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Force Touch
Force Touch debuted on Apple Watch
Levels of input
  • Force Touch - 2
  • (Macbooks) - 3 (Continuous input for OS animations, and some inputs [drawing])
  • 3D Touch - 3 (continuous input for the OS animations)
  • Haptic Touch - 1 (triggered by a long press)
Design firmApple Inc.
IntroducedSeptember 9, 2014; 11 years ago (2014-09-09)

Force Touch is a haptic pressure-sensing technology developed by Apple Inc. that enables trackpads and touchscreens to sense the amount of force being applied to their surfaces. Software that uses Force Touch can distinguish between various levels of force for user interaction purposes.[1][2] Force Touch was first unveiled on September 9, 2014, during the introduction of Apple Watch. Starting with the Apple Watch, Force Touch has been incorporated into many Apple products, including MacBooks and the Magic Trackpad 2.

Older iPhones have a similar technology known as 3D Touch. The technology brings usability enhancements to the software by offering a third dimension to accept input. Users can apply a force on the input surface to interact with the displayed content in a way that a normal touch would not. 3D Touch enables software features such as pressing hard to access a shortcut menu for an app, and pressing hard on a website link to show a preview of the web page.

3D Touch has three settings for input sensitivity. This enables users to customize a preference of light, medium, or firm press on the iPhone's screen.[3] 3D Touch gives a continuous pressure reading to software that is running on the phone. Force Touch on the other hand, gives only two layers of interaction: A normal click and a force click. Apple's haptic engine called the Taptic Engine resides in these devices, which houses a linear actuator producing vibratory effects as feedback. Apple enabled application developers to leverage the pressure sensitivity of trackpads and touchscreens into their own apps. 3D Touch was discontinued with the iPhone 11 and onwards.[4]

Haptic Touch is a software feature on the iPhone XR (but not the iPhone XS) and later iPhone models that serves to replace the functionality that 3D Touch had. The touchscreen no longer has a pressure sensitive layer, so the software waits for a long-press to activate certain features, instead of a force press. (only ones for elements that do not have an action assigned to long press). This feature was added to the iPhone SE (1st generation) and iPod Touch (7th generation) with the iOS 13 update and to any iPad capable of running iPadOS 13.

As of watchOS 7, Force Touch is discontinued on all subsequent Apple Watches, and only Haptic Touch is recognized.[5]

User functionality

[edit]

Force Touch on Macs is used to access a variety of features.[6] A few notable ones are:

  • Look up text to show more information from Dictionary, Wikipedia, etc.
  • Show an Apple Maps preview of an address location.
  • Add dates and events to Calendar.
  • Preview details of website links, flight numbers, tracking numbers and events.
  • Accelerate fast-forwarding and rewinding on QuickTime and iMovie using variable pressure.

3D Touch on iPhones was used to access features such as:[2][6]

  • Quick Actions allow users to access shortcuts, many right from the Home screen.
  • Peek and Pop allows users to preview content and take actions on it, without having to open it. Pressing further, the user can pop into the content in the app.
  • Pressure Sensitivity allows creative apps to take advantage of the pressure-sensing display, for varying line thickness or giving a brush a changing style.
  • Holding down to: preview Live Photos; open the App Switcher (iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, and 8 Plus only); etc.
  • Pressing down on the keyboard displays a cursor which can be moved in two dimensions. Pressing again enters selection mode.

Force Touch on Apple Watch was used to access some significant features,[7] such as:

  • See alternate watch faces from the current watch face.
  • Get the analog, digital, graph, and hybrid modes on the stopwatch app.
  • Toggle between day, list, or today view on the calendar app.
  • See weather, rain predictions and temperature on the weather app.

Software

[edit]

Apple enables application developers to integrate the force touch functionality into their applications. The APIs facilitate the following interactions:[8]

  • Apps respond to a press of stronger pressure, providing a shortcut as an additional functionality.
  • Pressure sensitivity for drawing and creative apps to make lines thicker or give brushes a changing style.
  • Accelerators allow receiving pressure sensitivity, to give users greater control. Say, fast-forward in media playback can speed up as pressure increases.
  • Drag and drop to allow users react to a force gesture amidst the hold, to immediately open a new target for the drop.

Hardware

[edit]
Capacitive sensors behind the display of an iPhone 6s
Taptic Engine embedded into the iPhone 6s

On iPhones with 3D Touch, the capacitive sensors are directly integrated into the display. When a press is detected, these capacitive sensors measure microscopic changes in the distance between the backlight and the cover glass. On the Apple Watch, a series of electrodes line the curvature of the screen. When a press is detected, these electrodes determine the pressure applied. The trackpads deploy a similar mechanism, although sensory information is determined by a series of four sensors that align with the corners of the trackpad. The detected pressure is then relayed to the Taptic Engine, which is Apple's haptic feedback engine. The electromagnetic linear actuator within the Taptic engine is capable of reaching its peak output in just one cycle and producing vibrations that last 10 milliseconds. Unlike typical motors, the linear actuator does not rotate but oscillates back and forth. The Taptic Engine produces immediate haptic feedback, without the need to offset the balance of mass. The haptic feedback produced may be accompanied by an audible tone.[9] This helps in gaining the user's attention in order to convey an important information such as a success, warning or a failure.[10] Each haptic type is defined for a specific purpose, to convey a specific meaning.[9]

Mechanics

[edit]
Taptic Engine module used in the iPhone 6s

The touch sensitive surface is either a trackpad or a touch screen. Multiple actuators are mechanically connected to the back of the input surface. The actuators are distributed along the surface, each at a separate contact location, to provide localized haptic feedback to the user. Piezoelectricity is used by actuators to convert the physically-induced vibration or the input displacement into an electrical signal. A controller is configured to activate the actuators in and around the point of contact. The actuators at the point of contact induces waveforms to produce vibration. However, since there are multiple actuators around the point of contact, the vibration can propagate to other locations, thus limiting the localization effect. This is why a second set of actuators induce waveforms to suppress the vibratory cross-talk produced by the first set of actuators. This may be achieved by producing waveforms that provides interference in terms of amplitude, frequency or both. The masking waveforms could also alter the vibration at contact locations by providing a user experience other than just suppressing the propagated vibrations.[11]

Products

[edit]

Force Touch or Haptic Touch technology is built into the following Apple devices:

Force Touch MacBook generations: Retina · Air from 2018 onwards · Pro from early 2015 onwards
Apple Watch generations: Original to 5, Magic Trackpad 2
Haptic Touch iPhone: Any model that supports iOS 13 and later except for those supporting 3D Touch (see below)

iPod Touch (7th) since iOS 13

iPad: Any model that supports iPadOS 13 and later

3D Touch technology is built into the following Apple devices:

3D Touch iPhone: 6S / 6S Plus · 7 / 7 Plus · 8 / 8 Plus · X[a] · XS / XS Max[b]

Litigation

[edit]
Immersion Corp. filed the lawsuit in 2016, which was settled by 2018.

Apple Inc. was subjected to a lawsuit by Immersion Corporation on February 11, 2016, due to allegations of infringing patents owned by Immersion on 3D Touch technology. According to the complaint, the asserted patents generally related to the apparatus and methods used in the implementation of pressure-enabled haptics to enhance the user experience on electronic devices. The violated patents with their corresponding description are as follows:[12]

  1. U.S. Patent Nos. 8,619,051:[13] Relates to a haptic feedback system including a controller, an associated memory, actuator drive and the drive's circuit. The memory stores at least one haptic effect that is executed by the controller.
  2. U.S. Patent Nos. 8,773,356:[14] Relates to systems and methods for providing tactile sensations which are disclosed, such as the steps of outputting a display signal configured to preview a graphical object on a touch-sensitive input device.
  3. U.S. Patent Nos. 8,659,571:[15] Relates to a system that produces a dynamic haptic effect and generates a drive signal that includes a gesture signal and a real or virtual device sensor signal.

In May 2016, a second lawsuit in the same District of Delaware court made the claim that Apple had knowingly infringed on four patents in the iPhone 6s and models of the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines. In June, the United States International Trade Commission confirmed it would launch an investigation into Immersion's claims. The violated patents from the second lawsuit, with their corresponding description are as follows:[16]

  1. U.S. Patent Nos. 8,749,507:[17] Relates to systems and methods in which the mobile electronic device determines a pressure and a change in pressure based on contact data.
  2. U.S. Patent Nos. 7,808,488:[18] Relates to systems and methods for generating an actuator signal to output a haptic effect based on the user's interaction with a graphical object on a touchscreen.
  3. U.S. Patent Nos. 7,336,260:[19] Relates to systems in which the electronic device detects different levels of pressure on the device and providing a tactile sensation in response.
  4. U.S. Patent Nos. 8,581,710:[20] Relates to systems and methods for generating an actuator signal to output a haptic effect indicating whether the user's input is recognised or unrecognised and that a corresponding command was or was not found.

On January 29, 2018, Immersion released a brief statement confirming that the company had reached global settlement and license agreements with Apple, the terms of which would be kept confidential.[21]

[edit]

Phones including the ZTE Axon mini, Meizu Pro 6, Huawei Mate S, and the Huawei P9 Plus feature a pressure sensitive display,[22] and the Google Pixel 4 features a software-based technology called Firm Press, which tries to guess the force of pressure using machine learning.[23]

The API of Android OS added support for pressure-sensitive touching in 2009 with Android 2.0 Éclair, even though no according hardware existed at that time.[24]

Nokia had a development project called 'Goldfinger' in 2013, which used a completely different type of 3D touch interface, which required the user to hover their finger above the screen. It would have been a Lumia smartphone if released. It was later renamed to Nokia Lumia McLaren and was under development by Microsoft Mobile. It was eventually cancelled in July 2014.[25]

See also

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Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Force Touch

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Force Touch is a pressure-sensitive haptic technology developed by Apple Inc. that enables touch interfaces, such as displays and trackpads, to detect and respond to varying levels of applied force, distinguishing between light taps and deeper presses to trigger contextual actions and provide tactile feedback. Introduced on September 9, 2014, with the first-generation Apple Watch, Force Touch debuted as a feature of the device's Retina display, allowing users to access additional functions—like app switcher or settings—by applying firmer pressure to the screen, enhancing navigation without cluttering the interface. Pressure-sensing Force Touch on Apple Watch displays was later replaced by Haptic Touch software gestures starting with watchOS 7 in 2020. This innovation relied on embedded force sensors beneath the display surface, paired with Apple's Taptic Engine, a linear resonant actuator that delivers precise vibrations to simulate physical clicks or notifications. The technology expanded to Mac computers in March 2015 with the launch of the , where it powered the Force Touch trackpad—a solid-state surface without that uses four force sensors at the corners to measure and simulate the feel of traditional clicking through haptic responses. This trackpad supports Force Click, a combining an initial press with increased to perform advanced tasks, such as previewing files in Finder, identifying song lyrics in Music, or renaming items in apps, thereby adding a layer of efficiency to macOS interactions. Subsequent models, including the (starting October 2016) and (from 2018), incorporated larger Force Touch trackpads with pressure-sensitive drawing capabilities in apps like Preview and pixel-perfect cursor control, while maintaining compatibility with gestures like pinching and swiping. Although Force Touch shares foundational principles with the iPhone's 3D Touch—introduced in September 2015 with the for on-screen pressure-based shortcuts like Peek and Pop, Quick Actions, and faster responses to force presses compared to traditional long presses—the two differ in implementation: Force Touch primarily uses strain-gauge sensors for trackpads and watch displays, offering binary or ternary pressure levels with broader haptic simulation, whereas 3D Touch employed a more granular capacitive overlay on screens for up to three distinct force tiers before its discontinuation in 2019 in favor of software-based Haptic Touch. As of November 2025, Force Touch remains a core feature in Apple's Mac lineup, including the accessory, with adjustable pressure sensitivity aiding users with motor impairments and integrating seamlessly with macOS Sequoia for enhanced productivity. Its design emphasizes durability, with no mechanical wear, and contributes to thinner device profiles by eliminating traditional buttons.

Overview

Definition and Principles

Force Touch is Apple's proprietary designed to detect and respond to discrete levels of applied to touch-sensitive surfaces, such as displays and trackpads, allowing for more sophisticated user interactions than conventional binary touch detection. This system interprets force inputs to trigger context-aware actions, enhancing input precision by measuring not just touch location but also intensity. At its core, Force Touch operates on principles of force measurement using sensors like strain gauges, which detect mechanical deformation caused by applied on the touch surface. These sensors, typically arranged at multiple points (e.g., corners) beneath the surface, generate electrical signals proportional to the force, enabling the system to distinguish between discrete levels such as a light touch for basic and a firm press for additional actions such as previews or secondary functions. The force data is processed to compute a force —a weighted of sensor readings that determines both the magnitude and location of the applied —allowing accurate against predefined thresholds to filter noise and confirm intentional inputs. These thresholds are dynamically adjusted during user to account for individual pressing habits, ensuring reliable differentiation between pressure intensities without requiring physical movement of the surface. The technology integrates a Taptic Engine, a linear resonant that delivers precise vibrational feedback synchronized with pressure detection, simulating the tactile sensation of physical clicks or button presses to provide immersive confirmation of actions. This haptic response reinforces the pressure-based inputs, making interactions feel more natural and responsive by bridging the gap between virtual and physical touch experiences. Overall, the operational concept translates raw force signals into software triggers, where exceeding a light threshold activates previews and surpassing a higher one executes commitments, all while maintaining seamless integration with existing touch interfaces.

Development History

Development of Force Touch began as part of Apple's efforts to advance beyond traditional interfaces, with early filings for force-sensing trackpads dating back to 2011. By 2013-2014, internal work focused on integrating pressure-sensitive technology with haptic feedback, culminating in the creation of the Taptic Engine to provide precise tactile responses. This built on the foundation established with the original in 2007, aiming to enable more intuitive interactions by distinguishing varying levels of pressure. Force Touch was officially unveiled on September 9, 2014, during Apple's event introducing the first-generation , where it was highlighted as a key feature of the device's to differentiate taps from presses. The technology debuted in the later that year, marking Apple's first consumer product with pressure-sensitive input paired with the Taptic Engine for immediate haptic confirmation. Apple's motivations included enhancing user by simulating physical button presses without mechanical components and reducing reliance on traditional inputs for better efficiency. In March 2015, Apple expanded Force Touch to laptops with the introduction of the , featuring a trackpad that used the technology to deliver haptic "clicks" regardless of pressure applied, eliminating the need for physical depression. This was followed in May 2015 by the updated 15-inch , further integrating Force Touch into macOS workflows. The technology reached smartphones on September 9, 2015, with the and 6s Plus, branded as 3D Touch to emphasize its depth-sensing capabilities on displays. Force Touch was discontinued on with the release of 7 in September 2020, with its functions replaced by long-press gestures. Software support for Force Touch and 3D Touch arrived with , announced at WWDC in June 2015 and released in September, enabling developers to incorporate pressure-based shortcuts and previews into apps. On the Mac side, Force Touch trackpads became standard across models, persisting through updates like the 2025 with M4 chip, which continues to leverage the technology for consistent input experiences.

Technical Implementation

Hardware Components

The primary hardware components of Force Touch include arrays embedded beneath the display glass to detect micro-deformations caused by applied pressure. These gauges, often configured as serpentine traces on flexible metal supports, measure changes in electrical resistance resulting from physical strain, enabling precise force differentiation. Complementing the sensing elements is the Taptic Engine, a linear resonant (LRA) that generates targeted vibrations for haptic feedback. This compact motor uses electromagnetic coils to oscillate a mass along a linear path at its resonant frequency, producing sharp, customizable pulses rather than broad rotations typical of traditional eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors. The LRA's design enhances power efficiency through low-voltage operation and reduced energy loss, allowing for nuanced tactile responses without significant battery drain. In trackpads, Force Touch employs a rigid surface mounted on strain gauge-equipped supports, enabling detection without any mechanical depression of the pad itself. Haptic of physical clicks occurs via the Taptic Engine's , which create a perceptual "tactile bump" through rapid oscillations against an internal metal rail, maintaining a solid, non-moving structure for durability and precision. The hardware incorporates flexible substrates for the strain gauge traces, allowing them to conform to subtle flexing while preserving signal integrity under repeated use. Calibration processes ensure consistent sensitivity across devices by applying known forces at multiple points and adjusting parameters via linear least squares optimization to account for variations in sensor response. Over time, Force Touch hardware evolved with refinements in sensor integration, such as denser electrode arrays along curved surfaces in the Apple Watch to improve accuracy in compact form factors. Subsequent models like the Apple Watch Series 3 maintained this architecture while optimizing for better force resolution through enhanced signal processing compatibility, though the core strain-based detection remained consistent until hardware phase-out starting with Series 6 in 2020 in favor of software alternatives. As of November 2025, Force Touch persists in Mac trackpads and the Magic Trackpad accessory.

Sensing Mechanics

Force Touch sensing relies on the detection of microscopic deformations in the touch surface assembly caused by applied pressure. When a user presses on the rigid planar member—such as a cover or trackpad surface—the force induces subtle flexing or bending, typically less than 0.05 mm in displacement. This deformation is transduced into electrical signals by integrated sensors positioned beneath the surface, primarily through changes in resistance via strain gauges. In trackpad and display implementations, four strain gauges mounted on flexible supports at the corners measure this flexing. The core measurement principles leverage piezoresistive effects in strain gauges, where applied strain alters the electrical resistance of conductive traces or materials. These effects quantify , with sensor outputs processed via calibration curves that map raw signals to pressure levels to distinguish light touches from firm presses. Piezoresistive sensors, common in both trackpads and Watch displays, detect resistance shifts proportional to mechanical stress. Accuracy is enhanced by combining multiple sensor signals, such as averaging outputs from corner gauges to minimize and enable precise magnitude determination, with response times on the order of milliseconds for seamless detection. Limitations include the need for compensation to counteract environmental influences on resistivity, as well as managing sensitivity in edge cases to prevent erroneous readings from uneven or incidental contacts. For localized pressure mapping, an electrode grid layout—consisting of interleaved drive and sense electrodes across the assembly—allows of distribution, providing positional context without mechanical movement of the entire surface.

Software Integration

Apple's operating systems integrate Force Touch through APIs that expose to developers, facilitating pressure-based interactions in applications. On macOS, AppKit offers NSPressureConfiguration for configuring trackpad pressure responses during drags or clicks, allowing apps to detect and respond to force levels on Force Touch trackpads. In watchOS, support is system-managed for actions like contextual menus, with limited direct access for developers to raw pressure data prior to its deprecation in watchOS 7. Software processing of Force Touch input involves real-time filtering of sensor signals to distinguish intentional firm presses from lighter touches, using algorithms that analyze force variations to generate reliable press and release events while minimizing noise from incidental contact. This data is seamlessly integrated with gesture recognizer classes in macOS and watchOS, supporting hybrid gestures that combine positional touch data with pressure thresholds for nuanced user inputs, such as progressive actions that escalate with increasing force. Users can customize Force Touch sensitivity via . On macOS, options under > Trackpad allow selection of light, medium, or firm levels to tailor responsiveness. provides robust developer tools for Force Touch integration, including simulator options that emulate inputs via a Mac's Force Touch trackpad, allowing testing of behaviors like force-dependent UI changes without physical devices. Sample code, such as ForceTouchCatalog for macOS, demonstrates usage for pressure-sensitive features.

User Experience

Pressure-Based Interactions

Pressure-based interactions in Force Touch enable users to execute context-aware actions by varying the intensity of touch on compatible trackpads, streamlining navigation and content manipulation without relying on multi-step menus. On Mac trackpads, the primary gesture is Force Click, which involves an initial press followed by increased pressure to perform advanced tasks, such as previewing files in Finder by revealing , looking up word definitions or addresses in the dictionary or Maps app, or renaming files and folders. These actions provide rapid access to information, reducing during workflows. In applications like Finder and , pressure variations support nuanced controls, such as spring-loading icons for drag-and-drop or identifying elements with graduated force for intuitive manipulation. Historically on (until watchOS 7 in 2020), Force Touch allowed firm presses on the display to access contextual menus, such as the app switcher, Control Center, or settings, enhancing navigation on the small screen. Force Touch was discontinued on starting with Series 6 and SE models, with the gesture disabled via software on older devices. Accessibility enhancements ensure broader usability on Mac, with options to adjust trackpad pressure sensitivity and haptic feedback intensity to light, medium, or firm thresholds, accommodating users with motor impairments by minimizing physical effort. Integration with provides haptic cues synchronized with verbal announcements, offering tactile confirmation for Force Click actions to support visually impaired users. These features promote by adapting to diverse physical capabilities. Common daily scenarios on Mac leverage Force Click for efficiency, including pressing firmly on trackpad edges to adjust volume or brightness sliders, or in Music to identify song . On the trackpad, applying during dragging simulates physical feedback for precise control. Haptic accompanies these presses to verify successful input. Interfaces facilitate user adaptation through embedded visual indicators, such as animations that highlight Force Click opportunities, paired with immediate haptic responses to reinforce technique. studies indicate these cues help users distinguish from standard clicks, enabling integration into workflows after brief practice, with app support enhancing effectiveness.

Haptic Feedback System

The Taptic Engine is Apple's proprietary haptic feedback system, implemented as a custom linear resonant actuator (LRA) that generates precise oscillations to simulate tactile sensations in response to Force Touch inputs. This design replaces traditional eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors with an LRA capable of producing sharp, directional vibrations across a range of approximately 80 to 230 Hz, enabling nuanced "click" feelings without audible . generation within the Taptic Engine allows for varied haptic patterns, such as brief pulses for notifications or sustained rhythms for alerts, by modulating the and duration of the LRA's drive signals. Key feedback types provided by the Taptic Engine include simulated force clicks on Force Touch trackpads, which mimic the physical depression of a mechanical button during pressure-sensitive interactions. On devices like the Magic Trackpad, it delivers edge bounce sensations to indicate scroll boundaries, enhancing spatial awareness during navigation. Synchronization between the Taptic Engine and Force Touch pressure inputs ensures an immersive experience, with haptic responses triggered in under 10 milliseconds to align closely with user gestures. Efficient driver software minimizes battery drain by optimizing LRA activation only during relevant events, such as pressure thresholds, while idling the system otherwise to conserve power in portable devices. On , the Taptic Engine provided feedback for Force Touch inputs until the feature's discontinuation in watchOS 7 (2020), but continues to support wrist-specific patterns like subtle taps for timekeeping via Taptic Time or chimes at set intervals independently of pressure sensing. Updates such as those in watchOS 6 added Taptic Chimes for auditory-haptic cues, while later versions like watchOS 10 (as of 2023) refined Digital Crown feedback with linear detents for precise scrolling. These evolutions maintain haptic consistency across Apple's ecosystem, from Mac trackpads to , by standardizing waveform libraries for uniform tactile responses, though decoupled from Force Touch on newer Watches.

Applications

Devices and Platforms

Force Touch, branded as 3D Touch on iPhone displays, was first integrated into the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, released in September 2015, allowing users to access contextual menus and shortcuts by applying varying levels of pressure to the screen. 3D Touch employed pressure-sensitive sensors in the display to detect different levels of force applied by the user, enabling interactions such as Peek for quick previews of content and Pop for accessing deeper actions, which allowed for faster responses compared to long-press gestures. This feature continued across subsequent models, including the iPhone 7, 8, X, and up to the iPhone XS and XS Max in 2018, where it enabled pressure-sensitive interactions like previewing links or app actions. Following its discontinuation in the iPhone 11 series in 2019, many 3D Touch functionalities were emulated through Haptic Touch, which uses long-press gestures combined with haptic feedback to replicate similar user experiences on later iPhone models without dedicated pressure sensors. In the lineup, Force Touch debuted with the original model in April 2015, incorporating pressure-sensitive display capabilities to trigger system menus and settings via firm presses, alongside haptic feedback for the Digital Crown to simulate physical clicks. This technology remained a core element through early generations, enhancing -based in models up to Series 5. Although Apple phased out Force Touch support in 7 (released in 2020) for Series 6 and later devices, replacing it with long-press alternatives, the underlying haptic system for the Digital Crown persisted in subsequent models, including Series 10 released in 2024. Apple introduced the Force Touch trackpad in its lineup with the 13-inch in March 2015 and the 15-inch in May 2015, featuring pressure-sensing surfaces that provide haptic feedback for actions like force clicks to access previews or right-click equivalents without physical buttons. This design became standard across and series, enabling precise control for gestures such as scrolling, zooming, and pressure-sensitive drawing in creative apps. By 2025, the Force Touch trackpad continued in the M4-powered , maintaining compatibility with macOS features for enhanced productivity and interactions. Beyond core devices, Force Touch is implemented in the standalone 2 accessory, introduced in October 2015, which uses the same pressure-sensitive for desktop and laptop use without built-in trackpads. However, as of 2025, iPads lack native Force Touch or 3D Touch on their displays, relying instead on standard interfaces without pressure sensitivity, though compatible keyboards provide trackpad support via .

Evolution and Replacements

In 2019, with the release of , Apple shifted from 3D Touch—a pressure-sensitive display technology closely related to Force Touch principles—to Haptic Touch on newer models, such as the series. Haptic Touch simulates pressure-based interactions through long-press gestures combined with haptic feedback from the Taptic , eliminating the need for dedicated pressure-sensing hardware in the display. This change retained the underlying haptic components derived from Force Touch in supported older models, allowing unified gesture handling across devices while reducing manufacturing complexity and costs. As of 2025, Force Touch remains integral to macOS trackpads on MacBooks and the , enabling features like Force Click for contextual actions, lookups, and file previews with adjustable sensitivity and haptic responses. However, it was fully phased out in starting with version 7 in 2020, where pressure-based gestures were replaced by Haptic Touch equivalents to streamline user interactions and simplify hardware design in newer models. No full has occurred in Mac hardware, though entry-level devices like the M-series models adapt the technology by prioritizing cost-effective implementations without expanding pressure levels beyond core functionality. Recent developments point to enhanced haptic integrations building on Force Touch foundations, including rumors of solid-state buttons for the 20 expected in 2027. These would replace mechanical buttons with vibration-based haptic feedback, allowing differentiation between light and firm presses similar to Force Touch trackpads, integrated into the device frame for improved durability and water resistance. Some users express preference for the precision of pressure-sensitive features like 3D Touch in professional workflows, though Haptic Touch adoption has grown due to its availability on newer devices.

Patent Litigation

Apple initiated significant enforcement efforts related to its Force Touch technology, particularly in the realm of haptic feedback and pressure sensing. In February 2016, filed a lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the District of , alleging infringement of several patents covering haptic feedback systems used in the , with 3D Touch, and trackpads. The suit targeted U.S. Patent Nos. 6,424,333 (haptic feedback generation), 8,619,051 (haptic feedback system with controller and actuators), and others related to force-responsive tactile outputs. Immersion also pursued an investigation before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to block imports of the accused Apple products. The dispute with Immersion was resolved through a settlement and licensing agreement effective January 26, 2018, under which Apple obtained a to Immersion's haptic portfolio in exchange for an undisclosed payment and ongoing royalties. This agreement ended all pending litigation between the parties, including the ITC proceeding, and allowed Apple to continue integrating haptic technologies without further interruption. Apple's Force Touch innovations were supported by a substantial patent portfolio developed between 2013 and 2016, including key U.S. s on force detection mechanisms. For instance, U.S. No. 8,633,916, granted in January 2014, describes a touch pad incorporating sensors and actuators for providing tactile feedback based on applied pressure. These formed the basis of Apple's assertions in related disputes. In a broader context, Apple's 2019 settlement with Incorporated encompassed a multi-year global cross-license agreement covering a wide range of technologies. The deal, effective April 1, 2019, resolved ongoing worldwide litigation and included supply terms, reinforcing Apple's strategy of using cross-licensing to protect its touch-related IP. As of 2025, Apple has maintained aggressive enforcement of its Force Touch-related patents. In August 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated a court's of noninfringement in Taction Technology, Inc. v. Apple Inc., reviving claims that Apple's haptic technologies in iPhones and infringe Taction's patents on vibration feedback systems; no final ruling has been issued in this ongoing case. No other major adverse rulings have been reported in core haptic and pressure-sensing disputes; this approach underscores the company's IP strategy to safeguard touch interface advancements through settlements and licensing rather than prolonged trials.

Comparable Technologies

Apple's Haptic Touch, introduced with in 2019, serves as the primary successor to 3D Touch on newer iPhones, relying on long-press gestures combined with haptic vibrations to simulate pressure-based interactions without dedicated force-sensing hardware. This software-driven approach mimics outputs like quick menus and previews but lacks the precise force detection of earlier systems, enabling broader compatibility across devices like the and later models. Among competitors, implemented Force Touch in its Mate S launched in 2015, using sensors similar to Apple's technology to enable pressure-sensitive features such as dynamic app shortcuts and camera controls, though was limited to select markets and the feature was not pursued in subsequent models. Google's Now on Tap, debuted in Android 6.0 in 2015, provided contextual assistance via a long-press on the home button but did not incorporate pressure sensitivity, evolving into the more voice- and gesture-focused by 2016 without hardware-based force input. Microsoft's Surface Pen, introduced with the Surface Pro 3 in 2014 and enhanced in 2015 models, offered pressure sensitivity with up to 256 levels initially (later expanding to 4096), focusing on stylus-based interactions for creative tasks rather than full-screen touch. Broader alternatives diverge from Force Touch's contact-based sensing; for instance, Ultraleap's mid-air haptics technology, advanced in the 2020s, employs ultrasonic waves to deliver tactile feedback without physical contact, enabling immersive interactions in and automotive interfaces as an non-invasive counterpart. In automotive applications, Tesla's capacitive steering yoke, introduced in the 2021 Model S refresh, uses touch-sensitive controls with haptic feedback for functions like turn signals, prioritizing vibration cues over pressure detection in a hands-on context. Force Touch's integration within Apple's closed fostered consistent, experiences across devices, contrasting with Android's open implementations where pressure features, when present, varied by manufacturer and lacked unified software support, contributing to limited overall of such technology in smartphones due to hardware costs and inconsistent developer uptake.

References

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  11. https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140028575A1/en
  12. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2015/09/12/3d-touch-iphone-6s/
  13. https://patents.google.com/patent/US8633916B2/en
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