I’ve found this article on iMore.com very interesting because it describes how “Tap to Talk” and “Tap to Video” work in iOS 8 Messages app.

These two functionalities introduce a new type of user interface element: Radial Control (images courtesy of imore.com).

The article describes Radial Control like this:

To make voice messaging easy to do, even one handed, Apple is using a radial control. It’s a first for iOS and, while it can be a little confusing and stressful if you’re not used to it, it’s incredibly efficient once you you are.
Touch your thumb or finger down on the microphone button and hold it there. The mic instantly becomes a red record button and a circle expands out around it. Talk as much as you want and then slide your finger up to the upwards pointing arrow to send the recording, or left to the cancel button to trash it instead.
If you panic, unsure what to do, and pull your finger off, the interface will just stay there, waiting, send and cancel circles lingering so you can take them in, come to terms with them, and decide what to do in your own time.

This is probably one of the more interesting usability changes in iOS 8. Apple is very conservative when it comes to introducing complexity in the user interface. It is even more careful when introducing new ways to achieve a certain task, so one has to wonder why Apple is taking this road.

A radial control — aptly located on the bottom-right corner of the screen — could be the solution to control a bigger iPhone using one hand. Let’s not forget that Apple has been touting the iPhone one-hand use as an advantage over bigger devices. Since rumours about a bigger iPhone started surfacing I’ve always wondered how Apple would respond to the fact that the iPhone can easily be used with one hand. This could be the answer to my question.

If Apple decides to start using Radial Control as a new standard way to interact with (a bigger) iPhone, it seems like a smart solution to a rather complex problem. I wonder if we’re going to see the same control in other stock and 3rd party apps.