iPhone X is introducing several new things. It will be the biggest iPhone to-date with a 5.8-inch screen. It will the first (almost) bezel less iPhone. And it brings depth-sensing 3D sensors. But with all these new features it is also taking away the one feature most iPhone users benefitted from. And that is ‘reachability’.
For the longest time, iPhone kept its phones small in size. Even when its competitors went big, they stuck to small screen size in order to make their phones easy to use. When Apple finally made a big shift in screen size with the iPhone 5 by moving from 3.5-inch to 4-inch, they made a proper video on it explaining how users could reach all corners of the phone with just one hand. However, when Apple started putting out bigger phones with the launch of iPhone 6, they still held on to single-handed usability and hence introduced the concept of ‘reachability’.
Also Read: Here is why I won’t buy the newly launched iPhone X
The reachability feature essentially scaled down the screen size of apps so that they could still be used with one hand despite the larger screen size of the phone. To access this featu
re, users of previous iPhones just had to tap on the home button twice which allowed a single touch on the screen before re-expanding to full-size.
However, the new iPhone X does not have a home button which means users will not be able to access reachability. The upcoming phone does not have hardware specifications that will support this feature. From a software point of view, the iOS tweaks also suggest that it is no longer a priority and Apple is finally ready to move to double-handed use when it comes to their iPhones.
Also Read: Comparison of flagships: iPhone 8 vs. iPhone X vs. Galaxy S8 vs. Note 8
The reachability was a favorite among iPhone users and one of the major reasons why people opted for it. Single-handed usage gave a lot of feasibility to users. According to comScore’s “2017 US Mobile App Report”, 76% of millennial iPhone users take advantage of reachability, while in older users the figure varied. 39% of those ages 35-54 and 32% of those aged 55 and above used reachability. That makes an average of 55% iPhone users who loved the feature.
If single-handed usage was one of your prime reasons for opting an iPhone, that will change when the new iPhone X finally comes to market.
Image Source Business Insider
