An iPhone 7 rumor floating around suggests that Apple may be nixing the physical home button from the next iPhone generation’s design. The iPhone 7 is expected to be released September 2016, alongside the iPhone 7 Plus and possibly even a higher-end version of the iPhone 7 Plus with added features, such as an AMOLED display.
The disappearance of the home button of the iPhone home button could mean big things for the iPhone 7, including allowing a vast increase in the smartphone’s ability to survive in water and the shrinking of the bevels seen in the design of the iPhone 6s.
This could be a bigger clue than you would think, as Apple’s previous gimmick was to increase the size of the screen to differentiate between generational jumps. Unfortunately, the consumer appetite for large screens seems to have hit its limit with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
This rumor doesn’t suggest that the functionality of the iPhone home button will disappear, however. While the physical button itself may disappear, the area will still serve as a way to access all the same features as the button did, and possibly even more. Imagine being able to swipe left or right in the area similar to a MacBook Pro touchpad, or even use the area as a joystick . According to MacRumors , Apple has been renewing its exclusive rights to a malleable liquid metal since 2010, which deforms slightly to the touch.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are currently water resistant, due to tiny little silicon plugs that Apple included with the ‘s’ generation upgrade, but they aren’t waterproof. Those plugs blow past a certain pressure. However, Apple did file a patent in June 2014 titled Electronic Device With Hidden Connector, which would allow a “ self-healing elastomer ” to repair itself (think force field), and has been granted another patent for an “ Active Shutter ” system that would close the iPhone’s ports when not in use.
