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TheMountainLife

macrumors regular
May 24, 2015
234
245
Ye it’s not really useful. Use it for opening the camera but that’s on the Lock Screen anyway. So is flashlight, the only other thing I’d use it for. So makes it pointless. Also the action button on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is even more useless. I don’t use it for workouts so it’s set to flash light. Never use the thing. Such a waste of buttons.
I did that too and now 2-3 times a day I accidently am just walking around with a bright white screen.
 

boak

macrumors 65816
Jun 26, 2021
1,489
2,399
Just map Siri/AI assistant there instead. Then we no longer need button combinations to power off an iPhone.
 

MaxBurn

macrumors 65816
Nov 25, 2010
1,456
390
I mapped mine to play/pause using shortcuts. I don't use it as much as I thought I would though.
 

Delorean2006

macrumors 6502a
Feb 4, 2012
994
608
Mine is set up for my camera, use it almost every single day. Especially when I’m an app or if I just pick up my phone, hit the button and right to the camera. (Yes I know it’s on the Lock Screen but this has been very handy for me)
 

zach-coleman

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2022
1,187
2,105
The best use of the action button is pause/play. I wish it was native so I could do it in my pocket because shortcuts are blocked if it’s in your pocket, but it’s still amazing. I probably use it 20 times per day.
 
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LightProtector

macrumors regular
Jun 29, 2023
134
326
it’s on the Lock Screen too. Literally just have to move your finger 3 inches. Doesn’t justify a button
You don't understand how convenient it is. You could be on any screen of your iPhone and all you have to do is briefly hold the bottom for the flashlight. It's so handy that despite trying other shortcuts, this is the one that I always come back to. It's just so convenient and you don't have to worry about turning on the screen or holding the phone right-side up, since you are hitting a button on the side of the phone.

I have gotten this question from my friends as well.
 

MasterControlProgram

macrumors regular
May 5, 2022
114
350
I set mine straight back to being the Silent button. I guess it's nice to have a choice, but really there's no app I use frequently enough to want to be able to trigger it from the lock screen.
 

coolerkid

macrumors 6502
Feb 26, 2015
274
303
The action button needs to be moved to another location, having it so close to the volume buttons makes it more annoying than useful. It's too easy to confuse with the volume-up buttons. I find myself having to actually look at the buttons sometimes to find the volume-up button. They also have to add more functions. Like double, or triple click, long press, etc.
 
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Havalo

macrumors regular
Nov 12, 2009
140
1,343
As useful as Butterfly Keyboard and Touch Bar - a revolutionary innovation...
 

epox999

macrumors member
Mar 8, 2011
80
210
only times i've ever hit this on my 15 pro was by accident and I turned my ringer off silent mode
 

ctklein

macrumors member
Sep 22, 2014
47
37
I solely use it for turning my phone on/off silent. The switch couldve stayed (for what i use it for)
 

oliverades

macrumors member
May 18, 2015
62
121
The action button is largely useless unless you use shortcuts to make it multi-functional. I can’t think of many single things I do frequently enough that I’d remember to use or I’d save significant time if it were a button.

However, if you set the action button to be contextual, and do many DIFFERENT little things, it becomes WAY more useful. I have a shortcut that contextually does different things based on orientation, focus filter, location, currently open app, and any combination of these. It will also default to other actions if certain criteria aren’t met. I use my action button a TON. I use it to open my garage when driving, or to turn off orientation lock when my phone is landscape left, open the camera when landscape right, set my phone to auto-text the currently open contact that I got home safe (saves the contact to text only if orientated face down and open to a messages thread). Sleep focus has flashlight, work focus opens email app or calculator based on orientation, etc. You get the point.
If you’re not into building shortcuts, I totally get why you’d not like the action button, but as a huge fan of shortcuts I’d classify it as a game changer.
 

Ingster

macrumors 6502
Apr 2, 2007
449
133
Leeds, UK
I use mine for releasing the lock on my EV's charge port, game changer in a morning not having to unlock the phone, open the app, wait for it to refresh then unlock the charge port.
 
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LlamaLarry

macrumors 6502
Oct 6, 2008
258
146
Northern VA
the action button on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is even more useless. I don’t use it for workouts so it’s set to flash light. Never use the thing. Such a waste of buttons.
Came in here to post the same thing. If the Action Button on the iPhone is as useful as the AWU2, then it's not very useful. I have mine set to start workouts, but half the time I end up accidentally long pressing it to bring up the Emergency screen.
 

GermanSuplex

macrumors 68000
Aug 26, 2009
1,538
29,973
I listen to a certain playlist on shuffle so much, the action button would be worth that alone for me. Siri isn’t always responsive when you first put on a pair of AirPods, so an action button would be great for that purpose.

I’m still using the 14 Pro Max, but when I upgrade, that’ll probably be what the button maps to.
 
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ort888

macrumors member
Oct 18, 2012
44
60
I have mine set to the flashlight and it is pretty handy. Even though the old way of using the flashlight was already pretty fast, sometimes something can move past a certain amount convenience to jump up into a different category of usefulness. I feel like being able to just have an instant flashlight at any moment makes that leap for me. The removal of 1.5 seconds of fiddlyness makes me use it much more.

I know it sounds dumb, and hell, it 100% is dumb... but it is nice.
 
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