Apple Added a Secret Button To Your iPhone (theverge.com) 50
Your iPhone got a new button last month, and you may not have even noticed. The Verge reports: No, Apple didn't sneak into your house and secretly superglue a button onto your smartphone. But it did release iOS 14, the latest version of its iPhone software, which includes a feature called Back Tap. Back Tap adds a fascinating new "button" to your phone that blurs the line between hardware and software. Back Tap turns the entire back of your iPhone into a giant touch-sensitive button that you can double or triple tap to trigger specific functions on your phone. There's a good chance that you haven't noticed it yet. Apple slipped the settings for Back Tap into its Accessibility menu.
Its intended purpose is to give users more options for interacting with their devices. Most of Back Tap's options reflect that, with settings to open the app switcher, notification menu, or control center; scroll through an app or webpage; trigger Siri; or take a screenshot. But Back Tap also ties into Apple's incredibly robust Shortcuts app, which means you can effectively make those new buttons do almost anything you can imagine. It's a fascinating kind of button: entirely invisible to the naked eye, completely nonfunctional until it's enabled through software, but can be tasked to open, interact with, or accomplish nearly any task on your smartphone with just a quick tap.
Its intended purpose is to give users more options for interacting with their devices. Most of Back Tap's options reflect that, with settings to open the app switcher, notification menu, or control center; scroll through an app or webpage; trigger Siri; or take a screenshot. But Back Tap also ties into Apple's incredibly robust Shortcuts app, which means you can effectively make those new buttons do almost anything you can imagine. It's a fascinating kind of button: entirely invisible to the naked eye, completely nonfunctional until it's enabled through software, but can be tasked to open, interact with, or accomplish nearly any task on your smartphone with just a quick tap.
But (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: But (Score:1)
Yes
Re:But (Score:5, Informative)
Yes. Basically, it uses the accelerometer.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: But (Score:2)
Yes, but it will be yet another way you now will pocket-dial your ex.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, it certainly does. But you have to hold it right.
have to admit (Score:2)
I am fascinated.
I love it on the whole (Score:2)
Been using it. Works well, but two knocks is a bit too sensitive. Love that it can run any shortcut.
Re: I love it on the whole (Score:2)
I had read an article on using it to take a screenshot. So i bound double tap to screenshot. It was screenshoting like every 4th or 5th time I used my phone. So I changed it to triple tap. I still accidentally screenshot once a day. Definitely too sensitive. Thank god I dont have seizures, people would have a full length movie about my desktop.
Sounds like ... (Score:2)
Back Tap adds a fascinating new "button" to your phone ... Back Tap turns the entire back of your iPhone into a giant touch-sensitive button that you can double or triple tap to trigger specific functions on your phone. There's a good chance that you haven't noticed it yet.
A new iOS update is now available. (Score:3)
A new iOS update is now available. Please update from the iOS 14 beta.
Naughty iPhones... (Score:1)
...like being tapped from behind.
Re: (Score:2)
Don't all AC's?
Really? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Just tried it on my SE2 and it seems flawless in terms of detection of a double tap, though I'm unsure yet of false positive detection.
Re: (Score:2)
Working fine on an 11, but I’ll have to see whether it triggers accidentally.
Re: Really? (Score:2)
Double tap triggered a LOT by accident on an 8.
How many taps (Score:2)
Actually, it's be nice if they activated all their "features" as in-app purchases. I'd take an iPhone for half price. (DISCLAIMER: Just kidding. I won't touch anything from Apple under any circumstances.)
Not all iOS 14 installs (Score:4, Informative)
Seems to be hardware-limited, as in old hardware need not apply. My 6s doesn't have the setting or the capability.
Just wondering. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Useless to me (Score:5, Informative)
Shortcuts -> + (create shortcut) -> Search for Apps and Actions -> Type "Flashlight" -> Set Flashlight -> Turn Flashlight On -> Next -> Type "Turn on Flashlight" -> Done.
Settings -> Accessibility -> Touch -> Back Tap -> Double Tap -> Turn on Flashlight.
You're welcome. Seems like Apple wasn't as stupid as you think.
Yaz
Re:Useless to me (Score:5, Informative)
...and just in case you want to be able to toggle the light instead of just turn it on (as I may have been a bit literal in my response), after "Set Flashlight" select "Turn" in "Turn flashlight on", and change it to "toggle". Done.
Yaz
The pendulum swings slowly... (Score:2)
Extra buttons you didn't ask for but that sound pretty useful? What happened to the Apple that insisted nobody needed more than one button on a mouse?
Re:The pendulum swings slowly... (Score:5, Funny)
There's no reason Apple couldn't detect taps to the top (perhaps 2/3) and bottom of the back separately as primary, or taps near the headphone jack to activate — whoops! I mean, taps near the memory card slot... er...
I'm sorry guys. (Score:2)
Mod me down all you want. It is simply true. And your moderation says you know that too.
Re: The pendulum swings slowly... (Score:2)
360k floppies?!? We are NEVER gonna be able to fill that up!
Claims like that always come back to bite you in the ass.
Apparently apple never grasped the concept of a gamers mouse.
Re: (Score:2)
Of course, no one EVER claimed that either.
Re: The pendulum swings slowly... (Score:2)
Oh yea they did. My dad worked for IBM as far back as the late 60s. The original disks were freaking 8inches and you only got about 80k on them. When double sided drives with double density appeared, thats pretty much what the sales people were pushing. Keep in mind back then 1k was a fairly long page of text since each character was just a byte of data since it was ASCII.
Re: (Score:2)
They learned and moved on, like smart people and smart companies do.
Dear Android developers... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
It's not done through touch sensitivity, but via the accelerometer. Not too likely you'll activate it picking up your phone, as the acceleration profile won't match.
Yaz
Re: (Score:1)
Riiiight.
Like always: Some vague fuzzy logic based on the dumbest possible user's lowest common denominator of behaviors.
What could possibly become annoying about that!
"You're holding it too smart!"
Re: Dear Android developers... (Score:2)
I dont think it triggers when the screen is locked. But it took a shitload of screenshots when I would just be reading something after experimenting with screenshot for double tap.
Butt dial (Score:2)
Now people will be able to butt-dial even MORE easily!
Re: Butt dial (Score:2)
If you set the macro to dial. Its a 1 action setting for double and triple tap. I dont think it works on screen lock. I never had an unwanted screenshot in my pocket. Plenty of them just reading /. Though.
Big question (Score:2)
How does it handle false positives? And what about cases?
Re: Big question (Score:2)
It activates the macro. Just ask me how many unwanted screenshots I deleted when testing double and triple tap. You know that old 70s health video that shows people trying to play operation after smoking a cigarette? With their hands shaking? That would be enough to trigger the double tap feature. You dont even have to thump it to trigger it.
Better headline: (Score:2)
After 13 years Apple finally adds a back button to their iPhone devices. :-)
Prior art. (Score:2)
The Android game Fast Like A Fox had this, years ago.
Tap the back of your phone, to make the fox run.
It's funny, how Apple has become Microsoft:
prior art + not invented here + clueless users = "innovation"
A feature Michael J Fox cannot use (Score:1)
Otherwise he would activate the macro non-stop
Nothing new about this. (Score:2)
accomplish nearly any task on your smartphone with just a quick tap
Can it turn off the static on the earpods?
PS Vita (Score:2)
The PS Vita (2011) uses the back of its body as a tactile area, in order to emulate the additional buttons of a PS4 gamepad for remote-play, in other things.