Apple’s “bigger than bigger” iPhone 6 models will soon be available in stores, and while many potential buyers have been waiting quite a while for Apple to release bigger iPhone handsets, some people might find it difficult to adapt to a bigger display, even if it’s just a 0.7-inch increase (diagonally). For them, Apple has created a special new iOS gesture to improve one-handed operation, giving it a fancy name in the process – Reachability.
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As the marketing name suggests, the feature is meant to make it easier for iPhone 6 users to reach the top section of the screen. To do so, iPhone 6 owners simply have to tap/touch twice on the Touch ID Home button – not press that is – and the entire screen of will shift down so that elements on the top side can be accessed with the thumb.
Apple further says that, in order to easily navigate Safari or Mail, users can simply swipe from left to right across the screen to go backward, or the other way around to go forward. Other iPhone 6 features that should help with one-handed operations include the relocated standby button, now placed on the right side of the handset, and a slimmer profile.
Finally, a Display Zoom mode is available to iPhone 6 users letting them increase the size of the content they see, including app icons. In Standard view, more content is available, including more icons on the Home screen, while Zoom view increases the content in apps, and shows less app icons on the Home screen (basically matching the number of icons available on a 4-inch iPhone display).
A short Vine clip showing Reachability in action follows below.
