Apple has dropped support for Force Touch in the upcoming watchOS software update for Apple Watch. At WWDC, the company’s annual developers conference, watchOS 7 was showcased – featuring a lot of new features like hand wash detection, dance detection, and more. However, the most surprising for a lot of people was of course that the company dropped Force Touch support in its latest major software update.
Force Touch was a useful feature in Apple Watch as it helped hide some menus and options which can be shown only when required. By using the “tap and hold” feature, Apple was able to enable and hide options like notifications clear, Watch customize feature, and more. These options would be hidden unless the user needed to use them.
Most of the options that were able in various apps and even on the home screen, have now been moved to the Settings app. A lot of these quick settings were usable directly within the app by the “touch and apply pressure” mechanism.
However, the news shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Apple has been phasing out its Force Touch from most of its portable products. The company dropped its Force Touch aka 3D Touch feature on the iPhone as it was not worth the extra space and cost. By removing 3D Touch, Apple was able to pack a larger battery which was appreciated by almost everyone.
Apple’s updated developer notes on “Firm press and long press” read:
In versions of watchOS before watchOS 7, people could press firmly on the display to do things like change the watch face or reveal a hidden menu called a Force Touch menu. In watchOS 7 and later, system apps make previously hidden menu items accessible in a related screen or a settings screen. If you formerly supported a long-press gesture to open a hidden menu, consider relocating the menu items elsewhere.
