A newly discovered Apple patent suggests that upcoming iPhones might feature customizable Action buttons, allowing all three buttons on the left side of the device to adapt to user preferences.
This patent also indicates that similar functionalities could extend to other Apple products, including iPads and Macs.
The patent, identified by Patently Apple, is quite complex, opening with some of the least helpful language imaginable!
An electronic device detects a first input on a first input region distinct from the display, including recognizing a first part of the first input followed by a second part. Upon detecting the first input on the first region: if the first part meets a specified criteria, the device shows a first preview corresponding to a first operation of a given application. If the second part also meets another set of criteria, the device executes the first operation of the first application. Additionally, if the second part satisfies the second criteria, the device triggers the second operation of a secondary application.
The wording doesn’t get much clearer from here; the illustrations do a much better job of depicting Apple’s vision.
The interface is designed to let users choose functions for each of the buttons just as they currently assign functions to the Action button.
For instance, the volume-down button can be configured to call a favorite contact:
The document specifies the use of haptic motors that provide tactile feedback during button interactions.
Although the illustrations primarily feature iPhones, Apple clarifies that the patent is applicable to iPads and Macs as well.
In some cases, the device is identified as a portable communications device, like a mobile phone, incorporating additional functions like PDA or music player capabilities. Examples of such portable multifunction devices include, but are not limited to, the iPhone […] and iPad devices from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. Other portable electronics, including laptops or tablets with touch-sensitive interfaces (e.g., touchscreen displays and/or touchpads), are also potentially relevant.
Fans of touchscreen Macs might find that remark intriguing, but it’s important to note that the full phrase refers to “laptops or tablet computers with touch-sensitive surfaces,” which could also include trackpads and physical capacitive buttons.
As always, we remind you that Apple files patents for a variety of ideas it may never actualize, but considering the trajectory of introducing the Action button and the Camera Control feature, it seems plausible that this trend may persist.
Photo and drawings: Apple
FTC: We utilize income-generating affiliate links. More.
