Force Touch is a technology developed by Apple. It was first developed as a pressure sensitive input method for multi-touch interface. The technology was first revealed during the Apple Watch conference.
The technology enables users to use trackpads and touchscreens to enable certain task based on the force being applied to the surface. Since it was first introduced, the technology has been implemented in many other Apple product lineup, including iPhone, MacBook and others.
Starting on iPhone 6S, Apple introduced 3D Touch which is a rework of Force Touch. The technology uses capacitive sensors integrated directly into the device's screen. Any microscopic changes in the distance between the backlight and the cover glass will determine the output. Apple also combined the input with accelerometer and touch sensor to provide a more accurate interpretation.
In short, Force Touch and 3D Touch technology allow devices to recognize the pressure of a user's touch inputs, and allowing the device to distinguish between normal and more forceful touches.
A few days earlier, before Apple revealed Force Touch, Huawei has already announced its flagship Mate S smartphone which brought Force Touch to Android. But because Huawei's Force Touch is only available on its highend Mate S devices and was yet to be perfected, it was preventing both developers and buyers to implement the use at a scale like Apple.
Looking at it a bit further back, BlackBerry also used the technology on its Storm lineup in 2008. Naming it SurePress, the company was the first that pioneered the technology on devices without physical keyboard.
However, Apple did a workaround by patenting its own technology describing it as a different being.
Some of the patents: Apple's US 8,462,133, entitled “Clickable and tactile buttons for a touch surface” and BlackBerry's US 9,092,057, entitled "Electronic device including touch-sensitive display and actuator for providing tactile feedback".