quickly.
- Instagram - With 3D Touch, the Instagram app extends the benefit of quick views of photos and profiles, thereby enhancing the overall browsing experience.
Further to the above list, many such apps have tapped into the potential of 3D touch technology. Such apps demonstrate the transformative impact of 3D Touch on user experiences.
3D Touch technology in Apple
We all know that Apple brought the 3D touch technology to the iPhone screens. The iPhone screen experience is a result of seamless hardware as well as software-based execution. The screens have four layers that respond based on the pressure of touch. The four layers are:
- Cover glass: This is the screen on which pressure is applied.
- Retina Display: Detects the pressure applied on the screen
- Capacitive sensors: These are attached to the Retina Display. It senses and measures the amount of pressure applied on the screen.
- Taptic Engine: It responds to the amount of pressure on the screen. A slight vibration acknowledges the action taken.
When pressure is applied to the cover glass, the capacitive sensors measure the microscopic changes between the cover screen and the backlight. These capacitive sensors are present behind the iPhone’s Retina Display. It measures the pressure applied and activates the required response. A hard press on an icon triggers the Taptic Engine, which responds to the action with a minor vibration.
Conclusion:
As we bid goodbye to the traditional touch interfaces, the unmatched capabilities of 3D touch technology have irrefutably led to immersive device experiences, better user engagement, and control. Moreover, its widespread usage across applications has fortified its position as the most sought-after feature across devices.
The 3D touch technology has redefined mobile device usability, productivity, and user satisfaction. It has ushered in a new era of responsive and tactile user experience, transforming how we navigate, engage, and use devices.
As we look ahead, this technology will only continue to make strides in the ever-evolving landscape of technology and take our user experience to the next level. All we can say is that there is more in store. Stay tuned for more exciting times ahead.
FAQs
1. What is a 3D Touch iPhone?
Apple incorporated the 3D Touch feature in its iPhone. It is a hardware-based technology that operates with the help of compatible apps. A function activates depending on the pressure applied on the home screen.
2. How do you do a 3D Touch test?
A user can check in the iPhone Settings for 3D Touch features.
Settings- General- Accessibility- Touch- 3D Touch
3. Which Apps are compatible with the 3D Touch features?
Many Apps are compatible with the 3D features. Cameras, Messages, Mail, Contacts, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
4. What are the advantages of 3D Touch technology?
The 3D touch technology has made operating between Apps on the iPhone faster and easier. With the correct finger pressure, one can act on different Apps from the home screen.
5. Which iOS does 3D Touch support?
The 3D Touch features run on iOS 9.
