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What Is a Multi-Touch Screen?

Use your fingers to navigate on your multi-touch device

By Liane Cassavoy Liane Cassavoy Writer Boston University's College of Communications Liane Cassavoy is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire who has been reviewing and writing articles about smartphones since 1999. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on August 22, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Android Switching from iOS Multi-touch technology makes it possible for a touchscreen or trackpad to sense input from two or more points of contact at the same time. This allows you to use multiple finger gestures to do things like pinch the screen or trackpad to zoom in, spread your fingers to zoom out, and rotate your fingers to rotate an image you are editing. Apple introduced the concept of multi-touch on its iPhone smartphone in 2007 after buying Fingerworks, the company that developed the multi-touch technology. However, the technology isn't proprietary. Many manufacturers use it in their products. Apple's iPhone introduced the concept of multi-touch on a cell phone. Apple

Multi-Touch Implementation

Popular applications of multi-touch technology are found in: Mobile smartphones and tablets Trackpads for use with laptop and desktop computers Touch tables, touch walls and whiteboards

How It Works

A multi-touch screen or trackpad has a layer of capacitors, each with coordinates that define its position. When you touch a capacitor with your finger, it sends a signal to the processor. Underneath the hood, the device determines the location, size and any pattern of touches on the screen. After that, a gesture recognition program uses the data to match the gesture with the desired result. If there is no match, nothing happens. In some cases, users can program custom multi-touch gestures of their own for use on their devices.

Some Multi-Touch Gestures

Gestures vary among manufacturers. Here are a few multi-gestures you can use on a trackpad with a Mac: Tap with two fingers to right-click. Double-tap with two fingers to zoom in and back out of a PDF or web page. Scroll by sliding two fingers up or down. Swipe left or right with two fingers to show the previous or next page. Swipe from the right edge to show the Notifications Center. Tap with three fingers to look up a word or take an action with a date, address or phone number. Spread your thumb and three fingers apart to bring up the desktop (Mac only). Pinch your thumb and three fingers together to bring up the Launchpad (Mac only). Swipe left or right with four fingers to move between desktops or full-screen apps. These same gestures and others work on Apple's mobile iOS products such as iPhones and iPads. FAQ What is a 10-point multi-touch screen? A 10-point multi-touch screen has the ability to recognize and respond to 10 simultaneous points of contact. Similarly, a 2-point Multitouch display can sense two inputs simultaneously and a 5-point display can recognize five. How do I disable multi-touch on touch screen in Windows 10? Go to Start > Settings > Devices > Mouse & touchpad. Scroll to Touchpad settings and disable touchpad gestures. Then, select options in the Choose what to do with three finger tap and Choose what to do with three finger drags and slides menus. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Configure Your Mac's Trackpad to Meet Your Needs How to Use Zoom, Apple's Built-In Screen Magnifier How to Right-Click on a Mac The 9 Best Mice for iPads, Tested by Experts How to Right-Click on a Laptop The Best iPhone Gestures You Might Not Know About How to Disable the Touchpad on Windows 10 How to Use 3D Touch on Apple Devices A Buyer's Guide to Apple iPhone Basics and Features How to Fix Drag and Drop Not Working on Mac How to Set Up and Use Touch ID, the iPhone Fingerprint Scanner How to Magnify Your iPhone or iPad Display Should You Buy an iPad Keyboard? 3 Reasons Why You Might Want To How to Create the iPad Split Keyboard How to Zoom In and Out on Apple Watch How to Fix It When Android Screen Won't Rotate Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies