Feel the Race: The Tech Behind Apple’s Haptic F1 Movie Trailer
Prabakaran Marimuthu
May be I’m not impressed with the features announced at WWDC 2025 - most of them felt like incremental updates rather than true innovation. But among these all announcements, one thing instantly got my attention and it had nothing to do with productivity or AI.
It was Apple’s first-ever haptic movie trailer, and the great thing is? It was for F1: The Movie, about the motorsport that I love.
This is only available in the Apple TV app on iPhones (running iOS 18.4+), the two‑minute trailer uses the Taptic Engine to align real-world vibrations—like engine revs, seatbelt clicks, and tire skids—with on-screen racing action, allowing viewers to "feel" the intensity of Formula 1 racing in their hands.
The magic: Taptic Engine of the iPhone
A combination of “tap” and “haptic feedback,” taptic engine is a name Apple created for its technology that provides tactile sensations in the form of vibrations to users of Apple devices like the Apple Watch, iPhones, iPads, and MacBook laptops.
Tech behind the scene:
Taptic Engine Integration: The trailer uses the iPhone’s Taptic Engine—a specialized vibration motor that can produce precise, nuanced haptic feedback. This hardware works much like a tiny speaker, using magnets and voice coils to generate custom vibration patterns that match the trailer’s audio and visual cues.
Synchronized Vibrations: As you watch the trailer, your iPhone vibrates in real time with the action. For example, when an F1 car accelerates or roars past, the phone emits strong, rumbling vibrations. For subtler moments, such as a pit stop or a bouncing ping pong ball, the vibrations are gentler and more precise.
Action-Dependent Intensity: The intensity and frequency of the haptic feedback are proportional to the on-screen events. High-speed racing scenes trigger powerful, continuous vibrations, while quieter moments produce softer, intermittent pulses.
Taptic Engine
Component Breakdown
| Component | Description |
| Core Haptics Framework | High-level iOS framework allowing apps to trigger haptic feedback using predefined or custom patterns. |
| Haptic Driver (Firmware) | Converts API calls into low-level signals for precise control of amplitude, frequency, and duration. |
| Driver IC (Haptic Controller) | Controls voltage and timing for the actuator. Typically uses an H-bridge to alternate current and drive the LRA. |
| Linear Resonant Actuator (LRA) | The core of the Taptic Engine. A mass suspended by a spring inside a magnetic coil. When driven at its resonant frequency (~175-200 Hz), it produces strong vibrations. |
| Feedback Loop | Sensors like accelerometers (already in the device) may be used for indirect feedback to adjust response precision. |
How It Works:
Trigger: App or system event calls a haptic feedback function.
Signal Generation: Core Haptics framework sends commands to the driver.
Electrical Drive: The haptic driver sends a waveform (usually a sinusoidal pulse at the resonant frequency) to the Taptic Engine via an H-bridge.
Vibration: The LRA vibrates by moving its internal mass back and forth.
Perception: User feels a "tap", "buzz", or "click" depending on pattern.
Interesting right? While haptic feedback has long been a feature in iPhones for UI interactions, this is the first time Apple (or any major studio) has used it to enhance a movie trailer, making the F1 trailer true race experiment in film promotion
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