HOW TO | get more value from 3d to uch

1

Customise Quick Actions

One of the first 3D Touch features you will have tried out is Quick Actions, by pressing on an app icon on the Home screen. For many apps these actions are fixed, but some allow the list to be customised. The third item furthest from Mail’s icon is the topmost Smart Folder (Today, Flagged, VIP, and so on) in the list of mailboxes. The fourth is either your inbox or whatever regular folder is listed first in Mail.

2

Extra actions when peeking

When you press lightly on some things, such as an item in Mail’s message list or a link on a web page, you’re given a peek at whatever content would have opened if you simply tapped. You can press harder to pop open the item, or let go to cancel, but those aren’t the only actions you can take. If there’s an arrowhead above the preview, swipe that way to reveal more actions – handy for triaging email, say.

3

Peek at tabs in Safari

It’s easy to end up with a bunch of tabs open in Safari, and it can be difficult to pick out the one you want from the card-like view in which they’re presented on an iPhone. 3D Touch‘s peek and pop gestures come in useful here, too. Lightly press on one of the card-like tab previews to pull it out of the list for a closer look. If it’s not the one you want, let go to return to the list. Press harder to switch to that tab.

5

Work with text more easily

When typing, press hard on the on-screen keyboard so you feel a vibration. The keys will become blank. You can lessen the pressure, but don’t lift your finger just yet; slide it around to move the insertion point to where you want to type, then let go. Alternatively, put the insertion point over a word and then press harder once to select the word, twice (quickly) for the sentence, or thrice for the paragraph.

4

App Switcher shortcuts

Reaching the Home button with your thumb can be tricky, never mind pressing it twice to open the App Switcher. Try pressing firmly on the left edge of the screen as a way to open the switcher. If it feels like the iPhone will slip out of your hand, instead try pressing lightly and swiping right just a little way to open the switcher, or most of the way across the screen to flick back to the last app you used.

6

Extend your selection

If you make a mistake when starting your selection, press hard again until you feel another vibration and the text is deselected. Otherwise, move your finger to extend the selection – the amount will match the unit you selected initially. When you’ve completed your selection, lift your finger off the screen to do something with it – type over it, say, or tap the selection itself to reveal additional options.