iPhone 16 Pro Action vs. Camera button

[azhava]

Yes agree, it’s a bit difficult to feel the CC button but getting a hang of it now, with ”muscle memory” kicking in too. Mine is very slightly raised over the titanium frame, so that helps, but heard it can vary between phones. Using the Apple silicone case it’s easier I think.

I use a case with a cutout (Caudabe Sheath), and the cutout guides your finger right to the CC button - you don't need to look or feel around for it. It's one reason I prefer a case with a cutout and wouldn't use one without it - I don't accidentally/inadvertently hit the CC button, but it's easy to find when I want to use it.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

That’s a thought, who knows, maybe there’s going to be cases which completely covers the CC as if it’s not even there. As an option for those who wants, would you @537635 get one?

Really interesting idea if the CC usage statics is collected and could be shared publicly 👍 but it probably won’t.

What "CC usage statics is" does not interest me in the least. There are hundreds of millions of folks whose primary idea of photography has been the likes of TikTok, selfies, etc. learned and shot on the horrible UI of smartphones. No doubt many or most of those folks will balk at going to some different UI just to improve their capture technique, and will stay where they are. Just look at the OP.

What matters is: Is the optional new button a useful image capture tool? I say yes, unequivocally. Apple could mess it up of course, or succumb to the market mass of the TikTokers, but IMO if the camera button evolves competently it will be a very good thing. Apple needs to find a way to teach people how to use it.

 

[HiVolt]

My friend has the new 16 Plus. He absolutely hates the camera button. I tried to play with it, I don't absolutely hate it, but it's got so many flaws, the biggest perhaps is the placement, your finger just doesn't naturally land there when you hold the phone in horizontal mode. The gestures to change the various settings just seem too slow and unintuitive. It's literally faster to do it with the on screen controls like we've been doing forever.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

My friend has the new 16 Plus. He absolutely hates the camera button. I tried to play with it, I don't absolutely hate it, but it's got so many flaws, the biggest perhaps is the placement, your finger just doesn't naturally land there when you hold the phone in horizontal mode. The gestures to change the various settings just seem too slow and unintuitive. It's literally faster to do it with the on screen controls like we've been doing forever.

Like I said, a lot of people will continue to do it the bad old way because they are used to it and the camera button is at v1.0. IMO that is too bad.

 

[ruddyman]

It takes more pressure than the volume button to take a picture. I find myself trying to use it because it's there, not because it's the best solution. I hope they can tweak it with a software update. Otherwise, we're probably looking at a "new and improved"(look how much easier it is to take a photo!) camera button in the 17.

 

[Carlsberg69]

What matters is: Is the optional new button a useful image capture tool? I say yes, unequivocally. Apple could mess it up of course, or succumb to the market mass of the TikTokers, but IMO if the camera button evolves competently it will be a very good thing. Apple needs to find a way to teach people how to use it.

Agreed! The new CC is a start of a new interface and interaction with the phone as a camera. I’m of the opinion that it’s not a bad start, sure it can be refined and developed, and it will. A lot can be done by SW I think. We are all going to have different views of change and evolving tech, but mostly we have good options to choose from.

 

[jclardy]

I like the camera button, but I am surprised at the implementation and how unrefined it feels, coming from Apple.

1. The click is way too strong. The entire point of a shutter button is to smoothly ”squeeze” into taking a photo, to reduce camera shake. On pro-level cameras the button doesn’t click at all, it just presses in until it hits a limit. Apple should have copied this and not had a full on “button click”. In landscape, it is fine, but in portrait it is terrible, because you are gripping the bottom of the phone with the camera at the top, and squeezing inwards, meaning every shot gets a slight rotational motion which makes it worse than just tapping the screen.

2. The controls are an interesting implementation, but way too complex for such a small control.

3. The modality - like you said, and especially with how much force is required - it should always open the camera. I kind of get why they didn’t - if you accidentally open the camera in your pocket you are going to end up with a dead battery real quick because the camera pushes the display/processor/camera/microphones to the max to be ready for the shot. But I‘d say if the ambient light sensor detects the device is not in a pocket - the camera should open even if the display is asleep.

 

[anthony131]

I just got my 16 today. One of the first things I did, after giving it a solid try for five+ minutes, was to disable the button entirely. Way too confusing for me to spend any more time on. I hate that Apple is pushing all these camera features into a phone. Actually, I might take a look to see if there's a more simple camera app on the App Store.

I also disabled the action button and put the mute button in control center. I have also removed the two buttons on the Lock Screen. Super happy they've permitted that. I wish they'd also disable the swipe to open the camera from the Lock Screen. Far too often I feel the phone in my pocket heating up because it opened on its own.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

My best guess is that the Camera Control button was a late addition that Apple maybe threw in to try to impress all the Europeans who won't see any Apple Intelligence for months, or probably years.

Or just to tie over users in countries that do get all the AI features ASAP, as they'll also have to wait several months before it's all implemented.

Regardless of which region you're in, I think Apple was worried iPhones 16 wouldn't offer enough at launch, that too many would wait it out to iPhones 17, when all the iOS 18 AI stuff is actually out.

I don't know.

It is, however, kind of weird how badly it's implemented as I genuinely think that the concept of a dedicated camera button is a no-brainer on paper.

The fact that it only works to wake up the phone, not launch right into Camera, is really odd.

However, I don't see why this can't be changed in software. And seeing how many complaints it's getting, I'm sure Apple will give users the option to switch between different actions.

But still weird that they thought anyone would like what it does now. Poor choice by Apple.

Like many here, your commentary proves that you have not tried to learn the new camera button. I use the new camera button to launch into the camera app all the time.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I just got my 16 today. One of the first things I did, after giving it a solid try for five+ minutes, was to disable the button entirely. Way too confusing for me to spend any more time on. I hate that Apple is pushing all these camera features into a phone. Actually, I might take a look to see if there's a more simple camera app on the App Store.

I also disabled the action button and put the mute button in control center. I have also removed the two buttons on the Lock Screen. Super happy they've permitted that. I wish they'd also disable the swipe to open the camera from the Lock Screen. Far too often I feel the phone in my pocket heating up because it opened on its own.

Clearly the exraordinarily competent iPhone cameras are not aimed at folks who say:
"...after giving it a solid try for five+ minutes, was to disable the button entirely. Way too confusing for me to spend any more time on. I hate that Apple is pushing all these camera features into a phone."
Such users should simply not use the feature and not complain about what they do not want to understand.

Any real photographer needs to know that competent photography takes more than "giving it a solid try for five+ minutes."

 

[anthony131]

Clearly the exraordinarily competent iPhone cameras are not aimed at folks who say:
"...after giving it a solid try for five+ minutes, was to disable the button entirely. Way too confusing for me to spend any more time on. I hate that Apple is pushing all these camera features into a phone."
Such users should simply not use the feature and not complain about what they do not want to understand.

Any real photographer needs to know that competent photography takes more than "giving it a solid try for five+ minutes."

LOL Are you for real? It's a phone - not an "exraordinarily [sic] competent iPhone camera". The technology on this phone is too clumsy to replace a camera - for "competent photography".

All I need the camera in my phone to do is take a snap shot. Spending five minutes to figure out some functions I'll maybe use a handful of times a year is not worth my time. I would suggest to anyone who wants to spend more than five minutes to figure out how their phone works to take a picture that they buy a camera. You'll figure that out in less time, it's far more intuitive, and takes far better photos. (I've tested it - the camera on this phone is still trash compared to a real camera).

Apple used to be the "It Just Works" brand. That is no longer the case. Apple has lost their way - or, to be fair, they've found a new way that's unfamiliar to longterm customers. Practically every Apple product I own has become increasingly complex, or handicapped in some cases, to use over time. That is not the direction a "It Just Works" user experience company should be taking.

If you're happy having spent some amount of time figuring out how to take a picture with some fancy new widget, I'm happy for you too. I hope your photography is "competent". I however would prefer not to struggle with something that's clumsy and unintuitive and likely to loosen my grip on my device or that is more than likely to take unwanted photos because it's placed in the absolute perfect possible location to accidentally take photos every single time I pick it up.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Now we get to the meat of our disagreement. I say "extraordinarily competent iPhone camera" (fixed the typo) and you say "All I need the camera in my phone to do is take a snap shot." Those two different customer attitudes are challenging for Apple to serve.

The CC button seems to be an effort to move in the direction of helping folks who say "All I need the camera in my phone to do is take a snap shot" to move away from classic awful smartphone UI toward better technique, but many comments here suggest that, at least at v1.0, some users not only do not get it, they actively complain about a wholly unobtrusive 100% optional feature [sigh].

The old smartphone camera [IMO terrible] UI remains 100% available. What I honestly do not understand is why some folks cannot simply ignore an optional new feature that they do not want to learn. Instead they feel a need to complain about it.

IMO Apple's biggest challenge is the truism that competent photography takes some thought, yet many users obviously negatively knee-jerk with anger at a new choice, even seemingly making things up like "more than likely to take unwanted photos because it's placed in the absolute perfect possible location to accidentally take photos every single time I pick it up" which IMO is simply not true unless one intentionally reprogrammed CC button operation. I use the CC button a lot, but never have managed to accidentally take even one single photo.

If anything I would prefer that the CC button be more quickly responsive, even if it did lead to some unintended captures. It is easy-peasy to delete unintended captures.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

LOL Are you for real? It's a phone - not an "exraordinarily [sic] competent iPhone camera". The technology on this phone is too clumsy to replace a camera - for "competent photography".

All I need the camera in my phone to do is take a snap shot. Spending five minutes to figure out some functions I'll maybe use a handful of times a year is not worth my time. I would suggest to anyone who wants to spend more than five minutes to figure out how their phone works to take a picture that they buy a camera. You'll figure that out in less time, it's far more intuitive, and takes far better photos. (I've tested it - the camera on this phone is still trash compared to a real camera).

Apple used to be the "It Just Works" brand. That is no longer the case. Apple has lost their way - or, to be fair, they've found a new way that's unfamiliar to longterm customers. Practically every Apple product I own has become increasingly complex, or handicapped in some cases, to use over time. That is not the direction a "It Just Works" user experience company should be taking.

If you're happy having spent some amount of time figuring out how to take a picture with some fancy new widget, I'm happy for you too. I hope your photography is "competent". I however would prefer not to struggle with something that's clumsy and unintuitive and likely to loosen my grip on my device or that is more than likely to take unwanted photos because it's placed in the absolute perfect possible location to accidentally take photos every single time I pick it up.

When you say
"LOL Are you for real? It's a phone - not an "exraordinarily [sic] competent iPhone camera". The technology on this phone is too clumsy to replace a camera - for "competent photography". [sic]

You are flat wrong. Just look at the "shot on iPhone" images used in Apple's marketing and tell me it is not an extraordinarily competent iPhone camera. I have Nikon's best sitting on the shelf, yet routinely use the iPhone camera captures for many professional usages, because carrying around and accessing a heavy photo backpack of gear can be very, very limiting.

Frankly it amazes me how competent the iPhone camera is. The idea that it is possible to achieve such good captures from such tiny relatively cheap lenses boggles my mind every day.

 

[537635]

Just returned from a vacation, lots of photos. I tried extensively both the CC (single click, double click) and the action button.

The verdict, at least for me, is that the new camera button is useless. As stated before, with single click you never know if it's gonna work and with double click it just takes too long.

I mostly shoot in landscape, as I take the phone out of the pocket and start rotating it towards landscape position, left thumb rests on the Action button and activates the camera. So by the time I turn the phone 90 degrees counterclockwise, it's ready to shoot.

With camera button, no matter how much I tried, it just takes more time and too much fiddling with the phone.

 

[bc 08]

Contrary to many reviews, I'm finding the new camera control to be a welcome addition. I initially expected it to be a gimmick, but it's proven to be a genuinely useful and enjoyable feature. It provides a dedicated shortcut to the camera app (I believe it's activated with a double press), which allows me to reassign my Lock Screen shortcut.

I find the implementation of the half-press, full-press, and slide gestures completely intuitive. While it may not be the fastest option for capturing spontaneous moments, it excels in situations where I'm taking a more deliberate approach to photography. It enhances the overall camera experience and adds a sense of professionalism.

Same, I've caught several photos I would have absolutely missed without it.

 

[537635]

Almost 6 months in. I can now safely say that the new shutter button is useless for serious (phone) photography. In terms of ergonomics, how fast it summons the camera interface it's just inferior to Action button and/or screen shutter.

Button is simply too stiff and on a light device it just corrupts the framing when pushing down. Ironically it would be better if it was capacitive button, where a light touch would trigger the camera.

 

[hagjohn]

Almost 6 months in. I can now safely say that the new shutter button is useless for serious (phone) photography. In terms of ergonomics, how fast it summons the camera interface it's just inferior to Action button and/or screen shutter.

Button is simply too stiff and on a light device it just corrupts the framing when pushing down. Ironically it would be better if it was capacitive button, where a light touch would trigger the camera.

Have you tried to change the press force to lighter in the accessibility settings to see if that helps? A little change in the way you hold the phone and the lighter button, makes it much better to use.

2 quick presses, from a locked screen, and your camera is ready to shoot. Move your left thumb towards the middle of the phone, for added balance, and your pictures will come out great.

 

[537635]

I tried. "Lighter press" only applies to half press. Long press is still a hardware button (which if baffling, design of the older haptic home button would be great here).

2 quick presses, from a locked screen, and your camera is ready to shoot. Move your left thumb towards the middle of the phone, for added balance, and your pictures will come out great.

That's just it. So much unnecessary actions and hand movements. First you have to reposition your thumb to activate the camera, then you have to reposition your index finger to take photos. Of course I would get used to it if there were no other options, but ergonomy sucks here.

Alternative: 1 long press (left thumb) on Action button and camera is ready to shoot. Your left thumb is right where it's supposed to be when shooting landscape. Your right thumb is on the onscreen shutter button.

 

[MallardDuck]

and worse, now if you hold it down, instead of opening the camera app, it turns on some useless AI feature.