iPhone’s Home button has been iconic. It is something we have grown accustomed to over the last decade. So lack of Home button in iPhone X due to its all-new edge-to-edge screen design can be a bit disappointing and confusing.
If you’re wondering how to go to the Home screen, how to access the multitasking app switcher, how to access Control Center etc then we’ve you covered.
How do I access the Home screen while using an app on iPhone X?
You can access the Home screen by swiping up from anywhere along the bottom edge of the display. An indicator is displayed at the bottom of the screen over the app’s interface to offer a hint about this interaction.
How do I access the app switcher while using an app on iPhone X?
It is the same gesture as accessing the Home screen, however, you need to swipe up and pause to access the app switcher.
How do I switch between apps on iPhone X?
You will be able to switch apps by swiping at the bottom of the screen as you can see in the GIF below. It is pretty cool, especially since Apple seems to have dropped the 3D Touch gesture to swipe between apps in iOS 11.
I LOVE double tapping the multitasking button on Android 7.0+ to toggle between 2 apps, and it’s nice to see a comparable iPhone X gesture. pic.twitter.com/iL6XWtLLH4
— Rohan Naravane (@r0han) September 13, 2017
In that case, how do I access the Control Center?
With the swipe up from the bottom assigned to access the Home screen and the app switcher, you’re probably wondering how do you access the Control Center. In iPhone X, you need to swipe down from the top of the display to access the Control Center. It remains to be seen how convenient it is going to be to reach to top right side of the display on the iPhone X.
How to access Notification Center?
You can swipe down at the top center of the display to access the Notification Center in iPhone X.
How to access Siri?
You can press and hold the Slide button to ask Siri a question on iPhone X. Yup, Apple now calls the Power/Slide to Wake button, the Side button like the Apple Watch.
How to access Apple Pay?
You can double press the Side button on the side to invoke Siri on iPhone X.
You can watch the video which demonstrates some of these gestures to get a better idea how the new iPhone X gestures work:
What about Reachability?
Apple seems to have dropped support for Reachability feature in iPhone X, however, we will update the post if we get a confirmation.
Accessing the Control Center isn’t going to be as convenient as the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, but overall I think the iPhone X gestures are quite intuitive so it shouldn’t take much time getting used to them. Chris Velazco of Engadget, in his brief hands-on with the iPhone, found the gestures incredibly natural to use and didn’t want to go back to his iPhone 7 Plus. I think I am going to miss Touch ID more than the Home button.
Do you think the lack of the Home button is a deal-breaker or do you think these iPhone X gestures are more natural and intuitive? Drop us a line in the comments to share your thoughts.
