3D Touch in iOS 10: Respond to Notifications, Share Apps, Adjust Control Center Settings and More

In iOS 10, Apple has focused heavily on making 3D Touch more useful and relevant, so if you have an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, there are a whole slew of new gestures you can use on the Lock screen, the Home screen, and in certain apps.

Given the expansive new 3D Touch options in iOS 10, we've created a video that shows you everything you can do with one of Apple's newest iPhones. With Apple introducing so many new 3D Touch capabilities, we can expect 3D Touch to be a feature that will show up in all of Apple's future devices, from iPhones to iPads.


Incoming notifications now support 3D Touch Peek and Pop capabilities, allowing users to do things like view photos and videos and respond to incoming messages all without leaving the Lock screen. In the Notification Center itself, there's now an option to use a 3D Touch press to clear all of the notifications for the day.

When downloading an app, you can press on it to pause or cancel the download, and when 3D Touching on any app, there are new options for bringing up the share sheet. Apps that have accompanying widgets, like Weather, will display that widget when using a Quick Action press on the Home screen.

Pressing on a folder now brings up an option for quickly renaming it, and if there are apps with Notification badges inside of a folder, you can easily access them using 3D Touch.

In the Control Center, there are 3D Touch shortcuts for the Flashlight (change intensity), Timer (pre-set intervals), Calculator (copy last result), and Camera (picture options), while Apple Music offers more info when 3D Touching on a song that's playing and Messages brings up Bubble Effects when using a 3D Touch to customize chat bubbles.

For full details on the new features coming in iOS 10, make sure to check out our iOS 10 roundup. Don't miss out on our previous videos, which have covered watchOS 3, macOS Sierra, and other iOS 10 features:

- WWDC 2016 Overview in Seven Minutes
- iOS 10's Overhauled Lockscreen
- The New iOS 10 Photos App
- The New iOS 10 Messages App
- macOS Sierra - Siri
- iOS 10 Hidden Features
- watchOS 3 Overview
- iOS 10's Redesigned Apple Music Experience

We've also got roundups for all of the upcoming operating systems, including watchOS 3, macOS Sierra, and tvOS 10.

Related Forum: iOS 10

Popular Stories

CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There have been complaints about ...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
iPhone Security Feature 25

Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:15 pm PDT by
Apple has quite a few security features that it's added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs over the years. Now more than ever, it's important to make sure you're taking advantage of the built-in security tools that are available to keep yourself and your data safe, so we've rounded up a list of the most important options. If you don't already have these enabled, you might want to consider turning...

Top Rated Comments

Mac Fly (film) Avatar
115 months ago
Year 1: 3D Touch? Apple marketing crap. iPhone 6s is a rebranded iPhone 6. Apple can no longer innovate. Steve wouldn't have shipped this. Fire Tim Cook. I'm switching to Samsung.

Year 2: I have no use for this feature. It is handy to have, I'm just so glad you can switch it off.

Year 6: How did we ever live without 3D Whiz? It's such an integral part of my tech experience. Wasn't it Samsung who had this first? If it was, Apple should fire Tim. If it wasn't, then it doesn't matter, when you think about it there was no invention here because it was such an obvious feature. Apple trying to patent touching things again!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Corrode Avatar
115 months ago
I can't wait for the public beta!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Peepo Avatar
115 months ago
They are focusing so much on 3D Touch yet recently introduced the SE which lacks this feature!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPLC Avatar
115 months ago
If I could make one wish for iOS... It would be for some kind of "naked" or "light" version of iOS. I would be so happy to find one main switch in the settings menu that gives me the choice to turn off everything that makes iOS far from intuitive. No more 3D touch, no menu's popping out of the side, top or bottom. No more hidden functionality. A simple version of the settings menu, a music App that that doesn't look like a website etc etc. Short: No more UI noise.

Don't get me wrong. I love my iPhone but what I love more is my good o'll iPod touch with the very first iOS. It does what it should do, basic functionality, easy and fast and most important, it feels like an Apple product.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zmmyt Avatar
115 months ago
Glad to see Apple expanding 3D Touch functionality. Since so many iOS devices still lack this feature I thought they might ditch it in the near future.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iPad Air Avatar
115 months ago
I have to say, I thought 3D Touch was a minor gimmicky thing at first, even though it was announced as a big feature...that was before I got my hands on it. After recently moving to iPhone 6S Plus, using this feature has changed my mind. I think 3D Touch is great and useful. Just wait especially down the road - in hindsight we will wonder how we got along navigating iOS without 3D Touch. I think its great they are expanding it and making it more innovative.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)