Alongside the launch of the new iPhone 16e, Apple also ended sales of the previous iPhone SE from 2022.
That’s not unexpected, but it’s a hugely significant moment in the history of the iPhone. For the first time since the iPhone made its debut in 2007, Apple isn’t selling any phones with a physical home button
The iPhone SE has retained the Home button across all of its previous three generations, making it an option for users who preferred Touch ID to Face ID. With the iPhone 16e, Apple has now completely switched to Face ID on all its new iPhone models.
The Home button has also been phased out on iPads. The last model to feature it was the ninth-generation iPad, which Apple stopped selling in May 2024. Its replacement, the tenth-generation iPad, moved Touch ID to the power button – a solution similar to that on the iPad Air and iPad mini.
The iPhone 16e also marks the end of the Lightning era. All products that previously used Apple’s Lightning port have now switched to USB-C.
The Home button was introduced in 2007 with the first iPhone and was present on all models until the iPhone 8. It was also used in all three generations of the iPhone SE and all seven generations of the iPod Touch.
In 2013, the Home button took on a new function when Touch ID was first integrated into the iPhone 5s, which was Apple’s first biometric security solution. That evolved with the introduction of Face ID on the iPhone X in 2017, which ultimately led to the death of Touch ID.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication Macworld Sweden and was translated and adapted from Swedish.
