iPhone 7 has a virtual home button now

Fariha Khan
October 17, 2016
1,012

If iPhone’s non-mechanical home button fails, the device can extend virtual button similar to some versions of Android. Owners have recently discovered this feature and now sharing their experiences on the web.

A user on an online expressed how he came across this feature when he had to face problem with their phone unexpectedly shutting down. When he powered it on again, he saw the message "The Home Button May Need Service" that popped up and also came across the virtual button on the screen.

By rebooting the error message was removed, however the phone's Taptic Engine was vibrating soon after 3-4 times for each button press. Again, rebooting left the physical button non-functional.

All iPhone and iPad devices have had a physical home button. When it comes to Android, their manufacturers can determine if they want one. Removing a hardware button shrinks the bottom bezel and lessens failure occurrences while having it reserves space for screen and has additional solid response.

Apple is expected to be swapping to the first route with in its upcoming iPhone model that may have an edge-to-edge OLED display. But finding out stuff such as embedded cameras and sensors might be the real challenge.