How to Adjust Haptic Touch Sensitivity in iOS 13

While Haptic Touch has been around for a while, Apple has expanded its functionality with iOS 13. It’s now easy to perform common tasks like launching the selfie camera or checking for app updates. And with 3D Touch on the chopping block, it’s time to achieve uniformity across all iOS devices.

That said, it can be a little frustrating to get used to Haptic Touch, which is now pretty much ubiquitous. In the beginning, it can be very delicate and even downright annoying. When was the last time you accidentally pressed the screen longer for part of an episode and triggered something unexpected? That breaks the flow, right?

Fortunately, you can adjust the Haptic Touch sensitivity to make it less annoying. While you can’t turn the functionality off completely (Apple really wants you to use it), reducing the long-press time should help things get better.

And for those of you who find Haptic Touch too slow, it might be worth taking a look at the Haptic Touch settings on your iPhone regardless. You may have slowed down before and forgot everything.

Adjust Tactile Touch Sensitivity

iPhone has two sensitivity modes for Haptic Touch – Fast and Slow. Apple sets Haptic Touch to Fast mode by default; this can be very delicate if you are used to the functionality. So, switching to Slow mode using the steps below can prevent Haptic Touch from being triggered accidentally. If you’ve switched to Slow mode before and want to go back to Fast mode, these steps should also help you.

Stage 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down the list of settings and then tap Accessibility. On the screen below, tap Tap.

Step 2: Tap the setting labeled Haptic Touch. You will then find the Haptic Touch sensitivity settings on the screen below.

Note:

Stage 3: You can adjust the sensitivity of Haptic Touch using the two modes listed in the Tap Time section. Tap Slow to decrease sensitivity. If you want to increase the speed, tap Fast (if previously set to Slow).

Remember to long press the image thumbnail in the Tap Time Test section to check the difference in sensitivity between the two modes. Once you’ve chosen the sensitivity setting you want, go back or exit the Settings app and you’re all set.

Change 3D Touch Settings

On iPhones with 3D Touch support, you also have a list of additional settings with the same screen that includes Haptic Touch sensitivity controls – iPhone Settings > Accessibility > Touch > 3D and Touch Touch.

You can choose to turn off 3D Touch completely. Alternatively, you can adjust its sensitivity using the slider provided. If you want to rely solely on using Haptic Touch, turn off 3D Touch or increase the pressure required to enable it.

If you prefer to use 3D Touch instead, set Haptic Touch to Slow time duration mode to make the presence of the latter less obvious on your device. Why Apple doesn’t have the ability to disable Haptic Touch on 3D Touch enabled devices, we’ll have no idea.

What happened to the iPad?

The iPad also has Haptic Touch controls that are basically the same as on the iPhone, while iPadOS lacks any settings to adjust its sensitivity. By default it is locked to Slow; this can be annoying when switching back and forth with an iPhone in Fast mode.

But providing a faster time for Haptic Touch on iPad will inhibit certain multitasking gestures (for example, dragging apps out of the dock to launch Split View). Hopefully, Apple later adds some control to adjust the sensitivity of non-conflict Haptic Touch actions.

Disable Haptic Feedback

Whenever you perform a Haptic Touch, you get a satisfying “click” through the Taptic Engine built into your iPhone. However, some of you may not like it. If so, you can turn it off. With it, you will completely disable vibrations for your iPhone, including emergency alerts. So think twice before turning off the functionality.

Visit the touch settings (iPhone Settings > Accessibility > Touch). Turn off the switch next to Vibrate at the bottom of the screen.

This should stop all Haptic Touch feedback. Once again, note that this will also stop all other vibrations on your iPhone. If you want to go back to the way things were, go to the Touch settings screen and then turn on the switch next to Vibrate.

Too Fast, Too Slow

Haptic Touch is now almost on par with 3D Touch and adds a whole new dimension to any iOS device. While it may seem annoying at first, decreasing the sensitivity will gradually make it easier to use the function. And with the latest lineup of iPhones without any 3D Touch, you’d better get used to it soon.

Next: The Files app in iOS 13 and iPadOS is now better than ever. Here are some of its coolest features.