If my iPhone 6 couldn’t have 3D Touch then why does it now have 3D Touch?

[cynics]

I agree to a certain extent with the OP. I think a better example is the Home.app the iPad. Here is a video I made really quick.

Notice the slight hesitation and wobble? That is Apple intentionally making a long press look and feel like a 3D touch press. I used the Home app for while before it dawned on me that an iPad doesn't have 3D touch.

That said, 3D touch/Force Touch/whatever is NOT the same as a long press.

First and most obviously a 3D touch doesn't need to be "long". Long presses are inherently a slow interaction and usually avoid in GUI where it can be.

Secondly, 3D touch has layers. Its hard to describe so I'll just go with soft, medium and hard. So medium press a link in safari and you can preview the webpage, push harder and it pops to full screen. You can hold the medium pressure to see the preview and release it to not goto the link. Clearly a long press is incapable of that.

If you only look at from the surface for things that a long press can do then you aren't familiar with what 3D touch can do.

Another example, photos. From the album press a photo with medium pressure, you get a preview, swipe up with that pressure and you can copy, share, delete, etc press harder and it pops into full view. This is nice because you can quickly find and share photos without swiping through all of them in full screen or whatever.

 

[Michael Goff]

Do we need another thread arguing about the nature of long press vs 3D Touch?

 

[sethlution]

This.

If the functionality was there all along they should not of withheld it.

It's simple actually. They can't move all 3D touch functionality to tap and hold (or long tap) gesture on older devices because it would mess up the old existing functionality.
-3D touch on the home screen app to get the shortcut menu: the tap and hold is already assigned to app editing/arranging mode.
-3D touch on link to peek/pop: tap and hold link is already assigned to shorcut menu (copy/open link in new tab ...)
-3D touch on edge for multitasking: if assign to tap and hold you would accidentally trigger it accidentally constantly just by holding the phone in certain

The example you have given is a place where tap and hold gesture doesn't do anything, hence why they can assign it with no problem. It's easy to think of 3D touch as just a fancy tap and hold, but if you've used it constantly you'll see it's quite different and in most cases design to compliment (not replace) tap-and-hold.

 

[boltjames]

Do we need another thread arguing about the nature of long press vs 3D Touch?

It's the first one for me, so, yes.

 

[macfacts]

You really are being a moof-milker / grade-A doofus about this…

The information here (https://developer.apple.com/ios/3d-touch/) clearly demonstrates how the functionality of 3D Touch cannot be replicated on a device without the necessary hardware. Also see the WWDC 16 video linked there.

You know how Android doesn't have 3d touch but copied some features? And how now iPhone 6 has some more long hold actions now? This is what's trying to be said.

 

[Shirasaki]

You miss my point. And you have bought into Apple’s magic pixie dust. Pressure sensitive and long press are the same thing.

What 3D Touch provides primarily (popular buried functions quickly accessible via long press on app icons) was just quietly introduced to older devices via iOS 11.1

It is now nothing more than savvy marketing to call the feature that is on the 6S and forward iPhones “3D Touch“ when the same functionality is now persistent on the 6 and older devices. No special screen is needed, no special processor is needed, same type of functionality can be emulated quite easily without all of that supposedly important hardware.

Can you do this on your iPhone (without jailbreak ofc)?

So many people think hard press is just long press with different name. It is not. Just because applying the pressure takes a bit longer than tapping on the screen does not mean long press is equivalent to force touch.
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I wasn't wrong about anything.

The functionality of 3D Touch has been replicated by long press on the iPhone 6 under iOS 11.1. That is a fact.

No. It is not a fact. And I bet you already read the explanation coming before my post already.

Not sure why we're even having this debate. It is just fact.

Unless it is not.

I’m disengaging from this thread lest it turn into another, tinfoil hat, 60+ page of ever shifting goalpost textual diorrhea. It may still, but I won’t be wasting my time in it.

That “deliberate” something something. Lol. But I don’t think this one would be 60 pages long at all.

 

[ZEEN0j]

Disagree.

Let's say that if instead of the giggly icon delete on a home screen long press it instead brought up a fly-out submenu with options just like 3D Touch, one of which was "remove app" and another "move app". Could have had the best of both worlds.

And what would a long press do on 3D Touch devices?

 

[Shirasaki]

And what would a long press do on 3D Touch devices?

Still do whatever a long press should do. Aka, still long press and call the additional option in control center. Cannot call additional options of apps. Cannot invoke cursor while typing. Nothing much different from 6 Plus. If there is any difference, the vibration while long pressing the control center controls is still there.

 

[cynics]

I mentioned this but its worth pointing out again. A long press of anything is typically avoided or used for things you wouldn't want to inadvertently happen or do very rarely. This is generally true for most software and OS. In the case of iOS its deleting apps.

While we could figure out a way to long press a lot of features in iOS it would make the entire OS feel clunky and not well thought out.

A lot of people dont know this (excuse me if you do) but its used for selecting text as well. If you drag your finger across text with a light press moving the cursor around (magnifying glass) and force press into a specific word it will select that word. If you maintain that pressure and drag it will select more text. Before 3D touch selecting multiple words out of text could be very tedious and unreliable. That in combination with moving the cursor from the keyboard has made light years of improvement with typing from the iPhone 6 to the 6S and higher.

 

[pika2000]

This.

If the functionality was there all along they should not of withheld it.

Imo Apple introduced 3D Touch on the 6S in order to prepare the tech when they went to solid state home button on the 7. The whole 3D Touch gestures were the side effect (and marketing spin).

Maybe that's why Apple "disabled" the 3D touch gesture for the app switcher on the early versions of iOS11. Those gestures were not their intention to begin with, especially now the fact that they are removing the home button altogether on the X, but they had to put it back since people thought it's a missing feature.

 

[aevan]

I wasn't wrong about anything.

The functionality of 3D Touch has been replicated by long press on the iPhone 6 under iOS 11.1. That is a fact.

As others have proven, it hasn't. Fact.

 

[boltjames]

Can you do this on your iPhone (without jailbreak ofc)?

If Apple added two more options to every long-press menu on iPhone 6 as shown above, yes.

3D Touch can be replicated with a long press. Quite simple.

 

[C DM]

If Apple added two more options to every long-press menu on iPhone 6 as shown above, yes.

3D Touch can be replicated with a long press. Quite simple.

Some aspects of 3D Touch, and generally at some cost of usability.

 

[Shirasaki]

If Apple added two more options to every long-press menu on iPhone 6 as shown above, yes.

3D Touch can be replicated with a long press. Quite simple.

Alright, this is not a good example. However, pressure sensed screen cannot be mimicked by software through dimension of time. Force touch is based on that. It cannot be replicated by long press. Simple.

 

[boltjames]

Alright, this is not a good example. However, pressure sensed screen cannot be mimicked by software through dimension of time. Force touch is based on that. It cannot be replicated by long press. Simple.

My point is at the level right above that. My point isn't that pressure sensitive screens can magically appear on non-equipped devices. My point is that pressure sensitive screens aren't necessary at all.

I've been off my iPhone 6 and onto my iPhone X for 5 days now and I fully understand the capabilities of 3D Touch as relates to the OS and there is nothing, nothing, that 3D Touch does that cannot be replicated almost entirely by the options of "move app" and "close app" added to the flyout menu's. Because, after all, the pressure function is only needed to add that "third" layer, right?

Layer 1: Tap (opens an app)
Layer 2: Long Press (moves or deletes an app)
Layer 3: Pressure Long Press (exposes a menu with shortcuts)

You are too caught up in how the screen works and you're not paying enough attention to what it brings to the user. 3D Touch isn't a "technology". It's the way that Apple chose to get to that third layer of customer engagement. Using the flyout, like in my example above, eliminates the need for the Pressure Long Press and thus 3D Touch. I can create a flyout menu for any long press scenario you can throw at me as long as "move app" and "close app" are on there. Those are the only functions that stood in its way to begin with. Apple merely chose not to do it.

 

[Shirasaki]

3D Touch isn't a "technology

Yes, it is not a technology. It is just a pathetic desperate marketing term trying to convince people how high tech it is. However, pressure sensitive screen is. It adds that extra layer to open a lot more opportunities to interact with the screen.

Because, after all, the pressure function is only needed to add that "third" layer, right?

Yes. That third layer is the whole purpose of this pressure function.

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Above all, you are tunnel visioning is the summary. The entire reply focuses on that very little force touch feature that even I don’t use very often despite I have it. But that reply forgets everything else that the third layer can add while a long time press cannot, or very difficult to achieve, or achieved in a tedious way, less intuitive.

Btw, based on your analogy, mouse is not needed as it only adds one more “layer” to control the computer. But now, every computer needs a mouse to function except some very specific scenarios. Same for force touch.

 

[Marshall73]

If Apple added two more options to every long-press menu on iPhone 6 as shown above, yes.

3D Touch can be replicated with a long press. Quite simple.

Well. They didn’t and don’t, because that’s just bad user experience. And all phones have 3D Touch now anyway so it ain’t gonna happen. Move along.

 

[ZEEN0j]

Let’s say they add the 3D Touch menu to non 3D devices, accessible with a hold input. And they move deleting and moving apps to that menu.

Doing this they have now basically removed long hold from 3D Touch devices in the homescreen. Which sets it up to do something else. So Apple decides to do something else with long hold with 3D Touch devices. So now we are back to square one. Should they now add that to the 3D Touch menu as well and how long do you want that list to become?

 

[Lappen71]

No your iPhone 6 can't have 3D Touch because it doesn't have the hardware for it.
Just plain stupid thread.

 

[orbital~debris]

My point is at the level right above that. My point isn't that pressure sensitive screens can magically appear on non-equipped devices. My point is that pressure sensitive screens aren't necessary at all.

I've been off my iPhone 6 and onto my iPhone X for 5 days now and I fully understand the capabilities of 3D Touch as relates to the OS and there is nothing, nothing, that 3D Touch does that cannot be replicated almost entirely by the options of "move app" and "close app" added to the flyout menu's. Because, after all, the pressure function is only needed to add that "third" layer, right?

Layer 1: Tap (opens an app)
Layer 2: Long Press (moves or deletes an app)
Layer 3: Pressure Long Press (exposes a menu with shortcuts)

You are too caught up in how the screen works and you're not paying enough attention to what it brings to the user. 3D Touch isn't a "technology". It's the way that Apple chose to get to that third layer of customer engagement. Using the flyout, like in my example above, eliminates the need for the Pressure Long Press and thus 3D Touch. I can create a flyout menu for any long press scenario you can throw at me as long as "move app" and "close app" are on there. Those are the only functions that stood in its way to begin with. Apple merely chose not to do it.

3D Touch isn’t limited to the aspect you’re getting your knickers in a twist over (‘flyout’ menus), though…

The Apple developer page about the technology (that I pointed out & linked to in a previous response) shows that another aspect of 3D Touch is pressure sensitivity applied to creative apps, where line thickness/weight information can be translated from how hard the user presses on the display.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

Does anyone actually use 3D touch? I find it rather annoying and gets in the way most times. it makes it harder to copy and paste certain things because when you went to press on something to copy a preview of what you're copying comes up and then you have to swipe up and select the copy option

I use 3D Touch all the time - I love it. You can pull up all kinds of quick actions both inside (like writing/drawing and creating a line of varying thickness based upon pressure) and outside of apps (like on the homescreen). Very useful, and thanks to the Taptic Engine, very tactile. It feels like a little 'pop' (I do have the setting on high...because I like it).

And to "BJ" who is claiming that a Long Press is the same as 3D Touch...No. Just no. Read a spec sheet. When, or if, you do ever get a new iPhone, you'll be able to see how they differ. I guess on paper, and not having used the functionality, it may seem the same. But it really doesn't feel that way in real life. Also, you can set 3D Touch to activate using a setting of "light, medium, or firm" pressure. So you don't need to long press anything; a QUICK "push" against the screen can bring up the contextual menu offerings.

 

[Radon87000]

Jailbreaks have shown that iPhone 6 can have almost all the 3dtouch functions through a long press like Apple has done in CC. The reason Apple didn't give iPhone 6 any right click menu option at that time was because that would render the iPhone 6s utterly pointless. The iPhone 6s is a spec bumped 6 with 3dt and 2 go of ram.
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And what would a long press do on 3D Touch devices?

You can disable 3dtouch and have an option for long press even on those devices. 3DT is hard to execute on app icons on a phone like he Plus. Long press is much easier. The only place where 3dt is useful is the keyboard cursor.

 

[C DM]

Jailbreaks have shown that iPhone 6 can have almost all the 3dtouch functions through a long press like Apple has done in CC. The reason Apple didn't give iPhone 6 any right click menu option at that time was because that would render the iPhone 6s utterly pointless. The iPhone 6s is a spec bumped 6 with 3dt and 2 go of ram.
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You can disable 3dtouch and have an option for long press even on those devices. 3DT is hard to execute on app icons on a phone like he Plus. Long press is much easier. The only place where 3dt is useful is the keyboard cursor.

Isn't that generally what an S model is?

 

[Radon87000]

My point is at the level right above that. My point isn't that pressure sensitive screens can magically appear on non-equipped devices. My point is that pressure sensitive screens aren't necessary at all.

I've been off my iPhone 6 and onto my iPhone X for 5 days now and I fully understand the capabilities of 3D Touch as relates to the OS and there is nothing, nothing, that 3D Touch does that cannot be replicated almost entirely by the options of "move app" and "close app" added to the flyout menu's. Because, after all, the pressure function is only needed to add that "third" layer, right?

Layer 1: Tap (opens an app)
Layer 2: Long Press (moves or deletes an app)
Layer 3: Pressure Long Press (exposes a menu with shortcuts)

You are too caught up in how the screen works and you're not paying enough attention to what it brings to the user. 3D Touch isn't a "technology". It's the way that Apple chose to get to that third layer of customer engagement. Using the flyout, like in my example above, eliminates the need for the Pressure Long Press and thus 3D Touch. I can create a flyout menu for any long press scenario you can throw at me as long as "move app" and "close app" are on there. Those are the only functions that stood in its way to begin with. Apple merely chose not to do it.

I personally thought 3dt was just a way Apple could avoid the accusation that they copied Android by taking a slightly different view on it. Long press does everything 3dt can and then some.

 

[C DM]

I personally thought 3dt was just a way Apple could avoid the accusation that they copied Android by taking a slightly different view on it. Long press does everything 3dt can and then some.

Long press has been around in iOS for a long time before 3D Touch.