> The biggest UX issue Apple has for that persona isn't the wallet, it's the lack of physical home button.

I'm in my 40s and don't have much trouble with reaching Home by swiping up from the bottom. But anecdotally, when I observe a person who is 65+ operate their iPhones, 9 times out of 10 they experience problems swiping up from bottom to reach Home. The swipe up does nothing, presumably because they aren't starting the swipe from low enough on the screen.

The hands of older people are also just literally less compatible with a capacitive touchscreen, because skin retains less moisture as we age. If you've ever seen an older person licking their finger before turning the page of a book, that's why.

One stupid button would solve all that. I'm of similar age as you and really miss buttons. In my car, on my devices, on appliances, etc. There are applications where capacitive touchscreen buttons make sense but by and large all they've done over the last 15 years or so is enshittify everything.