Google delays support for Android tech mimicking Apple's 3D Touch

Google has reportedly interally delayed its own equivalent of 3D Touch, the pressure-sensitive Apple technology that allows iPhone 6s and 6s Plus owners to take shortcuts through iOS apps.

Although the second preview version of Android N came with documentaion suggesting the possibility of such a feature, it won't be in the initial N release, sources explained to Re/code on Thursday. The feature is instead expected to be in a later Android update, though possibly just a maintenance release, meaning Android device owners wouldn't have to wait a full year after N's launch, which should happen later in 2016.

Currently very few Android phones use pressure-sensitive screens, since without default operating system support, apps have to be custom-tailored to each device's technology.

Indeed, 3D Touch is still a relatively modestly-supported feature in iOS apps, even if support has been growing since the technology first debuted in September of 2015. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are the only devices that support it, despite Apple launching three new iPad models and the iPhone SE.

More news about Google's plans could come from its I/O developers conference, which is scheduled for May 18 through 20. There the company is likely to show off several new products, if not its rumored Amazon Echo competitor.

24 Comments

ericthehalfbee 13 Years · 4489 comments

About 8 years ago

But...but....but...the Android "software engineers" have been claiming all along that Android supports pressure sensitive displays since day one. Therefore there can't be any delay since the feature is already there.

gatorguy 13 Years · 24627 comments

ericthehalfbee said:

But...but....but...the Android "software engineers" have been claiming all along that Android supports pressure sensitive displays since day one. Therefore there can't be any delay since the feature is already there.

You might be conflating things.

"getPressure() API has been available since API 1 (which was introduced with Android 1.0). In other words, it’s likely that Android has had the ability to use force touch since the very beginning. Looking at the history, API Level 5 added to the original implementation of getPressure() which implies that it because “useful” in API Level 5, whereas it appears to have been only “stubbed out” in API Level 1."

So pressure sensitive API's since version 1 of Android?: Yes
Force-Touchy like feature? Apparently delayed if the article is correct.

isteelers 12 Years · 738 comments

The way everyone here talks about 3D Touch, being a worthless gimmick makes me wonder why Google would bother including it in Android at all.

isteelers said:

The way everyone here talks about 3D Touch, being a worthless gimmick makes me wonder why Google would bother including it in Android at all.

Copycat Reflex Syndrome?

foggyhill 10 Years · 4767 comments

Tittle fact they don,t control the he makes this a bitch to get right... It's mimicking all right, not the real thing. Apple should press on to as many of these things as possible until fan droids crack under the weight of delusion