Do you wish you could do more than just swipe and tap on your iPhone screen? If the rumors are correct, pretty soon you will be able to interact with the iPhone in another cool way.
According to 9to5Mac, the forthcoming iPhone 6S will include a “Force Touch” feature that will allow users to drop a pin in Maps, create an event in Calendar, and perform other quick functions by simply pressing more deeply on the screen. The Force Touch feature was first introduced with the Apple Watch earlier this year. On the Watch, Force Touch allows you to clear your notifications, compose a new message in the Messages app, share your locations in Maps, and a bunch of other interactions.
The iPhone 6S is also reportedly incorporating another feature from the Apple Watch in order to fully support Force Touch: haptic feedback, or more subtle silent vibrations. Force Touch and haptic feedback have already been incorporated into the trackpads on some new Macs, like the Retina MacBook Pro line and the 12-inch MacBook. Considering how Apple likes to keep its family consistent, it’s no surprise that the company is moving towards making Force Touch a signature feature in all its new products.
Because the screen area on the Apple Watch is small, Force Touch is an essential feature required to perform a lot of the necessary functions. However, on the iPhone 6S, Force Touch will be more of an added bonus to help out iPhone “power users,” according to 9to5Mac’s unnamed source using a Force Touch-enabled iPhone prototype.
Apple has designed iOS 9 to be “Force Touch-ready” and is working to give third-party developers the option to integrate this feature into their apps, 9to5Mac reports. But since the iPhone 6S is not expected to be introduced (or even mentioned) at WWDC in June, it’s likely that the accompanying Force Touch will not get a shout-out either.
Beyond Force Touch, the 9to5Mac report claims that iOS 9 will also have a redesigned keyboard to make QuickType more prominent. Apple has also reportedly redesigned the Shift key, which has been a visual enigma for many users confused as to when caps lock has been activated. Other than that, the Messages app will allegedly let you set which contacts gets your read receipts. That way, your family will be able to see when you’ve read their message, but your coworkers can still be kept in the dark after bombarding you with messages on the weekend.
Author: Oscar Raymundo, Staff Writer
Oscar writes about iOS, mobile culture and digital music. He also hosts 'The iPhone Show' from Macworld's San Francisco HQ.