Without a Home button, here’s how the new iPhone 8 UI will work

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iPhone color
iPhone 8 will feature Apple's biggest redesign in years.
Photo: Ben Miller

It’s no secret that Apple is planning to ditch its Home button for the next-gen iPhone 8, but with the exception of how Touch ID will be replaced by facial recognition, very few details have been circulated about how the move will impact the iPhone UI.

A new report may change that, however, by revealing how the removal and replacement of the Home button, which has existed on every iPhone since 2007, will actually work.

According to Bloomberg, the iPhone will replace the Home button with a thin bar that can be pulled upwards to unlock the handset, similar to the “slide to unlock” mechanism that disappeared with iOS 10.

When inside apps, this gesture begins multitasking. Users can flick upwards to close an app and return to the main screen. This may involve an animation in which apps are sucked back into their respective icon. The multitasking UI resembles a series of individual cards to be swiped through, rather than the current stack of cards seen on current iPhones.

The new iPhone 8, which also sports inductive charging, an OLED display, and new form factor, will debut next month. It is likely to be accompanied by an iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, offering minimal redesigns.

According to reports, Apple will debut all three of its handsets at a media event, scheduled to take place on September 12.

Are you excited by what you’ve heard about the new iPhone 8? Leave your comments below.

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