Why The iPhone's Screen Drops Down
If your iPhone’s screen has ever dropped down to the bottom half of the display area, you probably wondered if it was a feature or a bug. It’s actually an accessibility feature that exists for a reason.
Back when Steve Jobs was CEO of Apple, he believed that a smartphone should be usable one-handed. In fact, they could’ve given the original iPhone with a larger display, but Jobs and his design team decided that going too big made the device cumbersome. So the iPhone’s display stayed 3.5 inches for much longer than its competition.
In fact, after just three years, Android devices like the Samsung Vibrant were featuring displays up to four inches. But Apple refused to increase their display until the iPhone 5 in 2012. They argued that by increasing the display height without increasing its width made the device easy to use one-handed.
But it was too little too late. Android phones had already redefined big. The Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S 3 were two of the most popular smartphones in 2012. Both released before the iPhone 5, and featuring five-and-a-half-inch displays. So when Apple revealed their new 4”-display iPhone 5, customers didn’t see the appeal.
In fact, 2012 was the first time Android’s US marketshare passed 50%, with iOS hanging around 33%. It was clear customers wanted larger displays, and with Tim Cook as Apple’s new CEO, he was happy to deliver. The company began developing the largest iPhones ever at that point. The 6 and 6 Plus, released in 2014. Their 4.7- and 5.5-inch displays could finally compete with Android. But they didn’t forget about the one-handed design philosophy implemented by Jobs.
There was no way to reach your thumb to the top of the display without shifting the device in your hand. So Apple solved the problem with a software feature called reachability. By double-tapping the home button, the upper half of the display’s content area would drop down to the lower half. Allowing users to reach buttons one-handed.
After making a selection, the display automatically moved back up. This feature is still around today, except it’s activated by swiping down from the Home Bar. But if it’s something you find annoying, it can be turned off in the accessibility settings.
