gray matters

Every iPhone comes with a three-button headset containing a center button, a plus and a minus button. Until recently I wasn’t aware that you can do more with it then accepting calls, playing/pausing music, or changing volume. Then I found out that there are several hidden interactions behind the center button:

• Single press
• Single press and hold
• Double press
• Double press and hold
• Tripple press
• Tripple press and hold

Depending on context, or shall I say app that is in the foreground, these interactions are used differently:

Below are 14 things you can do with Apple’s remote headset:

1. If you press the center button once you play the audio that’s currently on, that can be a song in iTunes, or an audio book in iBooks, or a podcast.
2. Press a second time once, and you’ll pause the song.
3. Press the center button twice to skip to the next song.
4. Press the center button three times to go back to the start of the song or the previous track.
5. To fast forward within a song double press, and on the second press keep the center button pressed.
6. To rewind tripple press and again, keep the center button pressed on the last click.
7. When you get a phone call press the center button once to answer
8. During a call press the center button once to switch to the other call.
9. Press again to switch back.
10. If you don’t want to accept the incoming call, press once, but keep the center button pressed for 2 seconds.
11. To hang up on a phone call, press the center button once.
12. If you want to direct a call directly to voicemail, press the center button once and keep it pressed for two seconds.
13. Press and hold the center button to activate Siri.
14. You can use the plus and minus volume buttons to take a photo with your camera.