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10 best 3D Touch apps for the iPhone 6s

Published Oct 12th, 2015 10:00AM EDT
3D Touch Apps
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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So you bought yourself a shiny new iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus. Congratulations, you now own the fastest smartphone on the planet, which according to our in-depth iPhone 6s review also provides the smoothest user experience in the world by a wide margin. Of course, Apple’s new iPhones are about much more than just speed and performance. There are a wide range of new features that make the new 6s and 6s Plus fantastic upgrades; in our review we said this was easily Apple’s biggest iPhone upgrade ever.

MUST SEE: Meet Bird, a device that could find itself at the center of your connected future

Apple’s new 12-megapixel camera is impressive on the iPhone 6s, and even more so on the 6s Plus where it’s assisted by optical image stabilization. The stronger steel and sturdier glass are certainly appreciated by accident prone users, and the improvements to Siri in iOS 9 are fantastic. If you had to pick one stand-out feature on the iPhone 6s though, most people will likely agree that it’s 3D Touch.

But where exactly does 3D Touch shine brightest?

We discussed the main problem with 3D Touch in our iPhone 6s review. In short, there is no indication whatsoever of where 3D Touch works and where it doesn’t. Apple’s Tips app helps a bit, but trial and error are your friend. Of course, BGR is also your friend, and in this post we’ll point you to 10 of the best third-party apps out there with smart and creative support for Apple’s new 3D Touch technology.

If you haven’t yet experienced 3D Touch, check out our iPhone 6s review for more information on what 3D Touch is and how it works.

Instagram: Press and hold firmly on any username or avatar and a Peek will display his or her name, recent photos and follower info. Sliding your finger up while continuing to hold will reveal a few menu options such as follow or unfollow and the option to send a direct message, or a firmer press will pop open the full profile page.

You can also 3D Touch the app icon for quick access to a new post screen, your activity feed, your Direct Message inbox or the search screen.

Download Instagram

Launch Center Pro: For those unfamiliar with it, Launch Center Pro is a great app that gives users quick access to any number of functions in the app or in a Notification Center Widget. Now, you can also access four of those functions with a 3D Touch on the app’s icon. Examples include messaging a specific contact and adding a new calendar event.

Download Launch Center Pro

Magic Piano: This nifty little app makes playing the piano on your iPhone or iPad plenty of fun, and now you can control the volume of each key press using 3D Touch. As is the case with a real piano, a harder press will trigger a louder note.

Download Magic Piano

Dropbox: Dropbox is easily one of the most popular cloud storage and sync solutions in the world, and now millions of Dropbox users with iOS devices can enjoy 3D Touch if they have a 6s or 6s Plus. Simply tap and hold firmly on a file to Peek at a preview, and press harder to Pop open the file.

Download Dropbox

OpenTable: The best app for restaurant reservations just got even better thanks to 3D Touch support. Press and hold firmly on a restaurant link to Peek at its location on a map, and slide your finger up for shortcuts to make a reservation in the next hour. Press harder to Pop open the restaurant’s OpenTable page.

Download OpenTable

StubHub: Press and hold firmly on a ticket listing to Peek at key info, and then press harder to Pop it open. You can also 3D Touch the app icon from your home screen for quick access to nearby events  or to view your favorites.

Download StubHub

News 360: Popular news reader News 360 has great 3D Touch integration. Press and hold firmly on an article headline or image in list view to Peek at the article, and slide your finger up to reveal a menu that gives you options to like it, share it or save it for later. Press harder to Pop the article open.

Download News 360

Pinterest: Pinterest actually has some pretty great 3D Touch support that extends beyond the standard Peek and Pop functions. Peeks triggered by pressing firmly on an item will get larger or smaller depending on how hard you press, which is an awesome effect. A swipe up will let you pin or share an item.

Download Pinterest

Hipstamatic Camera: The Hipstamatic camera roll now supports 3D Touch. Press and hold firmly to Zoom in on a photo and swipe up to favorite or trash it.

Download Hipstamatic Camera

Evernote: My personal favorite notes app now has great 3D Touch support baked into it. The home screen icon has a Quick Actions menu but the real fun is found inside the app, where you can Peek at notes, work chats or links inside notes, or press harder to pop them open.

Download Evernote

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.