In October 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that physical buttons on the next iPhone could be virtual. We posted his full tweet here. Then in April 2023, Kuo reversed course and claimed that solid-state buttons were not going to be available to the iPhone 15. Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to electronic devices, like a future iPhone, that will supply haptic output with one option being the use of solid-state buttons.

The electronic device may include input-output devices that allow a user to more intuitively control or otherwise communicate with an external electronic device. The input-output devices may include touch input components and associated haptic output components, which may be formed along the sidewalls or other areas of the electronic device. The control circuitry may provide haptic output in response to touch input on the touch input components and may also send wireless signals to the external electronic device based on the touch input. The haptic output components may provide local and global haptic output. Local haptic output may be used to guide a user to the location of the electronic device or to provide a button click sensation to the user in response to touch input. Global haptic output may be used to notify the user that the electronic device is aligned towards the external electronic device and is ready to receive user input to control or communicate with the external electronic device.

The touch input components may be configured to measure a force associated with touch input. Control circuitry may control the intensity of haptic output based on the force and/or may control the user input function associated with the touch input based on the force.

The control circuitry may gather information about the external electronic device and may control the input-output devices based on the information about the external electronic device. This may include assigning different user input functions to each touch sensor based on the capabilities of the external electronic device, activating some touch input components and inactivating other touch input components based on the capabilities of the external electronic device, and activating some haptic output components and inactivating other haptic output components based on the capabilities of the external electronic device.

Apple further notes that non-mechanical buttons may be formed from solid state semiconductor materials and/or may include touch sensors such as capacitive touch sensor electrodes. Non-mechanical buttons do not rely on electrical switches and therefore can be operated without movement of a button member.

Non-mechanical buttons (e.g., buttons that receive input through a touch sensor rather than a mechanical switch) may be formed from touch sensors on or overlapping with a movable structure (e.g., a button member) and/or may be formed from touch sensors on a structure that appears to move without actually moving (e.g., by providing haptic output that mimics a button press).

The haptic output may mimic a button click sensation when a user presses touch input components #82 (seen below in FIG. 2). This gives the user the impression that touch input components move (e.g., depress in the X direction) like a button even though touch input components 82 may not actually be moving.

In some arrangements, touch input components may be formed on a surface of the device's housing that is indistinguishable (e.g., indistinguishable visually and/or by feel) from the surrounding portions of housing. For example, the housing may have a smooth continuous surface across regions #28 (see patent FIG. 1 below) and other portions of housing.

The touch input components may be flush with (e.g., coplanar) with the surrounding portions of the housing (#12), may protrude above the surrounding portions of housing or may be recessed with respect to the surrounding portions of the housing.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 illustrates an iPhone with solid-state sidewall buttons positioned on both sides.

Apple's patent FIG. 2 above illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a future iPhone with ouch input components #82 that may include touch sensors, force sensors, electrical switches, and/or other input devices that receive user input through proximity, contact, or force from a user's finger, hand, or other object. Touch input components 82 may be mechanical buttons or non-mechanical buttons. Non-mechanical buttons may be formed from solid-state semiconductor materials.

Apple began their work on this project back in 2018 and continues to refine this patent which provides a second side that focuses on adding millimeter wave antenna arrays, satellite navigation system antennas and using ultra-wideband transceiver circuitry.

A segment of the patent notes that an iPhone would include a motion sensor configured to send control signals to external devices such as a speaker, thermostat, lamp, electric door lock and more.

For more details, review Apple's patent application number 20230195231.

Some of the Team Members on this Apple Project

• Duncan Kerr: Designer (24.5 years at Apple)
• Camille Moussette: Lead Interaction Designer and Manager
• James Foster: Industrial Design
• Adam Meyer: Interaction Designer
• Linus Persson: Interaction Designer