Apple Added A New Button To iPhones Via iOS 14 – What's It For?

Apple introduced a slew of improvements to the overall iPhone user experience with iOS 14. These include an all-new feature hidden deep inside the settings app: a new button.

While iOS 14 users might've already enjoyed the many additions introduced with the new iPhone operating system, there might be some who haven't discovered a new “back” button tucked discreetly within the device's Accessibility settings, The Verge noted.

This back button isn't actually a button that can be tapped to go one step back from a menu or application. It's the new “Back Tap” feature that, when enabled, lets the iPhone respond to a user's single, double or triple taps at the back of the device. It's like adding a button at the back of the phone.

What's it for?

The new feature is apparently designed to give users more options for interacting with their iPhone. The feature can be configured to do a variety of things such as opening the app switcher, control center or notification menu. It can also allow users to trigger Siri or take a screenshot depending on which functions they set.

The feature, which makes use of the device's back panel as an extra touchscreen, also lets users scroll through an app or webpage. It can even be configured to work seamlessly with the Shortcuts app to do even more things.

How it works

The feature can be enabled by launching the Settings app, going to Accessibility, then looking for and toggling the Back Tap feature on.

Once the feature is enabled, users can then customize how it works. It can do any of the above-mentioned actions or responses.

Apple has designed the feature well so that it makes use of the iPhone's hardware and slew of sensors to detect taps and presses at the back of the device. The Verge noted that it is capable of differentiating between an actual, intentional tap on the back or the user simply holding the phone.

This means users need not worry about accidental back taps that could wrongly send messages to friends, wake Siri up and let it eavesdrop on conversations or capture photos at the wrong time.