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Code reveals how the iPhone 8's resizable home key could look, tips 240fps slow-mo at 1080p

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By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Aug 11, 2017, 5:55 AM

This iPhone 8 interface concept envisions three scenarios to fit the "notch" &nbsp;and the virtual home button - Code reveals how the iPhone 8's resizable home key could look, tips 240fps slow-mo at 1080p

This iPhone 8 interface concept envisions three scenarios to fit the "notch" and the virtual home button

Among new HomePod firmware revelations about the upcoming iPhones, such as slow-mo video with 240fps at 1080p instead of 720p, and "MultiBiometrics" security, code diggers have found this gem - the iPhone 8's virtual home button might be resizable, and there could indeed be a "function" area around it, as analysts predicted.

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has made a deep dive into the HomePod firmware code with the specific goal to find any reference to an on-screen home key, as many analysts tipped the lack of a physical one on the iPhone 8. Lo and behold, he found it, and here are the juicy tidbits, straight from the Troughton's mouth:

We know some facts re iPhone 8 home button area:

• it resizes
• indicator can be hidden
• no API to change color
• tab bars extend under it
— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) August 10, 2017

In a nutshell, the new home button of the "all-screen" iPhone 8 could very well look like what you see in the short vid below - big and omnipresent at the home screen, with apps opening up above its navbar, while media or games that requires full screen can hide it out of the way completely until you need it again. The fact that you may not be able to change its color or shade lends another credence to the "function" area that Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was talking about when referring to the bottom of the iPhone 8 screen. At the time, he also mentioned that the "active" display area will be 5.15", so there could indeed be a navigation strip at the iPhone 8's bottom. What else it might be used for, remains to be seen.

@stroughtonsmith embrace the cutout with the wallpaper. Could explain why the wallet app isn't translucent in iOS 11 pic.twitter.com/aFzX56L6iD
— rutherling (@Rutherling) August 11, 2017

source: Steve Troughton-Smith & Maksim Petriv

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.