3D Touch came into our lives in 2015 when Apple launched the iPhone 6s.
The feature, which measures the intensity of a finger pressing on an iPhone screen and then brings up context sensitive menus and actions, does certainly make tasks quicker and easier.
If you don’t use 3D Touch on a daily basis, or don’t know how to use it at all, here are 5 handy hints that will get the ball rolling for you.
First off, there are different kinds of 3D Touch actions available:
* Quick Actions: These enable faster and more direct access to frequently used features, such as pressing firmly on a home screen app icon to bring up a list of app-specific options.
* Peek and Pop: Pressing a little firmer on an app gives you a peek at content (think of it like a preview); pressing even harder lets you “pop” to the content you were previewing.
* Pressure Sensitivity: 3D Touch allows your iPhone to measure exactly how hard you are pressing, enabling new levels of control and interactivity. For example, pressing harder in a drawing app might make a thicker line.
1. Get quick access to iPhone settings with 3D Touch
If you 3D Touch the Settings icon, you will get direct access to the following options:
– bluetooth
– Wifi
– Mobile data
– Battery
Selecting any of the options will take you directly to that section of the Settings app. This will definitely save you significant time over using the traditional navigation.
2. Navigating text with 3D Touch
Trying to correct spelling errors or needing to retype part of a sentence is an everyday occurrence for some. Traditionally, you would need to tap into the line of text to change the cursor’s position. With 3D Touch, however, you can turn your keyboard into a trackpad and simply move your finger to where you want the cursor to be.
Important notes:
* Make sure you are currently in the line of text you want to modify.
* With the keyboard on the screen, press firmly on it and move your finger.
* This will allow you to move your cursor position to where you want it to be.
3. Use 3D Touch to manage your photo library
The Photos app offers another of the best implementations of 3D Touch. In Photos, you can move through and manage your photo library all in one go.
• Open Photos.
• Tap Photos in the bottom left.
• Press firmly on any image in your list and it will pop into view.
• Swipe up and you will now have options to manage your photo.
• Now you will be able to get your photo library in shape much more quickly.
4. Reply quickly to messages
With iOS 10 and 3D Touch together, you gain the ability to quickly reply to messages without even leaving the app you are in. This is a huge timesaver.
If you have notifications turned on for messages coming in, you can reply using 3D Touch without leaving what you are currently doing.
◦ Make sure you have notifications turned on in Settings.
◦ When you see a notification for a new message come in, press firmly on it.
◦ You can reply within the notification and get back to what you were doing.
5. Take a photo
With 3D Touch, you can take a photo much more quickly from your iPhone’s home screen. Just press firmly on the camera icon to bring up its Quick Access options:
◦ Take Selfie
◦ Record Video
◦ Record Slo-mo
◦ Take Photo
