The latest iOS 18 update strongly hints that Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 16 lineup might incorporate the highly anticipated solid-state buttons.

Unveiled at the recent WWDC, iOS 18 includes a much-discussed “hide and lock apps” feature that some worry could be misused for privacy concerns related to infidelity. Among its other noteworthy additions are many AI features and several notable improvements, including enhanced visual effects.

  • @[email protected]English
    3•6 months ago

    That’s not exactly the concern: solid state buttons should be more reliable. The concern is that if something happens, like a bug or failed update, where the only hope of recovery is to reset it, you’re depending on buttons controlled by the same software that’s already broken.

    In theory, mechanical buttons continue to work, regardless of the OS or drivers being locked up, so you can still recover

    • @[email protected]English
      1•6 months ago

      You’re assuming solid state buttons are completely reliant on software to run, but there’s no reason that has to be the case. Sure, for advanced stuff like “is a finger swiping across this” I agree you need software, but I doubt it’s impossible to use as binary input. “Is a finger touching this” isn’t hard when you have a little piece of hardware in there that sends out a signal when it’s being touched.