Apple Expected to Remove 3D Touch From All 2019 iPhones in Favor of Haptic Touch

Four years after 3D Touch debuted on the iPhone 6s, the pressure-sensitive feature appears to be on the chopping block.

3d touch iphone zoom
Last week, in a research note shared with MacRumors, a team of Barclays analysts "confirmed" that 3D Touch "will be eliminated" in all 2019 iPhones, as they predicted back in August 2018. The analysts gathered this information from Apple suppliers following a trip to Asia earlier this month.

This isn't the first time we've heard this rumor. The Wall Street Journal said the same thing back in January.

Apple already replaced ‌3D Touch‌ with Haptic Touch on the iPhone XR in order to achieve a nearly edge-to-edge LCD on the device, and it is likely the feature will be expanded to all 2019 iPhones. Haptic Touch is simply a marketing name for a long press combined with haptic feedback from the Taptic Engine.

It's unclear why Apple would remove ‌3D Touch‌ from the next-generation ‌iPhone‌ XS and ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, since Apple has already proven that it can integrate the feature into edge-to-edge OLED displays without issue.

‌Haptic Touch‌ on the ‌iPhone‌ XR works in fewer places than ‌3D Touch‌, including the flashlight and camera shortcuts on the lock screen, in Control Center to view hidden toggles, and to expand notifications. ‌Haptic Touch‌ does not support Quick Actions app menus or Peek and Pop for previewing content.

peek pop

‌3D Touch‌ features: Quick Actions on left, Peek and Pop on right

Perhaps we'll see some hints that ‌3D Touch‌ is going away entirely in iOS 13, which Apple is expected to unveil at its WWDC 2019 keynote next Monday. That should be followed by new iPhones in September as usual.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

Top Rated Comments

its93rc Avatar
88 months ago
This is a feature mostly everyone on here calls a gimmick but I love using. I hope they keep a variation of it on the new iPhone.
Score: 107 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nimoy Avatar
88 months ago
I'm hoping this change is "invisible" because I use 3D Touch all the time. Also hoping we "get something" for it, like longer battery life.
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Biu_miu Avatar
88 months ago
Sad. It was really convenient to reply to texts/e-mails from lock screen with 3D Touch.
Score: 54 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mike MA Avatar
88 months ago
Once you got used to 3D Touch you won’t want to miss it. Let’s see the reason why and the replacing feature and judge afterwards.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
plotikai Avatar
88 months ago
Probably because nobody is using it. it's to unintuitive.
I disagree, I use it every day and once you learn which apps have the function built in, it's extremely intuitive. Being able to quickly see how far an address is when someone messages it to me is much better than opening it in another app, then moving back to the messages app to respond, you don't even have to move your thumb! Removing 3 steps to do the same thing, tripling the total time to accomplish the same task
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
goobot Avatar
88 months ago
But I like 3D Touch. The real problem is Apple doesn’t know how to make software that highlights their hardware functions anymore. Since iOS 7 the whole ui sucks.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)