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Apple Encourages App Store Developers to Adopt 3D Touch

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Apple has sent an email to its Developer Program members encouraging them to find out how their iOS apps can take advantage of 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, signaling that the company would like to increase App Store adoption of the all-new pressure-sensitive feature.

3D-Touch-Apple-email
3D Touch is a pressure-sensitive display technology that enables iPhone users to make "Peek" and "Pop" gestures to access Quick Action shortcut menus, preview content within apps or animate Live Photos. The feature is one of the biggest new additions to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus released in September.


Nevertheless, nearly three months later, a number of developers are only now beginning to update their apps with 3D Touch support. 3D Touch is also not as natural of an experience as multi-touch for some iPhone users, and it could take some time before the new feature becomes registered in muscle memory.

MacRumors shared a poll with our Twitter followers asking if they use 3D Touch, and the results are expectedly mixed. The poll, which has received nearly 4,000 votes and counting, will be live until December 17 at around 10:30 AM Pacific, so be sure to participate if you own an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus.

Recently, a number of popular iPhone apps were updated with 3D Touch support, including Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Evernote, Facebook Messenger and Spotify. Other popular apps using 3D Touch are listed below, and more can be tracked on our sister website AppShopper by searching for "3D Touch."

  • Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

  • Amazon Video

  • Astropad Mini

  • Badland

  • BBM

  • Buffer

  • Byword

  • Camera+

  • Canary

  • Capital One Mobile

  • CARROT Weather

  • Citymapper

  • Coda

  • Day One

  • Deezer Music

  • Drafts

  • Dropbox

  • ESPN

  • Evernote

  • Facebook

  • Facebook Messenger

  • Fantastical

  • Flickr

  • GIF Keyboard

  • Google

  • Google Chrome

  • Google Drive

  • Hipstamatic

  • Instagram

  • Instapaper

  • iWork suite

  • KakaoTalk

  • Launch Center Pro
  • Lifesum

  • LinkedIn

  • Microsoft Outlook

  • News360

  • NFL

  • OneDrive

  • OpenTable

  • Overcast

  • PCalc

  • Pinterest

  • Pixelmator

  • Periscope

  • Reeder 3

  • Shazam

  • Skype

  • Spark

  • SPG

  • Spotify

  • Storehouse

  • Things

  • Todo

  • Touchnote

  • Tumblr

  • TuneIn Radio

  • Tweetbot

  • Twitter

  • VSCO

  • Waze

  • Weather Underground

  • WeChat

  • Weibo

  • WhatsApp

  • Workflow

  • Wunderlist

The list above will be periodically updated with other popular 3D Touch apps.

Top Rated Comments

140 months ago
Developers really do need to get on board with this amazing technology. I'm at the point now where I'm starting to delete apps that haven't bothered to do anything with 3D Touch. And I know I'm not the only one.
Sorry - are you serious - you've deleted apps just because they don't use 3d touch?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
140 months ago
Another gadget gimmick. Concentrate on improving battery and innovative charging solutions....Please.
Translation: something I have no use for = 'gimmick'.

Apple needs to do the same for split view. What a joke that none of Google's apps support it, even apps that have had several updates since iOS 9 was introduced.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
140 months ago
Translation: Help us make this more than just a gimmick ;)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crosscreek Avatar
140 months ago
Another gadget gimmick. Concentrate on improving battery and innovative charging solutions....Please.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
140 months ago
I can't share the sentiment that 3D Touch is a gimmick. It's quite useful and I've incorporated it into my usage patterns to the point where I'd have a hard time giving it up. I get a little disappointed when apps don't use it where they could.

It does take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it its great.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
140 months ago
The other problem with 3D Touch is you can't design a full UI around it as you always have to have an alternative to it for users who don't have it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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