Apple to Simplify iPhone 18 Camera Control Button, Not Remove It

[MacRumors]

An established Chinese leaker has pushed back against recent rumors suggesting Apple plans to eliminate the Camera Control button from the iPhone 18, instead claiming the company is working to simplify the component to reduce costs.

According to Weibo leaker Instant Digital, the Camera Control's pressure-sensitive modules for the iPhone 18 series currently remain in trial production. However, Apple is reportedly removing the capacitive sensor from the current dual-sensor design, and opting instead to rely solely on pressure sensing to achieve all button functions.

The current Camera Control button on iPhone 16 models uses both capacitive and pressure sensors beneath a sapphire crystal surface. The capacitive layer detects touch gestures, while the force sensor recognizes different pressure levels for taps, presses, and swipes.

Instant Digital says Apple's revised approach is similar to designs found in devices like the OPPO X8 Ultra and vivo X200 Ultra, where pressure sensors alone can recognize light taps, firm presses, and sliding gestures.

The leaker suggests cost concerns are driving the change, noting that the current solution is "genuinely very expensive" for Apple and is generating costly after-sales repairs. This is said to be creating "significant internal cost pressure" for Apple, especially since not all of its AI-powered Visual Intelligence features have fully rolled out yet, which is limiting the button's perceived value.

• iPhone 16 Camera Control: Everything You Need to Know

Instant Digital has a decent track record for leaks, suggesting this is a genuine debunk of the recent report from another Weibo account indicating that Apple would drop the Camera Control from the iPhone 18 lineup due to low user engagement. Its removal would have been quite the reversal – Apple only debuted the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 series last year.

Article Link: Apple to Simplify iPhone 18 Camera Control Button, Not Remove It

 

[HouseLannister]

This would be a win for case manufacturers… wouldn’t need sapphire to make buttons. It’s not going to make the phones any cheaper, though.

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

I've only used mine a couple of times.

Just like the 3D TV I had.

 

[nortonandreev]

The button's perceived value... the button is detrimental.

 

[neuropsychguy]

It’s not going to make the phones any cheaper, though.

It can, however, make them relatively cheaper. It's likely that without Apple's work in reducing part costs (assuming this rumor is true), Apple would price iPhones higher. That's an obvious statement but I make it to remind people that a company not raising prices despite inflation is an affective price decrease. Apple's work at efficiencies of scale and looking at ways to save costs but still keep high quality and function, has kept the Pro phone price the same since the X, despite significant inflation.

 

[JokoWidodo]

just remove it ffs

 

[scrapesleon]

it would be more simpler if they actually remove it

 

[ab2c4]

I wish they would remove it.

 

[Mity]

After the touch bar failed you'd think the PMs would have the common sense not to implement it again. But no! They're doubling down at the same time the new Pixel can translate languages in real time on device. This is the kind of innovation we need, not liquid glass and a camera touch bar!

 

[rdinterman]

Never use it, except accidentally. Love Apple, but this one was a miss.

 

[starlabjump]

I think Apple has made some mistakes in certain design choices — for example, the liquid glass design and the addition of iPhone camera buttons. Please, Apple, be wise; don’t waste resources and energy on less meaningful things. Don’t try to force something just to look like you have new ideas.

 

[19callum93]

I literally just use it to launch the camera only.

 

[Dr Nobody Important]

Interesting, but I am looking forward to these leakers getting fired.

 

[joshmcx]

I literally just use it to launch the camera only.

Me too, and I love it for this purpose. They can remove all pressure sensitivity as far a I’m concerned and just leave the button and I’ll be happy.

I’ve tried a half dozen times to use the other functions of the button and found them awkward at best.

 

[HouseLannister]

That's an obvious statement but I make it to remind people that a company not raising prices despite inflation is an affective price decrease.

Yes, but the cost of manufacturing anything should go down over time as the process to make it gets better, resulting in less waste. Also, there isn’t the upfront development cost as it is already complete. And materials can get cheaper over time because you can ramp up production and negotiate better prices for larger volumes. Costs always go down, often without changing anything to cut corners. Any money Apple saves on this might slow the prices from rising, but don’t forget we used to live in an age where the cost of electronics got cheaper over time.

 

[Dj64Mk7]

Me too, and I love it for this purpose. They can remove all pressure sensitivity as far a I’m concerned and just leave the button and I’ll be happy.

I’ve tried a half dozen times to use the other functions of the button and found them awkward at best.

I don’t know if this has been there since the beginning, or if it was a recent update, but I found the camera control much better when I turned off the swiping, and changed the single press to a double press. Personally I use it to open the magnifier.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I tried and tried and tried to use the slide adjustments, but it is just 10x quick to tap on the screen than to mess with it. Disabled all of it and now just use it to launch the camera and be a shutter button.

Works fine for that, but...what a waste. Give an option to make it like an action button, at least, so you can launch whatever you want it to.

 

[citysnaps]

I use the camera control button almost everyday when I'm making photographs. Zero issues. It works great for me, especially when framing an image, keeping my eye on the subject. - that's the best feature.

 

[Reason077]

Sounds like Force Touch / 3D Touch all over again. A nice feature that doesn't quite have enough value to justify its cost.

 

[citysnaps]

Sounds like Force Touch / 3D Touch all over again. A nice feature that doesn't quite have enough value to justify its cost.

There's a ton of value for photographers.

How much does it cost?

 

[contacos]

I find the whole thing so confusing compared to the on screen buttons since you kind of need to know what you are already doing before pressing and how hard to press and what not to do X or Y and then the whole swipe thing is so unreliable like I tried it for zooming and I'd usually go way above and beyond where I actually wanted to zoom to.

I'll stick to the on screen control and only use the button to open the camera (if I actually remember, cuz there are already 472829848 other ways to open the camera)

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Gives more credibility to the case leaks with the bigger camera control cut out instead of a capacitive button.

 

[il_teo77]

First Alluminium, now this. Seems like an interesting way of reducing the price increase due to tariffs is, instead of giving up on margins, to cheapen the cost of the device.

 

[Peepeenuts]

”Oh no! Now I must get the 17 with the good camera control button before it’s too late” sounding rumor

 

[GioGiusi]

Just get rid of the capacitive nature and the pressure sensitivity, since those need to be turned off in settings anyway for it to be usable. You were overthinking it. It has more than enough value just to launch the camera and snap a picture, but those extra options actually get it in the way of it, until disabled.