iOS Shortcuts: Using 3D Touch in Control Center.
Apple first introduced Force Touch, a pressure-sensing touch technology, in the Apple Watch. But shortly after Android phone maker Huawei introduced the feature in its new smartphones, Apple released and popularized its use on iPhones, most notably the iPhone 6s.
Apple calls this feature 3D Touch multitouch. It adds an innovative way to open the most frequently used steps or functions to iPhone users. Use 3D Touch by pressing the iPhone screen while holding pressure. This opens all the shortcuts available in the clicked application.
For example, 3D Touch is best known as a shortcut to app functions. Try 3D Touch for the Twitter iOS app – you can quickly tweet, send a direct message, or search.
Less well known is its value in the iOS Control Center, especially with the user’s ability to customize Control Center controls. And then let’s see how you can use such interesting shortcuts.
3D Touch on Cellular Data
One of the built-in shortcuts in the Control Center turns cellular data on or off. You’ll find this control in the top left pane of the Control Center along with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Airplane Mode.
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When you 3D Touch (press and hold) the cellular data icon, you will see the following:
It’s worth noting that you can get the same extended menu by tapping in 3D any of the four icons in this group. Let’s take a closer look at the two new features.
AirDrop Shortcut
AirDrop Shortcut
AirDrop is how Apple device users can wirelessly transfer files to nearby OS X and iOS devices. You can choose from several pickup modes, including Disconnect Contact For All Only. However, if you set the receive mode to “All” to receive a file from a known person nearby, this setting will remain until manually changed.
Unfortunately, this option can invite strangers to use it, as described in this article. So use this AirDrop shortcut on the fly to quickly return to Contacts Only or Receive Mute.
Personal Hotspot
Personal Hotspot Shortcut
A personal hotspot is a cellular setting that lets you create a Wi-Fi hotspot using your iPhone’s cellular data connection. This will allow you to connect laptops and other devices to this network to connect to the Internet. This feature should be enabled by your cellular company, but all major companies now support it.
While it eats up your cellular data and depends on your cellular network speed, adding internet connectivity to your devices wherever you have LTE is a great productivity tool. Plus, simply using your iPhone to connect with friends and business partners is sure to boost your popularity.
In any case, use this shortcut to quickly enable this access point (discoverable) or disable (not discoverable).
Note that iOS requires a password for these personal hotspots for people to join. You need to go to Settings – Personal hotspot – Wi-Fi password.
Screen recording shortcut
It is possible to add a screen recording control to the Control Center as we explained in the previous post linked above. Once the screen recording is in your control center dashboard, 3D tap the icon and voila!
- Select the recording destination.
- Not so long ago, you could only save a screen recording to the iPhone’s camera roll. However, it is now possible to broadcast to Facebook Live directly from the screen recording, and even the My Verizon iOS app wants me to broadcast the screen to its diagnostic feature! Note that the label reads “Start Recording†if the destination is camera roll, but “Start Streaming†if on Facebook.
- Do you want to talk while recording your iPhone screen? This button turns on the microphone to enable sound during screen recording.
Please note that the list of apps listed here will depend on what is currently installed on your iPhone. Since I have Facebook and My Verizon installed, these two apps appear. Unfortunately, I could not find a complete list of all applications on the Internet that work with the iOS screen recorder.
Short Notes
Another useful addition to the Control Center is the Notes control. The main shortcut will open a new note, but if you frequently use the checklist feature in Notes, 3D tapping the Notes icon in the Control Center will create a new note with a checklist!
Alternatively, you can start a new note with a photo or sketch. These 3D Touch shortcuts in Control Center are a time saver. While 3D Touch is mostly useful, it can sometimes cause problems. Read my post on what to do if you can’t uninstall apps due to 3D Touch. Please let us know in the comments if you have questions or suggestions! Enjoy!
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