In 2015, Apple introduced the revolutionary 3D Touch technology with the launch of the iPhone 6S, which many at the time considered the beginning of a new era for interacting with smart screens by sensing pressure. However, a few years later, specifically in 2019, the company decided to remove it entirely with the launch of the iPhone 11, and even went further by canceling software support for the feature via iOS 13 and iOS 14 updates, even for phones that had the dedicated hardware for it. Now, in 2026, there is no sign or hint from Apple of reviving this feature or re-integrating it into any future iPhone releases.
Is 3D Touch dead for good?
3D Touch was one of those smart and premium features that never quite gained enough traction. Despite Apple’s massive promotion of this additional interactive layer, which relied primarily on “peek and pop” gestures based on the pressure applied by the user to the screen, it did not receive sufficient support from developers. In fact, the vast majority of casual users were not even aware of its existence; users of the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and iPhone XS were often greatly surprised to see this feature working in front of them for the first time, saying, “We didn’t know our phones could do that!”
Although Apple never issued an official statement explaining why it abandoned this technology, high production costs, combined with a lack of actual usage, made its continuation economically and technically unfeasible. Instead of continuing to develop complex screens that support pressure sensing, Apple preferred to direct its efforts and resources to adding features that were more in demand and useful to users, such as equipping phones with larger batteries, screens that support Always-On Display, and ProMotion technology for high refresh rates.
Should Apple bring back 3D Touch?
There is no doubt that there is a segment of users and tech enthusiasts who were huge fans of 3D Touch, but just like the Touch Bar on MacBook Pro devices, it seems this technology only mattered to a very limited segment of users, and its continuation was not a smart business choice for Apple. To tell the truth, the most important functions provided by 3D Touch still exist today on modern iPhones through Haptic Touch, where you can long-press on a link to preview it, on an app icon to access quick shortcuts, or to easily preview photos and videos.
But what we really lost were some unique interactions in games; for example, the famous game Alto’s Adventure supported this technology to activate the wingsuit by pressing firmly on the screen. Regardless of some games that offered similar experiences, Apple did not find a strong justification for keeping this complex and expensive technology. This trend even extended to the Apple Watch, where Apple removed a similar feature known as Force Touch from modern models of the watch, and despite some initial dissatisfaction, users quickly got used to the new gestures introduced by watchOS 10 and continued their lives normally.
The Camera Control button may face the same fate
With the launch of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17, Apple introduced the “Camera Control” feature, a new button located below the side power button dedicated to controlling the camera. This button relies on technology very similar to the operating principle of 3D Touch, as it senses different levels of pressure to enable users to navigate between camera settings and different lenses. By lightly sliding a finger, users can adjust white balance, zoom, photographic styles, and exposure, and use a light double-press to navigate between these settings.
But two years after introducing this technology, it seems history is repeating itself; many users still find the sliding and medium double-press gestures on the Camera Control button inaccurate and difficult to use reliably. Current rumors indicate that Apple is planning to make radical changes to this button in the upcoming iPhone 18. This may be due to high production costs amid the global memory shortage, in addition to reports from The Information platform indicating that Apple may remove the capacitive touch-sensitive layer because users find it difficult to understand how to use it correctly.
If these predictions are correct, the Camera Control button may turn into a traditional push button that only senses pressure for taking photos without support for sliding, repeating the story of simplifying interfaces at the expense of canceling complex interaction layers that the general public did not grasp.
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