longClick

Longclick, also referred to as long click, long press, or long-tap, is a user interaction in which a control or screen area is pressed and held for a longer duration than a standard click or tap to trigger an action beyond a regular press. It is widely used on touch devices and in some desktop environments that support extended press gestures.

Detection and behavior are typically implemented by starting a timer when the pointer goes down (mousedown or touchstart). If the pointer remains within a small area and the timer surpasses a defined threshold, a long-click action is activated. If the pointer is released before the threshold, the action is treated as a normal click. Movement beyond a threshold or cancellation of the interaction usually aborts the long-click. Threshold lengths vary by platform but commonly fall in the 400–700 millisecond range.

Platform differences: on mobile devices, long-press often opens a context menu or secondary actions; on Android, long-click events are standard and can trigger OnLongClickListener actions; iOS devices use long-press as a pathway to contextual options or drag-and-drop in some apps. Web browsers may expose a contextmenu event for long-press on touch input, while desktop systems seldom rely on long-click as a core interaction.

Uses and design considerations: longclick provides access to secondary actions, editing options, or drag-and-drop initiation. Designers should minimize conflicts with scrolling, provide clear feedback when a long-click is recognized, and ensure accessibility by offering alternative actions for users who cannot perform long holds.