Force Touch support to be dropped in watchOS 7

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited July 2020
Apple is urging developers to relocate app features that rely on Force Touch before the release of watchOS 7.




The newly announced watchOS 7 is gaining several new features, including the ability to track sleep, track and monitor mobility, and a helpful hand washing timer. However, it appears that it will also be losing a feature that all prior versions have had: Force Touch.

Force Touch allowed wearers to press on the Apple Watch display to access additional controls, such as swapping out watch faces.

Now, Apple's Human Interface Guidelines page states that Force Touch will not be migrating to the next watchOS. Not only will any forthcoming Apple Watches not support it, anyone who updates their watch to watchOS 7 will lose support for Force Touch as well.

The key paragraph reads:
Firm press and long press. In versions of watchOS before watchOS 7, people could press firmly on the display to do things like change the watch face or reveal a hidden menu called a Force Touch menu. In watchOS 7 and later, system apps make previously hidden menu items accessible in a related screen or a settings screen. If you formerly supported a long-press gesture to open a hidden menu, consider relocating the menu items elsewhere.
Choosing to drop the support for Force Touch across all Apple Watch models will ensure that all wearers have a consistent experience regardless of hardware. The choice also suggests that the "Apple Watch Series 6" will not feature hardware capable of supporting Force Touch.

Apple made a similar choice when choosing to drop support for 3D Touch on the iPhone XR and subsequent iPhone releases. Later iterations of the iPhone support Haptic Touch, which requires a user to press for a certain amount of time, rather than a certain amount of force.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    One of the biggest screen innovations of the decade DROPPED. Wow.

    Here's hoping Apple brings something better. And no, wasting seconds by holding your finger on the screen is not the same.
    edited June 2020 king editor the gratesphericjony0watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 15
    rwx9901rwx9901 Posts: 100member
    Complete BS.  I use Force Touch on both my phone and watch.  I just don't understand the step backward by Apple.  This is why I didn't "upgrade" to the iPhone 11 since it was no longer supported.  Now I won't have a choice on my watch due to the new operating system?  Just complete bull.
    king editor the gratechemengin1jony0Beats
  • Reply 3 of 15
    darkpawdarkpaw Posts: 212member
    Choosing to drop the support for Force Touch across all Apple Watch models will ensure that all wearers have a consistent experience regardless of hardware.
    But that can't be the reason for doing this. If an older Watch model supports it, keep it in the OS for that model.

    The iPhone 11 Pro Max has a screen just as big as the old iPhone 6/7/8 Plus, but when you rotate it to landscape it doesn't rotate the icons on the Home screen like the 6/7/8 Plus does. Why is that feature still in there for older phones but not newer?

    Removing Force Touch on my Series 4 Watch just because -insert random reason dreamt up by a Product Manager at Apple here- is a bad idea. I use it all the time.

    Will I be able to change watch faces on the Watch or must it be done in the app on the iPhone?
    Beatschemengin1jony0watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 15
    zroger73zroger73 Posts: 787member
    ...and then there are users such as myself who have never really cared for or used Force Touch.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,420member
    darkpaw said:

    Will I be able to change watch faces on the Watch or must it be done in the app on the iPhone?
    Of course you’ll be able to. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 15
    bonobobbonobob Posts: 382member
    darkpaw said:

    Will I be able to change watch faces on the Watch or must it be done in the app on the iPhone?
    You can already change watch faces on the watch without Force Touch.  Just swipe left or right.  What Apple will need to change is how one edits a watch face on the watch.  And how one sets a move goal.  I'm not sure where else the feature is used (which I think is why it's being dropped.  Almost no one knows where it works and where it doesn't).
  • Reply 7 of 15
    bonobobbonobob Posts: 382member

    rwx9901 said:
    Complete BS.  I use Force Touch on both my phone and watch.  I just don't understand the step backward by Apple.  This is why I didn't "upgrade" to the iPhone 11 since it was no longer supported.  Now I won't have a choice on my watch due to the new operating system?  Just complete bull.
    If you're using a current version of iOS, you're not using 3D Touch on your phone, because it is no longer implemented in the OS.  What you are really doing is a long touch. The fact possibilty that you might be pressing down on the screen too is irrelevant.
    edited June 2020 zroger73fastasleep
  • Reply 8 of 15
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,564member
    bonobob said:

    rwx9901 said:
    Complete BS.  I use Force Touch on both my phone and watch.  I just don't understand the step backward by Apple.  This is why I didn't "upgrade" to the iPhone 11 since it was no longer supported.  Now I won't have a choice on my watch due to the new operating system?  Just complete bull.
    If you're using a current version of iOS, you're not using 3D Touch on your phone, because it is no longer implemented in the OS.  What you are really doing is a long touch. The fact possibilty that you might be pressing down on the screen too is irrelevant.
    That is untrue. 3D Touch still works fine on my XS under 13.5.1, and it is distinct from long touch in that it is instantaneous. 

    Long touch drives me crazy. I’m constantly triggering it without meaning to. Never happened with 3D Touch. 
    jony0watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 15
    docbburkdocbburk Posts: 109member
    I think this is a jerk move by Apple.  I was pissed when they removed 3D Touch capabilities frost worked in the iPhone XS, and I’m not happy about them removing it from the Apple Watch.  3D Touch was way more convenient to use than the long touch, and a lot faster.  Stripping 3D Touch functionality from any Iphone that updates the OS, so they could save money in materials costs in newer phones is crap! When the XS released, one of the value added features (reasons for the increased price) was 3D Touch.  The camera was also a value added feature.  Removing one of the value added features from any phone that updates the operating system Is in bad faith.  There should be compensation for the inconvenience 
    Beatschemengin1
  • Reply 10 of 15
    redgeminiparedgeminipa Posts: 555member
    rwx9901 said:
    Complete BS.  I use Force Touch on both my phone and watch.  I just don't understand the step backward by Apple.  This is why I didn't "upgrade" to the iPhone 11 since it was no longer supported.  Now I won't have a choice on my watch due to the new operating system?  Just complete bull.
    Honestly, I don't miss it on my 11 Pro Max. I've adjusted to the new way, just as I adjusted to the old way when it came about. Not a huge difference. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 15
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    zroger73 said:
    ...and then there are users such as myself who have never really cared for or used Force Touch.

    I don't care for the Nike band. Should Apple discontinue it because of ME??

    fastasleep said:
    darkpaw said:

    Will I be able to change watch faces on the Watch or must it be done in the app on the iPhone?
    Of course you’ll be able to. 

    Of course, it'll just take longer and won't feel as seamless.
    king editor the gratewatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 15
    SteveadeeSteveadee Posts: 13member
    Since my Series 2 supports Force touch, and will not be moving to OS7, maybe some fans of the feature would like to make an offer?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 15
    rbnetengrrbnetengr Posts: 72member
    I think Apple has been moving Force Touch functions from WatchOS, so only screen editing remains? For me, it’s easier to do screen editing via the Watch app on my iPhone. 

    Regarding 3D Touch versus Haptic Touch...I have an iPhone X (3D Touch) as well as a company-issued iPhone XR (Haptic Touch), and I use them in exactly the same way. There may be a few 3D Touch operations that are slightly different when done with Haptic Touch, but I don’t even recall what they are. For my experience, Haptic Touch delivers 99% of what 3D Touch does.

    Conversely, 3D Touch screens probably cost more to manufacture, may not be as reliable, or may be more fragile. Given those negative aspects, why keep using special screens when SO MANY IPHONE USERS DON’T EVEN KNOW 3D TOUCH EXISTS?!?

    -__- 
    edited June 2020 watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 15
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    bonobob said:
    darkpaw said:

    Will I be able to change watch faces on the Watch or must it be done in the app on the iPhone?
    You can already change watch faces on the watch without Force Touch.  Just swipe left or right.  What Apple will need to change is how one edits a watch face on the watch.  And how one sets a move goal.  I'm not sure where else the feature is used (which I think is why it's being dropped.  Almost no one knows where it works and where it doesn't).
    Well, bloody hell. :-(

    I was wondering why Apple would remove Force Touch, and now I know why: because it hides functions! You should never hide functions! 

    I had no idea that I could change the Move Goal by pressing hard on the screen until you mentioned it. I thought you had to wait until the end of the week and it offered you the option. Now I have to go through every screen and force touch it so see what else I don't know.

    Yes, get rid of it. Put stuff in menus where I can see them.
    edited June 2020 fastasleep
  • Reply 15 of 15
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    I swear if Big Sur removes Force Touch from my trackpad I'm gonna be PISSED!! It makes precise rewind/fast forward natural and seamless.

    rbnetengr said:
    SO MANY IPHONE USERS DON’T EVEN KNOW 3D TOUCH EXISTS?!?

    -__- 


    So many iPhone users don't know long press exists so let's remove that too. Oh and they don't know the U1 chip exists so let's remove that too....

    Rayz2016 said:
    bonobob said:
    darkpaw said:

    Will I be able to change watch faces on the Watch or must it be done in the app on the iPhone?
    You can already change watch faces on the watch without Force Touch.  Just swipe left or right.  What Apple will need to change is how one edits a watch face on the watch.  And how one sets a move goal.  I'm not sure where else the feature is used (which I think is why it's being dropped.  Almost no one knows where it works and where it doesn't).
    Well, bloody hell. :-(

    I was wondering why Apple would remove Force Touch, and now I know why: because it hides functions! You should never hide functions! 

    I had no idea that I could change the Move Goal by pressing hard on the screen until you mentioned it. I thought you had to wait until the end of the week and it offered you the option. Now I have to go through every screen and force touch it so see what else I don't know.

    Yes, get rid of it. Put stuff in menus where I can see them.

    Both hide functions.
    king editor the gratewatto_cobra
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