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[ IOS ]Master 3D Touch shortcuts on iOS
UNLEASH THE EXTRA POWER OF YOUR IPHONE’S PRESSURE-SENSITIVE SCREEN.
[ ALAN STONEBRIDGE ][] MASTER 3D TOUCH SHORTCUTS ON IOSTHE SCREEN IN the iPhone 7 and 6S series
(but not the SE) can sense the amount of
pressure you apply, enabling apps to react
differently than if you simply tap on an item.
Apple calls this tech 3D Touch. On the
Home screen, 3D Touch provides shortcuts —
or Quick Actions, as Apple calls them — to
popular features in many apps with just a firm
press followed by a tap. In fact, you don’t even
need the tap; just press your finger on an icon,
slide it to the Quick Action you want and let go
to choose it. Sometimes, you’ll also be shown
a widget containing key information from the
corresponding app, such as current conditions
from Weather, the last item you worked on
in Notes, and up to four of your most recent01
QUICK APP ACTIONS
For many apps, a firm press on their
Home screen icon reveals a list of
actions. In some cases, it also shows a widget with
info or additional actions; if you refer to a widget
often, there’s an option to add it to iOS’s Today view.03
CONTROL CENTRE
Apply 3D Touch to an icon in Control
Centre’s bottom row: pick from flashlight
strengths, start a 1, 5, 20, or 60-minute timer, copy
the last result from Calculator, or jump into Photo,
Selfie, Video or Slo-mo camera modes.02
SWITCH APPS
Instead of double-pressing the Home
button to open the app switcher, press
firmly on the left edge of the screen. Alternatively,
press firmly while swiping to the screen’s right edge
to go back to your previous app.[STEP BY STEP]
HOW TO USE 3D TOUCH SYSTEM SHORTCUTSMemories in Photos. (Note that items in
widgets have to be tapped.)
3D Touch also provides a more powerful
experience when selecting text in apps such as
Notes and Pages. It enables you to move the
insertion point around a document while
keeping your fingers over the on-screen
keyboard rather than obscuring the text with
them and having to rely on iOS’s magnifying
glass effect and find the desired finishing
position. 3D Touch also enables you to very
quickly extend your selection by additional
whole words, sentences or paragraphs.
Though we say text selection with 3D Touch
is powerful, it can take a few attempts to
master applying different levels of pressure.If you find 3D Touch over- or undersensitive,
bear in mind that its responsiveness can be
altered; you’re shown an option to tailor it
when you first set up your iPhone, and it can
later be adjusted to one of three levels in
Settings > General > Accessibility > 3D Touch.
There is, of course, a chance that you’ll
dislike some aspects of 3D Touch. Sadly,
unlike being able to turn off certain gestures
on a multi-touch mouse or trackpad on your
Mac, iOS provides no way to selectively disable
some 3D Touch behaviours. So you must get
used to accidentally triggering some features
and try to adjust the firmness of your presses
or, if that doesn’t work out, disable 3D Touch
altogether.