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A look at Apple’s ‘Reachability’ one-hand mode for larger iPhone 6 (Video)

iPhone-6-Reachability

One feature that Apple didn’t spend time showing off on stage is a rumored one-handed mode for the new larger iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus displays. Apple is calling it “Reachability” and with it allows users to double tap the Home button to shift the entire UI down to put UI elements at the top of the display in thumb’s reach (as pictured above). How Apple would address the problem of a larger iPhone causing usability issues was a big question leading up to today’s event and now we have our answer. Samsung and others with large smartphones offer similar features that scale the screen to one side or corner to make the device easier to use with one hand.

Apple is also hoping users rely on other gestures for UI elements that might be hard to reach on the new iPhones:

By creating iPhone 6 and iOS 8 together, we optimized the software to enhance the physical design. iOS swipe gestures were designed to be more fluid across the seamless form, making it easy to navigate iPhone with one hand. With new features like Reachability you can interact with the larger screen in different ways, too. Simply double touch the Home button and the entire screen shifts down closer to your thumb. And to easily navigate Safari or Mail, swipe left to right across the screen to go backward, or swipe right to left to go forward. With the new continuous surface of iPhone, all your gestures now feel smoother than ever.

A video of the new Reachability feature in action is below:

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Comments

  1. Ben Golsky (@bgolsky) - 10 years ago

    So how do you close apps now that the double tap shifts the screen down?

    • dero2k - 10 years ago

      i don’t think you have to double click the home button you just tap the touch id sensor i guess

    • Mike Wëwerka - 10 years ago

      The home button is tapped like the screen, you don’t press the button down. Like double tap on the LG G2 screen.

    • Stefan Amann - 10 years ago

      this is just taping, not pressing, right?

      • shm1ck83 - 10 years ago

        Yes, just tapping, if you press, it will display all open apps

    • Jonathan Ober - 10 years ago

      one tap to close/go home, two taps to shift to reachability, maybe three clicks to go to multitask, or can touch id sense the tap without a click?

      • irelandjnr - 10 years ago

        Look, you’re not pressing you’re tapping and it’s two taps. It’s not complex it’s easy.

    • kplayaja - 10 years ago

      click vs tap

  2. Rene Kahle - 10 years ago

    is this iphone 6 or 6plus?

    • shm1ck83 - 10 years ago

      It is available on both models!

      • Eric Mason (@eMason0321) - 10 years ago

        That’s not what they asked. I’m pretty sure they were asking which model of the phone was in the video. I’d like to know as well for hand/phone size comparison.

    • rettun1 - 10 years ago

      Judging by the spacing of the icons, if say its the plus. Though I’m not 100%

    • irelandjnr - 10 years ago

      This looks like the standard 6.

      • irelandjnr - 10 years ago

        two minutes of research later this is certainly the 6 plus. And this guy’s hands look huge.

  3. Tyler (@TylerJReed95) - 10 years ago

    Can you turn it off?

  4. Predicting for next year that all hardware will be affordable enough to make smaller parts for the 5S body. Wait one more year?

    • shm1ck83 - 10 years ago

      Hopefully they will get rid of the 3.5mm jack, it will take time to get used to but the advantages will be worth it and just use the lighting port for charging and headphones. In doing so they could make a device thinner again!

      • … you forgot the /s.

        Also, it’s not going to happen.

      • shm1ck83 - 10 years ago

        Il’l hold you to that, do your research and you will find that it’s has been looked into!

      • Randy March - 7 years ago

        The prophecy!

        — Sent from a thin iPhone 7 Plus.

  5. Reachability mode will slow down productivity a lot. People will prefer to do their tasks with 2 hands, because it will be easier and quicker.

    • chrisl84 - 10 years ago

      No one is stopping anyone from using 2 hands though, just sometimes people are walking with a drink in one hand and still need to operate the phone….just a good option to have should a scenario arrive to need it.

  6. hardware = good / body = flop?

  7. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    Perfect. All thats needed. Can be ignored most of the time, and when you really need it, its there. Like this a lot.

  8. This is a disgrace to the Apple brand. This phone is being sold to increase profits alone. Jony Ive was tapped out in the design department!

  9. Furkan Kurtuluş - 10 years ago

    iPhone 6 is just great but 6 plus should have never been created. That huge thing is a disaster for the Apple soul I love.

  10. herb02135go - 10 years ago

    It’s true that Samsung scales the screen down and over to the side.

    But that’s not all:
    The amount that it scales down is custom-fit for each user.

    And, from my experience, scaling to the side is more important than scaling to the bottom since I hold my phone by the sides, nor the bottom.

    • herb02135go - 10 years ago

      S/b not the bottom.

    • Silence Dogood - 10 years ago

      As Grandma use to say, “My, what big hands you have!”.

      I held a Samsung 5.5″ and with regards to my fingers, I had little left that would have mobility to be effective at navigating when scaled to the side. Heck, scaling to the bottom, I think my thumb will not reach everything but it will have more capability to cross over some portion of the screen…

      • herb02135go - 10 years ago

        I have the S5. I got a Speck case that has grip on the back, which helps.

        The phone is pretty light, too.
        It’s worth it foe the features and display size.

      • thejuanald - 10 years ago

        Which samsung phone is 5.5″? The Note 2 maybe? The Note 3 is 5.7″

      • irelandjnr - 10 years ago

        Herb uses Samsung products but likes on 9to5Mac? What an odd guy.

    • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

      9to5Mac needs to add Dislike buttons for people (aka trolls) like you…

  11. Yunhua Ji - 10 years ago

    @Smartisan T1

  12. Tom Gegan (@tomg40) - 10 years ago

    Go to BBY with a Samsung in store setup and test the Galaxy Note 3. Has this same function built in on (can turn it on or off) this large 5″+phone. I have this Note 3 and iPhone 5. What a difference. Even let s you decide left side or right side for one hand use.

  13. Boomer Bobcat Quinnipiac - 10 years ago

    The new products are AWESOME!! And thanks much to Apple.

    Still very, very concerned that these new products still will be very, very distracting while driving.

    Wonder why Apple has not developed products, apps or software that do work or do not distract anyone while driving a car.

    Apple, please, please, please take the lead by making all products safer when moving in a car.

    The apple watch is very, very good, but now another device to distract car drivers, especially teen agers.

  14. Too large. Do not want. If you need to create a work around then it is too big. Seriously at least give us a pocket sized alternative if you are doing different sizes now. How about an iPhone Mini at the original size?
    http://www.indiepundit.com/iphone-6-and-apple-watch-thoughts/

  15. Alfredo Roldan Flores - 9 years ago

    This double tapping only makes the screen smaller but doesn’t bring it down on my iphone 6. Why?

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.