Apple Working on Fix for Reachability Bug in iOS 11

reachabilityApple is working on a fix for a Reachability bug that prevents the new iOS 11 Cover Screen with Notifications from being accessible from the middle of the iPhone's display, Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi told a MacRumors reader this afternoon.

In an email to Federighi, MacRumors reader Michael asked the following question:

Ever since iOS 11 was released as a beta, the ability to invoke the Notification Center from the middle of the screen during reachability was removed. This was an incredibly useful feature as one didn't have to awkwardly try to take ones' thumb all the way back to the top even though reachability was invoked---defeating the whole purpose of it for one crucial task.

If this was done by design I fail to see the purpose or any benefit whatsoever to its removal. If it's a bug, I hope Apple can get around to finally fixing this mistake/oversight.

Federighi replied to Michael's email with a short "We are fixing it" note, confirming that the issue will be addressed in a future version of iOS 11.

Reachability, accessible by tapping (not pressing) twice on the Home button, is designed to bring down the entire top portion of the iPhone's display so it is within thumb's reach for one-handed access to all of an iPhone's apps.

The iOS 11 Reachability bug has not been well publicized, but a few readers on the MacRumors forum have previously complained about it.

In iOS 10, when the Reachability gesture was used, a swipe down at the middle of the screen just above the app line brought down the Notification Center. In iOS 11, the Notification Center and the Lock Screen have been merged into one, so a swipe down in the middle of the iPhone's display should bring down the Lock Screen Cover Sheet to display a user's Notifications, but it doesn't work.

To access Cover Sheet Notifications in iOS 11, users need to swipe down from the very top of the iPhone's screen, meaning there's no way to access Notifications one-handed through Reachability at the current time.

It's not clear when the Reachability fix will be implemented, but it is not available in iOS 11.1 beta 2, which was released this morning. Today's update did, however, bring back the 3D Touch App Switcher, another feature that iOS users have been missing.

Related Forum: iOS 11

Top Rated Comments

JosephAW Avatar
81 months ago
Apple just go ahead and release a signed version of iOS 10.4.0 and allow the bulk of users with buyers remorse with iOS 11 return to iOS 10 until the bugs are worked in November or December.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WannaGoMac Avatar
81 months ago
It feels like this release is worse that prior releases, and the prior releases were all worse than predecessors. Anyone detecting a pattern? :(

Glad I decided to not upgrade.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theelysium Avatar
81 months ago
Rename the OS to iSlop!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pat500000 Avatar
81 months ago
Please, people. Keep sending in feedbacks! Thanks.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TMRJIJ Avatar
81 months ago
It’s surprising that Apple is more open about addressing these bugs.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGuder Avatar
81 months ago
Soooo many bugs I can't take it lol
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
best buy snowflakes

Best Buy's New Weekend Sale Has Record Low Prices on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Friday December 8, 2023 7:37 am PST by
Best Buy's month-long holiday sale continues this weekend with multiple all-time low prices on Apple's line of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers. In addition to Apple notebooks, Best Buy's event has discounts sitewide on home appliances, TVs, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive...
iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
beeper mini

Apple Puts a Stop to Beeper Mini's iMessage for Android Feature

Friday December 8, 2023 2:24 pm PST by
Apple appears to have closed the loophole that Beeper Mini used to bring iMessage to Android, putting a stop to blue bubbles from Android devices. Beeper Mini quit working earlier today, with users receiving "failed to lookup on server: lookup request timed out" error messages. Beeper said on Twitter that it is investigating the issue, but Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch that "all ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
maxresdefault

Review: Two Months With the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Thursday December 7, 2023 12:04 pm PST by
Apple's iPhone 15 lineup came out in September, and while most reviews are done shortly after a new device launches, we like to follow up with a longer term review that gives us an opportunity to provide a deeper dive into what it's like using these phones on a day to day basis for months. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been...
apple watch black friday

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Hits New Record Low Price of $699, Alongside Series 9 and SE Sales

Friday December 8, 2023 8:55 am PST by
Amazon has a few big discounts on Apple Watch today, headlined by a new all-time low price on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Many of these watches can be delivered by Christmas, with delivery dates around the middle of next week for most models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site ...
iOS 17

35 Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 17.2 Coming Next Week

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 35 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released in mid-December. 1....