(Glad you found the piece useful, Dominique.)
In relation to the Home button being needed to unlock the phone in iOS10: You
can change that (if you have Touch ID enabled on your iDevice). Go into
Settings | Accessibility | Home Button; Rest Finger to Open (this is OFF by
default, so turn it ON if you want to restore just the old functionality of the
Home Button.)
From: Dominique Farrell
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2016 1:36 PM
To: vip_students@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vip_students] iPhone 7 Home Button is useless with Gloves or in
Sports Arm Bands
The iPhone 7’s new solid-state home “button” does not work without skin
contact, rendering the phone unaccessible when placed inside a sports armband,
a waterproof case or when the user is wearing touchscreen gloves.
The new home button, which is pressure sensitive and does not move, is an
essential part of the the new iPhone. A change made for iOS 10 means that you
cannot move past the lockscreen without activating the home button, even if you
are attempting to enter a pin code to unlock the device.
The Guardian tested capacitive gloves and a see-through case that covers
screen. It was not possible to activate the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus’s Home button
using either, but it was possible to fully manipulate the touchscreen.
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Workarounds include using the nose, chin, elbow, knee or any other piece of
skin to activate the home button to bring up the prompt for a passcode. Users
attempting to activate the iPhone 7 within a see-through bag or sports armband
will have to remove the smartphone to do so.
The home button also functions as an integral part of the mechanics of iOS
returning users to the homescreen. Without use of the home button, users can
use the 3D touch press and drag from the left-hand side of the phone to access
the recently used apps and select the homescreen, which works perfectly fine
with touchscreen gloves, but is difficult to perform within a see through case
that covers the screen.
Some users have reported that some touchscreen-capable gloves were able to
activate the home button, but the majority appear not to work.
