The IPhone X Literally Changed the Way We Use Our Devices.
Welcome to a new series called “Apple a Day,” in which CNET family sites will publish Apple-related content from their archives every day, starting today through the end of September—articles, reviews, and/or videos. In addition to Lifehacker, this series will include content from our sister sites PCMag , Mashable , CNET , and Popular Science .
By 2017, some of us had been using iPhones for 10 years—a full decade during which muscle memory around the Home button had been formed. Single press to return to the home screen; double press to open the app switcher; long press to summon Siri; press and hold the power button to take a screenshot: these actions had become so familiar that you didn’t even think about them—at least until the Home button disappeared.
That year, Apple released the iPhone X, introducing the most radical change to the device since its original release. ( Perhaps only the iPhone Duo will surpass it this year .) It’s funny to think back on it now, but in 2017, the iPhone X’s all-glass design was revolutionary, to say the least. Where was the Home button? Without it, how could you do anything? This confusion inspired Lifehacker to publish ” iPhone X Gestures You Must Master ,” a guide on navigating your new iPhone.
We had to learn to swipe up from the bottom of the screen to return to the Home screen; swipe along the bottom edge to switch between apps; swipe down from the top-right corner to access the Control Center; and swipe down from the top-left corner to access the Notification Center. We even had to relearn how to use the shortcut buttons: instead of easily double-tapping the Home button to pull down the screen, we had to swipe down from the bottom edge.
Looking back now, it all seems so obvious, even self-evident. Nearly ten years have passed since that article was published, and by now most iOS users have become accustomed to life without a Home button. But looking through the comments on that article, written almost ten years ago, it’s clear the transition was far from smooth. One user complained that smartphone gestures made everything even more confusing. Another lamented that switching between an iPhone and iPad meant having to switch between two different gesture systems. Fast forward to 2026, and it’s almost impossible to imagine returning to the old way of working.
Apple didn’t immediately discontinue the iPhone with the Home button—the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus were released the same year as the iPhone X—but it was clear. Soon after, the old design was retained only by the SE line, and even the iPad received an edge-to-edge display.
With the release of the iPhone 16e in 2025, Apple officially ditched the once-essential Home button. While you can still buy and use used devices with it (the 2022 iPhone SE can even run iOS 27), it’s clear the company has moved on, and gestures that were once so unfamiliar we had to publish a tutorial on how to use them are now as familiar as the old ways. Perhaps in 10 years, wearables and hand gestures will change everything again, and we’ll look back with nostalgia on the era when we had to touch our devices at all.