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ApplePatent applicationPhones & computersInterest 6/10

Apple patents gesture-based menu to replace physical home button

Apple describes a method where swiping your finger across the screen triggers different menus depending on how far you move. A short swipe shows basic controls, while a longer swipe reveals additional options that are hidden during the shorter gesture. This system allows users to access more device functions without needing a dedicated physical button.

Why it mattersThis filing suggests Apple is exploring ways to make touch gestures more versatile, potentially allowing for more complex controls on devices without physical buttons.

In the filing’s own words

While displaying a first user interface, a computer system detects a first user input that includes movement. In response to detecting the first user input, and in accordance with a determination that the movement meets a first input threshold, the computer system displays a first plurality of selectable objects, including at least a first control corresponding to a first device function, after the termination of the first user input. In response to detecting the first user input, and in accordance with a determination that the movement meets a second input threshold that is greater than the first input threshold, the computer system displays a second plurality of selectable objects after the termination of the first user input. The second plurality of selectable objects includes the first control and a second control corresponding to a second device function. The second control is not included in the first plurality of selectable objects.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method, comprising: at a computer system that includes a display generation component and one or more input devices: while displaying a first user interface, detecting a first user input that includes first movement; in response to detecting the first user input that includes the first movement followed by a termination of the first user input: in accordance with a determination that the first movement meets a first input threshold, displaying a first plurality of selectable objects after the termination of the first user input, wherein the first plurality of selectable objects includes at least a first control that corresponds to a first device function of the computer system; and in accordance with a determination that the first movement meets a second input threshold that is greater than the first input threshold, displaying a second plurality of selectable objects after the termination of the first user input, wherein the second plurality of selectable objects includes at least the first control that corresponds to the first device function and a second control that corresponds to a second device function, and wherein the second control is not included in the first plurality of selectable objects.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Devices, Methods, and Graphical User Interfaces for Providing a Home Button Replacement
Publication number
US20260310305A1
Application number
19461194
Filed
Jan 27, 2026
Published
Oct 8, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
14

Classified under

G06F 3/02 Physics & computingG06F 3/0414 Physics & computingG06F 3/04817 Physics & computingG06F 3/0482 Physics & computingG06F 3/04847 Physics & computingG06F 3/04883 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.