3D Touch Likely Dropped in 2019 iPhones as Haptic Touch Expanded Across iPhones and iPads

Tuesday June 4, 2019 7:55 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Earlier this month, it was reported that 3D Touch will not be supported by 2019 iPhones. This rumor was surfaced by a team of Barclays analysts after they traveled to Asia and spoke with multiple Apple suppliers, likely meaning that there is evidence of 3D Touch being removed at the hardware level.

3d touch iphone zoom
Now, on the software side, there are changes that suggest the rumor is accurate. It really looks like pressure-sensitive ‌3D Touch‌ is going away.

Apple has confirmed that both "Quick Actions" menus that float above app icons on the home screen and "Peek" previews of emails, links, messages, and more are now supported on any iPhone or iPad that can run iOS 13 or iPadOS. These features were previously exclusive to iPhones with ‌3D Touch‌.

Apple's feature list for iOS 13 and iPadOS

Both features rely on a long press, aka pressing and holding, meaning this is effectively an expansion of the Haptic Touch functionality that debuted on the iPhone XR last year. Haptic Touch is simply a marketing term for a long press combined with haptic feedback from the Taptic Engine.

Notably, this means Quick Actions menus and Peek previews are now supported on the iPhone XR and the iPad Air 2 or newer for the first time ever.

Quick Actions on an ‌iPad‌ and iPhone XR for first time ever

The ability to invoke Quick Actions menus and Peek previews with a long press in iOS 13 is even supported on iPhones with ‌3D Touch‌, including the iPhone XS models, likely foreshadowing the removal of ‌3D Touch‌ from 2019 iPhones.

‌3D Touch‌ can still be used in iOS 13 on iPhones that support the feature, resulting in two ways to invoke Quick Actions menus. This includes the iPhone 6s through iPhone XS Max, excluding the iPhone SE. However, some users are unable to access ‌3D Touch‌ settings in the first iOS 13 beta, which is likely a bug.

The transition from ‌3D Touch‌ to ‌Haptic Touch‌ for Peek previews was hinted at a few weeks ago. As noted by developer Radek Pietruszewski, open source WebKit commits revealed that the APIs for the feature, previously known as Peek and Pop, would be deprecated in a future iOS version.

All in all, there is a strong possibility that 2019 iPhones will feature ‌Haptic Touch‌ instead of ‌3D Touch‌ when they are released later this year.

(Screenshots: RayFirefist, BitVoiceFM)

Related Roundup: iPad Pro

Tags: 3D Touch, Haptic Touch Guide

Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Caution)

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027

Sunday November 1, 2026 7:27 am PST by Joe Rossignol

After announcing a new iPad mini with an OLED display earlier this month, Apple plans to release new iPad Air, iPad Pro, and entry-level iPad models in the first half of 2027, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the next iPad Air will also feature an OLED display, while he expects the next iPad Pro to be equipped with a...

• 185 comments

Apple Raises iPad and Mac Trade-In Values

Monday October 26, 2026 8:17 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple today updated its U.S. trade-in estimates, raising maximum values across the iPad lineup and for most Macs following today's announcement of the new iPad mini. Every iPad category has gained value, although the increases are relatively modest. The iPad mini and standard iPad both rise by $20, while the iPad Air gains $15 and the iPad Pro increases by $10. The revised maximum estimates...

• 43 comments

New Entry-Level iPad Not Expected Until Early 2027

Sunday October 11, 2026 8:57 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple's next entry-level iPad models, codenamed J581 and J582, will not arrive until early 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He added that Apple plans a major iPad Air refresh to add an OLED display and a new iPad Pro in 2027. The latter could gain a vapor chamber to improve thermals and performance. A new iPad mini is still expected to arrive at the end of October this...

• 58 comments

Top Rated Comments

QCassidy352

97 months ago

Ugh. 3D Touch is great, use it all the time.

Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)

BootsWalking

97 months ago

3D Touch was a solution in search of a problem. I always found long-touches to be more intuitive and reliable than having to mash my finger down hard on the screen.

Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)

realtuner

97 months ago

Ugh. 3D Touch is great, use it all the time.

I hate long press. People don’t like lag/waiting. 3D Touch is great because it’s instant.
[doublepost=1559660732][/doublepost]

Trying reading the article.
You use it all the time for the exact features that will still exist and now be available on all devices.

Except it will take longer.

Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)

palmerc2

97 months ago

My favorite part of 3D Touch is turning the keyboard into a trackpad to easily make a change in something you’ve typed, I use it everyday.

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

PastaPrimav

97 months ago

This is far better. Time has demonstrated that the intricate accuracy of touch pressure has proved worthless with no useful applications for it surfacing.

All of the usefulness of 3D Touch has been demonstrated by these kinds of features...100% of which could have been (and should have been) accomplished with Long Press on every device.

Now, that is coming full circle, and we'll all be much better off for it.

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)