iPhone 15 Pro Leak Reveals Unified Volume Button and Mute Button

[1rottenapple]

Super lame. It’s like year over year they need to make up innovations and just remove things and call it new. Not like haptic feedback takes up less room then the current design. It’s not like they put esim and save a lot of space and increase battery size, they haven’t! The phone is already water resistant. How much more does it need to be resistant?

Maybe apple needs to wait for two year release cycle because it’s pathetic to removal things and call it courage or innovation as media spin.

 

[1rottenapple]

I get it, I get it, not one of my more well thought out comments... haha

I promise, I'll be good.

Oh got wtf is up with Siri. It got worst! Wtf the recognition has gone backyards in the last year.

 

[lordofthereef]

Judging by the comments, the switch is the next headphone Jack. 😆

 

[FriendlyMackle]

Judging by the comments, the switch is the next headphone Jack. 😆

I wouldn’t go that far…although in terms of media coverage it will probably be the same, including Samsuck ads mocking the button removal—before they do it themselves 9 months later.

 

[I7guy]

I'll give apple the benefit of the doubt with the button vs switch, if this is in fact not a "rumor".

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Because the clear disadvantages for some are obvious. And the clear advantages are…?

One less outward facing moving part to fail or get dust and grime in (anyone who’s owned an iPhone for many years knows those things get mushy over time).
Increased software support
Theoretically remapable for those of us who keep our phones on mute most of the time.
Increased functionality (ie: current mute switch has two modes, off and on. A button basically has infinite uses, single press can do one thing, double press, triple press, press and hold…
Synchronicity between devices possible: so when my watch is muted my phone is muted, if I mute my phone it can also mute my watch, etc.
Plenty of advantages, only disadvantage I’ve heard people come up with is “but it’ll be harder to feel” which… isn’t really convincing.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Because we spend 90% of our time in water... Water resistance is just a cheap excuse to insert cheaper components into iPhone.

Nothing cheaper about this rumored component, not sure why that narrative keeps being pushed.
A Touch Sensitive not button with its own taptic engine underneath is very much more expensive than a standard switch.
Like… I don’t know why anyone would argue that, it’s just the truth.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I’m confused.. do macrumors fans want innovation or the same phone every year?

They simply just want something to complain about.
you watch, when iOS 17 is announced with the same grid of icons and the same look that’s existed for the past decade, people will have the exact opposite reaction.
“Apple won’t change anything, Apple’s lazy, they just release the same thing every year, we should get a complete redesign every 12 months, etc.”
And then, eventually, when they finally do get that redesign in iOS 20 or whatever, it’s “but every release should be like Snow Leopard, 0 new features, no reason to change the look of anything, just keep it the same, you don’t see a refrigerators user interface change ever, Apple needs to be more like that.”

 

[Tozovac]

1 One less outward facing moving part to fail or get dust and grime in (anyone who’s owned an iPhone for many years knows those things get mushy over time).
2 Increased software support
3 Theoretically remapable for those of us who keep our phones on mute most of the time.
4 Increased functionality (ie: current mute switch has two modes, off and on. A button basically has infinite uses, single press can do one thing, double press, triple press, press and hold…
5 Synchronicity between devices possible: so when my watch is muted my phone is muted, if I mute my phone it can also mute my watch, etc.
6 Plenty of advantages, only disadvantage I’ve heard people come up with is “but it’ll be harder to feel” which… isn’t really convincing.

Added numbers above to your points:

1 of all the things that failed on my devices, the mute button is not one of them. How many have failed for you? Or others reading this post?

2 how is that specific to a solid-state button? Same could be done with the slide switch.

3 See #2. And maybe in theory yes. Sounds to me like the logic behind replacing function keys with the Touch Bar on Macs. Unlimited flexibility in theory, but limited usefulness and practicality outside of Apple’s labs and marketing offices. Remember, we’re speaking about one of the few very often-used-functions (muting), like volume and on and off, which has deserved a unique, focused button to date. What are any potential customizations you’d be interested in remapping? Curious as to what might deserve to be prioritized like mute, volume, and power. Maybe it's already customizable within the control panel?

4 see #2 and 3.

in fact, as a version one way that designs are sometimes considered, extend your argument one step further, and then some. (Check for: is more necessarily better?) Would it be even better to replace the volume, mute, and on-off buttons with one solid-state button each that could be reprogrammed and remapped? Or combine them into a single button: quick pulsating press for volume up, slow pulsating for down, longer press for mute, longest press for on off.

Also, at one time wasn't the mute button programmable to be either mute or anti-rotate? Was it better back then? For some reason anti-rotate function there went away...

5 see #2.

6 Instead of “plenty of advantages,” it sounds like you’re focusing on “plenty of options.” You’re very unfairly oversimplifying and dismissing the “harder than before” thing. Remember, the physical button with a certain position offers certain visual and no-contact state indication that’s useful to many, for a very important often-used function Apparently ranking up there in importance with volume and on and off.

My point is, sometimes that design reaches a certain maturity level that any further simplifications are just change for the sake of change that are even worse when it’s a step backwards in some aspects. This approaches that.

 

[Ac1d 8urn]

I'm curious of how many people's mute switches have failed too. I was a phone tech/refurbisher for several years, dealt with many thousands of iPhones of all models and I saw maybe 2 failed mute switches during that whole time. You really gotta manhandle it or gum it up with a very viscous substance to break it.

 

[bryantrovati]

I'm curious of how many people's mute switches have failed too. I was a phone tech/refurbisher for several years, dealt with many thousands of iPhones of all models and I saw maybe 2 failed mute switches during that whole time. You really gotta manhandle it or gum it up with a very viscous substance to break it.

It could be because the majority of people don’t actually use it… (that’s the case in my social circles… Can’t say that the people I know are the perfect representation of the entire world/apple clients hahahah)
Or maybe because since it’s not an absolutely mandatory necessity, when it breaks, people simply ignore it/stop using it. I definitely would not take my 2year iphone to fix the mute switch, I would simply buy a new one, but that could be just me…

 

[martint235]

As a long time Windows fan my only real Apple connection is in the mobile space it’s always entertaining seeing the latest rage. It’s technology both sides always have ups and downs good ideas and bad.

The Windows 8 thing was a great running joke in my circles for a long time. Windows RT. Apple’s engineering genius making a mouse that charges upside down and a revolutionary keyboard that they tried to peddle for years before giving up because it was a total failure.

Wait and see what happens might be a home run might be the next horrible thing but it’s hilarious arguing something that literally only “exists” as a rumor.

Only thing I could say right now is if it is real and does suck I hope they don’t keep it for years of complaining saying it’s the future only to bring back the switch in 2025 as a feature .

On the Microsoft theme, more years ago than I care to remember but definitely more than 10, I went to a MS conference where they showed us Windows Mobile. The phone automatically muted when the calendar had a meeting scheduled and unmuted at the end. No one else seems to have been able to do that

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Added numbers above to your points:

1 of all the things that failed on my devices, the mute button is not one of them. How many have failed for you? Or others reading this post?

2 how is that specific to a solid-state button? Same could be done with the slide switch.

3 See #2. And maybe in theory yes. Sounds to me like the logic behind replacing function keys with the Touch Bar on Macs. Unlimited flexibility in theory, but limited usefulness and practicality outside of Apple’s labs and marketing offices. Remember, we’re speaking about one of the few very often-used-functions (muting), like volume and on and off, which has deserved a unique, focused button to date. What are any potential customizations you’d be interested in remapping? Curious as to what might deserve to be prioritized like mute, volume, and power. Maybe it's already customizable within the control panel?

4 see #2 and 3.

in fact, as a version one way that designs are sometimes considered, extend your argument one step further, and then some. (Check for: is more necessarily better?) Would it be even better to replace the volume, mute, and on-off buttons with one solid-state button each that could be reprogrammed and remapped? Or combine them into a single button: quick pulsating press for volume up, slow pulsating for down, longer press for mute, longest press for on off.

Also, at one time wasn't the mute button programmable to be either mute or anti-rotate? Was it better back then? For some reason anti-rotate function there went away...

5 see #2.

6 Instead of “plenty of advantages,” it sounds like you’re focusing on “plenty of options.” You’re very unfairly oversimplifying and dismissing the “harder than before” thing. Remember, the physical button with a certain position offers certain visual and no-contact state indication that’s useful to many, for a very important often-used function Apparently ranking up there in importance with volume and on and off.

My point is, sometimes that design reaches a certain maturity level that any further simplifications are just change for the sake of change that are even worse when it’s a step backwards in some aspects. This approaches that.

First of all, comparing the TouchBar (which replaced basically something that existed in every computer for the most part the past 30 years) to a tiny switch (that exists mostly for convenience and as far as I know isn’t on many android phones) is a ridiculous argument.
Android phones have existed without mute switches, the iPad ditched the mute switch Nine years ago, the iPod touch never had a mute switch, the Watch doesn’t have a mute switch…
Feel however you’d like about it’s possible demise, but it is absolutely nothing like the TouchBar.
Personally, I’ve never had a mute switch fail, but I have heard of it happening, and I have had a power button fail.
As for re-mapping, personally I’m one of the several who rarely changes the position of that switch, so I’d rather have that button specifically for the accessibility shortcut instead of the power button.
I’d also like if a double press could open my app of choice, or run a shortcut, or (as you already mentioned) take a page from the early iPads book and turn it into a rotation lock button.
Also, one possibility I haven’t seen brought up here is that this can make phone restarts a lot easier than they are right now.
Instead of doing the “press up, press down, hold” series of steps, it could be simply just “hold power and mute together”.
Lastly, as I said, I’m not going to be convinced about the “simplicity” of the switch, if you can dig into your pocket to feel where the mute switch is you can click the button that’ll be in the exact same place just as easily.
If you absolutely need a visual indicator, meaning that you’re already looking down at the phone, they can easily put one in the status bar. In fact, I’m pretty sure that “muted” and “rotation lock” iconsused to be in the status bar back in the iOS 6 days. So there’s your visual indicator right there. And since this is coming to the pro phones, it’ll obviously be on the always on display… always.

 

[Tozovac]

First of all, comparing the TouchBar (which replaced basically something that existed in every computer for the most part the past 30 years) to a tiny switch (that exists mostly for convenience and as far as I know isn’t on many android phones) is a ridiculous argument.

Are you serious? I have not seen a dynamic Touch Bar that replaced physical function keys in any keyboard at work or at home since 1990. I can't recognize any example you are referring to.

My comparison was: replacing discrete key(s) with something highly customizable is not necessarily an improvement.

Android phones have existed without mute switches, the iPad ditched the mute switch Nine years ago, the iPod touch never had a mute switch, the Watch doesn’t have a mute switch…

If you were friends with an android device and they jumped off a bridge, would you follow?

And, I'm surprised I have to remind you of this, iPods don't ring at inappropriate times like phones do.

As for re-mapping, personally I’m one of the several who rarely changes the position of that switch, so I’d rather have that button specifically for the accessibility shortcut instead of the power button.

I'd contend you're one in the minority. Your opinion vs. mine or anyone else's.

Apple is pretty darn slow to make changes, so something must be informing them that a quickly-accessible mute button is pretty darn valuable to a majority of users.

 

[eoblaed]

Because the clear disadvantages for some are obvious. And the clear advantages are…?

The 'by touch' argument is dubious, at best. I don't know that I can tell just by touch whether my current mute button is off or on without also trying to push it one direction or the other. Similar behavior would be required for a solid state button (to detect the haptic response to tell if it was off/on).

The 'by sight' argument has some merit, but I expect for many people that's rarely how they interact with the current switch. And, who knows, the always on display may have an indicator with the next iOS that makes it obvious at a glance if the mute button is on or not.

It's a button. It'll get the job done. I see no clear advantages or disadvantages either way.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Are you serious? I have not seen a dynamic Touch Bar that replaced physical function keys in any keyboard at work or at home since 1990. I can't recognize any example you are referring to.

no, what I meant is the majority of computers have function keys, it’s a standard part of a computer. In the same way that the majority of cars have steering wheels.
The majority of smart phones *do not* have mute switches. iPhones do, soon they may not. Very different.
An *actual* equivalent comparison to the Touch Bar would be the removal of the home button, turning a multi-purpose interface into touchscreen controls and gestures.
The difference is that removing the home button was a good and successful change, the Touch Bar was not.
The mute button has none of the importance of the function keys, or the home button, it’s a single purpose switch that does absolutely nothing except for it’s one thing.

And, I'm surprised I have to remind you of this, iPods don't ring at inappropriate times like phones do.

iMessage, FaceTime, any third-party social media app… anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi connection an iPod or iPad can make the same beeps boops and dings an iPhone does.

 

[1rottenapple]

Judging by the comments, the switch is the next headphone Jack. 😆

yah and its annoying. I have a lightning headphone and regular headphone jack for my work setup. Did the capacity of the battery really increase with the headphone jack? Not sure if it was worth it to be honest.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I mean, does it get any more exciting than this?

 

[Mainyehc]

If it’s capacitive and requires either skin contact or some replacement (like that special capacitive fabric on gloves, I’m okay with it). If it doesn’t, and can be triggered accidentally, that’ll be a massive blunder on Apple’s part.

 

[compwiz1202]

The 'by touch' argument is dubious, at best. I don't know that I can tell just by touch whether my current mute button is off or on without also trying to push it one direction or the other. Similar behavior would be required for a solid state button (to detect the haptic response to tell if it was off/on).

The 'by sight' argument has some merit, but I expect for many people that's rarely how they interact with the current switch. And, who knows, the always on display may have an indicator with the next iOS that makes it obvious at a glance if the mute button is on or not.

It's a button. It'll get the job done. I see no clear advantages or disadvantages either way.

If you know how you put it in your pocket and you know which way is mute on the switch, you put your hand in your pocket and try to move it, if it doesn;t move, it's already muted. If it moves and vibrates, it wasn't but now is.

 

[redbeard331]

I mean, does it get any more exciting than this?

No, it doesn’t, this is it, celebrate with us.

 

[Tozovac]

no, what I meant is the majority of computers have function keys, it’s a standard part of a computer. In the same way that the majority of cars have steering wheels.
The majority of smart phones *do not* have mute switches. iPhones do, soon they may not. Very different.

I definitely have no perspective outside of iPhones, but heck, in the other direction of haves- and have-nots as far as discrete "button" interfaces, androids (at least the ones I've last seen) have three "buttons" on the bottom of the screen while the iPhones now have none (maybe except for SE's which have a home button still). Just because a typical Android device (assuming you meant android) has no mute button means nothing to me, since I value a mute button like I value the on/off and volume buttons.

Heck, I consider most anything Android-related as compromises, where Samsung/Google etc. were forced to "invent" some differentiation from the iPhone so as to not be a blatant rip-off copy. Maybe lack of a mute switch is just that: a way to be different than iPhone even if a downgrade.

An *actual* equivalent comparison to the Touch Bar would be the removal of the home button, turning a multi-purpose interface into touchscreen controls and gestures.
The difference is that removing the home button was a good and successful change, the Touch Bar was not.

Well, we can choose to disagree then. My comparison was focused on: replacing a purpose-built button with a non-moving "button" which can have flexible programability to do different things than the one thing the purpose-built button did. Like removing a physical escape key & function keys and replacing with a Touch Bar. For how often the esc key and discrete function keys are used (for me at least), the Touch Bar was a fail. Now maybe if the Touch Bar was additive on top of the physical esc/function keys....that could have been great!!

My point is, replacing a physical button even with limited/focused purpose with something solid state/non-moving/different with unlimited flexibility and re-assignability is not necessarily a good thing. That over-emphasizes the potential "good" while ignoring/missing the potential losses/"bad."

The mute button has none of the importance of the function keys, or the home button, it’s a single purpose switch that does absolutely nothing except for it’s one thing.

Says you.

Yup, it's a single purpose switch that does "more than nothing," and it does it exceptionally well, quickly, instantly.

Why don't you instead pine for adding more buttons to the side of the phone. Under your argument, wouldn't more reassignable buttons be better?

 

[martint235]

I definitely have no perspective outside of iPhones, but heck, in the other direction of haves- and have-nots as far as discrete "button" interfaces, androids (at least the ones I've last seen) have three "buttons" on the bottom of the screen while the iPhones now have none (maybe except for SE's which have a home button still). Just because a typical Android device (assuming you meant android) has no mute button means nothing to me, since I value a mute button like I value the on/off and volume buttons.

Heck, I consider most anything Android-related as compromises, where Samsung/Google etc. were forced to "invent" some differentiation from the iPhone so as to not be a blatant rip-off copy. Maybe lack of a mute switch is just that: a way to be different than iPhone even if a downgrade.



Well, we can choose to disagree then. My comparison was focused on: replacing a purpose-built button with a non-moving "button" which can have flexible programability to do different things than the one thing the purpose-built button did. Like removing a physical escape key & function keys and replacing with a Touch Bar. For how often the esc key and discrete function keys are used (for me at least), the Touch Bar was a fail. Now maybe if the Touch Bar was additive on top of the physical esc/function keys....that could have been great!!

My point is, replacing a physical button even with limited/focused purpose with something solid state/non-moving/different with unlimited flexibility and re-assignability is not necessarily a good thing. That over-emphasizes the potential "good" while ignoring/missing the potential losses/"bad."



Says you.

Yup, it's a single purpose switch that does "more than nothing," and it does it exceptionally well, quickly, instantly.

Why don't you instead pine for adding more buttons to the side of the phone. Under your argument, wouldn't more reassignable buttons be better?

You do seem to be in a minority so far. Most commenters don’t seem to care but at the end of the day the iPhone sells to the masses not just one person who wants to keep the physical switch

 

[Tozovac]

You do seem to be in a minority so far. Most commenters don’t seem to care but at the end of the day the iPhone sells to the masses not just one person who wants to keep the physical switch

What thread are you reading? Minority? The most-liked post in this thread is pro-switch:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-15-pro-leak-reveals-unified-volume-button-and-mute-button.2384212/?post=32043727#post-32043727

This is just on the 1st page of replies:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-15-pro-leak-reveals-unified-volume-button-and-mute-button.2384212/?post=32043730#post-32043730

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-15-pro-leak-reveals-unified-volume-button-and-mute-button.2384212/?post=32043731#post-32043731

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-15-pro-leak-reveals-unified-volume-button-and-mute-button.2384212/?post=32043743#post-32043743

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-15-pro-leak-reveals-unified-volume-button-and-mute-button.2384212/?post=32043748#post-32043748

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-15-pro-leak-reveals-unified-volume-button-and-mute-button.2384212/?post=32043756#post-32043756

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-15-pro-leak-reveals-unified-volume-button-and-mute-button.2384212/?post=32043760#post-32043760

Nice cut and paste post, but what a terrible take. iPhone is desperately in need of ring/silent being available to the software, and this is how you get there.

Why exactly is it "desperately" in need? What is the current design flaw or broken design element with the switch?

I don't think I have ever used the mute switch on my iPhone. If I could change it to do something useful that would be welcome.

I'm sincerely interested in hearing of a few specific examples of what you consider to be a useful alternative to reassign the mute button/switch to. General "wish/want" statements hold no water or value unless you can describe what the current broken design issue is, and perhaps a recommendation of what's valuable to you in place of the current design. If you could reassign the mute button switch to something, what would you reassign it to do?

 

[Tozovac]

The mute switch is long overdue a change.It hasn’t changed since the first iPhone.

But *why* is it long overdue? What's the current design flaw or broken design?

I'm much more interested in reading (and potentially being convinced) of why a change is needed, besides...for something new since it's been so darn long that what we've had has been what we've had.