One of the more prominent new features of Apple's iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is the 3D Touch feature, which opens up another level of interactions with apps and icons depending on how hard a user presses on the smartphone's screen.
To continue the rivalry with Apple, Google is said to be working on a comparable feature for its Android mobile operating system. It was also expected that the feature will be coming to the next major version of Android, for now simply known as Android N, as hinted by documentation for the second preview version of the operating system.
However, according to a report by Recode, the Android version of 3D Touch will not be coming with the initial release of Android N. Developers that are eager to take advantage of the feature will have to wait for a later version of Android N, with support for Android's 3D Touch possibly coming through a maintenance update.
There are some Android-powered smartphones already out in the market that will be able to support such a feature once it is launched, such as ZTE's Axon Mini and Huawei's Mate S. These devices already come with pressure-sensitive displays to work with a 3D Touch-like feature.
The decision to delay the inclusion of the feature in Android N seems to have been made on the last minute, due to the fact that it was mentioned in recent documentation for the operating system's preview version. The reason behind the decision is unknown, though one possibility is that virtual reality initiatives took over as the main priority of Google.
Google is said to be unveiling a standalone virtual reality headset at the upcoming annual I/O conference. The device will be an upgrade from Google's Cardboard but will not be as powerful as the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.
