Apple finally lifted the curtains off a number of OS versions last night at the WWDC 2020, and we are still finding new information on what these updates are all about. The watchOS 7 that is going to be the next big update for Apple Watch and it will no longer have Force Touch. This could also mean that the upcoming Apple Watch Series 6 might not have the feature altogether.

watchOS 7 Sees Apple Removing the Force Touch Feature

In watchOS 6, Force Touch was used to reveal the hidden menus on the Apple Watch, you would get options such as clearing notifications, customizing the watch face and other similar options. However, with watchOS 7, that will no longer be possible.

This confirmation is coming from Apple's Human Interface Guidelines which suggest the following:

Firm press and long press.In versions of watchOS before watchOS 7, people could press firmly on the display to do things like change the watch face or reveal a hidden menu called a Force Touch menu. In watchOS 7 and later, system apps make previously hidden menu items accessible in a related screen or a settings screen. If you formerly supported a long-press gesture to open a hidden menu, consider relocating the menu items elsewhere.

There are a lot of native apps on the watchOS 7 beta that is already reflecting this change. For instance, the Force Touch gesture for app layout has been replaced by a menu option in the Settings app. Calendar view now requires to be done in the Settings, whereas the gesture to Change Move Goal that was found in the Activity app is now just a menu item. As far as the customizing of watch faces are concerned, it is accessed through the long press.

This is not the first time Apple has done that, however. In 2018, Apple introduced the iPhone XR with Haptic Touch feature rather than 3D Touch. Apple has not given a concrete reason as to why they removed a feature that a lot of the users loved. So, we are still waiting for that. Apple is going to release the watchOS 7 Public Beta next month. So, stay tuned.