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iPhone X Supports Reachability With Swipe Down Gesture on Home Screen Indicator Once Enabled

Tuesday October 31, 2017 4:25 AM PDT by Joe Rossignol

Despite some speculation suggesting the iPhone X would not support Reachability, reviews of the device published today have confirmed that the feature can be enabled in the Settings app on the device.

Once enabled, Reachability can be invoked by swiping down on the bar that serves as a visual indicator for returning to the Home screen.

Skip to the 5:05 mark in Engadget's first impressions video to see Reachability in action. The tidbit was highlighted on Reddit by user Whert Ser Nert.

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Apple iPhone X first look Engadget

Watch on YouTube

Reachability is designed to bring down the entire top portion of the iPhone's display so it is within thumb's reach for one-handed access to apps and content. The feature is invoked by double tapping the Home button on other iPhone models.

Tag: Reachability

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

118 months ago

Actually a clever and intuitive way to do it..

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

118 months ago

The minute someone says they haven’t had much time with a device I stop watching or reading their so-called review. I’d much rather read/see a review from someone who’s been using the device as their daily driver for a week or more.

There is no such person right now, so good luck with that, dude.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

118 months ago

Actually a clever and intuitive way to do it..

I'm pulling down, UI is coming down.
I'm pulling up, UI is going up, revealing the thing 'under it' - the home screen.

Seems natural.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

118 months ago

Very nic3, I’m glad it’s still there.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

118 months ago

Intuitive and simplicity go hand and hand.

Something intuitive should be simple, but something simple isn't necessarily intuitive. Much like all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.

Imagine a feature on the phone where if you blow into the microphone, it switches wifi on/off. Simple? Yes. Intuitive? Nooooooo.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

118 months ago

Reachability is just compensating poor ergonomic interface design. Using upside-down design instead could drastically increase smartphone usability, as outlined in my article "Ergonomics of scale ('https://medium.com/@webquake/ergonomics-of-scale-75c711dbda36')".

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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