New Gestures Will Enhance the Way You Interact with Apple Devices

When Steve Jobs demonstrated pinch to zoom on the original iPhone, it was just the first of the interactive gestures we still use every day. It's now second nature to tap, swipe and pinch on screens.

But things are different now. We're surrounded by a different class of devices, like the Apple Watch and Vision Pro headset, that involve little to no direct contact with screens. And this demands new and different forms of interaction.

At WWDC 2024, Apple revealed a handful of new gestures for its devices that will soon prove to be just as natural as scrolling.

VisionOS 2 is ripe for all sorts of gestures since the Vision Pro relies on tracking your eyes and interacting with your hands. In VisionOS 2, turn your hand face-up to expose your palm and then tap with your thumb and index finger to open the Home view. 

Another VisionOS 2 shortcut brings up the Control Center more quickly. Starting with the same upturned palm as the Home gesture, turn your hand over to view the current time and battery level next to your fingers. Then tap once to display the Control Center.

This combination should be easier than the current method, which involves looking up and then tapping a button that appears at the edge of your view.

Turning your palm and tapping with two fingers brings up the Control Center, but the small widget showing the time that appears before the tap also includes another control.

To quickly change the volume without going into the Control Center, bring your fingers together and drag left or right.

While I like the hands-free convenience of interacting with Siri via AirPods, I'm always acutely aware that to everyone around me, I'm just talking to myself. When a call comes in and Siri asks if I want to answer it, I either try to mutter discreetly or end up barking an impromptu "yes" or "no," startling others.

In iOS 18, AirPods will be able to detect a nod for yes or a shake of the head for no as the response using the built-in accelerometers.

People will just think I have an involuntary head twitch, if they notice at all. I'm fine with that.

This is a gesture I've wanted for a long time. Sometimes I don't want to speak to my iPhone, either because I'm around other people (see the previous item for an example of social anxiety) or because I don't want to endure Siri misunderstanding what I say. Face it, typing is often just easier.

In iOS 18, you'll be able to invoke Siri and type your query by double-tapping the bottom of the screen, which brings up an onscreen keyboard for you to type your query.

Apple introduced this feature as part of its Apple Intelligence features, which aren't due until later in the year. But Type to Siri is expected when iOS 18 is released.

This isn't a new feature, but it currently uses a different gesture. You can turn it on now by going to Settings > Accessibility > Siri and turning on Type to Siri. When you press and hold the side button to invoke Siri, the keyboard appears instead of the device listening for your query.

Last year, WatchOS 10 introduced a new Double Tap gesture for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Tapping your thumb and index finger together can invoke actions when you're unable to reach the screen such as answering calls, controlling audio playback or scrolling through options in an app.

For the upcoming WatchOS 11, Apple has opened up Double Tap to outside developers, so they can apply the gesture in their own apps.

(If Double Tap looks interesting but you have an older Apple Watch, a similar gesture is available on older watches as an accessibility feature.)