The iPhone 16 Is Getting an Action Button: Here's Everything It Will Do

[thecautioners]

I think the new capture button coming out on the iPhone 16 Pro will be more useful.

As someone who films skateboarders, I’m so excited for the possibilities!

 

[Elmo1938]

of the millions of iPhone users; how many will use these options? KISS [keep it simple stupid] It appears that the iPhone team is looking for projects!

 

[CausticSoda]

This has nudged me to try it for translation again, and it does now seem to work reasonably well. To begin with it was a total car crash. I can go back to that now. I never managed to get into the habit of using it to open the camera.

 

[svish]

Have the button with my 15 Pro Max. Don't think it is very useful. Not sure anything very useful will be gained with this button coming to iPhone 16 base models.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I have never found myself in this situation and I suspect most haven't. I haven't thought about the headphone jack in years.

Well considering that most things in this world that take an audio input don't also have bluetooth built in, I suspect most have. So I'll put my completely made up statistical advantage up against yours.

 

[TalkieToaster]

I do want more physical buttons. It's absolutely maddening to have to drill into all the functionality and a hardware button makes it easier

 

[bhanson1]

So every time I put my phone into my pocket I accidentally press this side button and the phone mutes!?
What a stupid idea.

 

[attila]

I will surely miss the tactical confirmation that silent mode is on or off when I inevitably buy the iPhone 17 or later.

 

[Cod3rror]

They should add multi-functionality to the button.

Tap
Double tap
Triple tap
Tap and hold
Double tap and hold

 

[liberte1776]

OK, so why can’t the action button do push to talk walkie-talkie features like the Apple Watch?

 

[I7guy]

The action button has been used as mute on my iPhone 15 Pro Max since they got rid of the mute switch.

More of the same for iPhone 16. Great. This inspires. So brave. /s

I find the mute function extraordinary useful. The fact that I can use it for other things, such as opening the trunk on my Tesla, when I'm not using it for other things is icing on the cake.

 

[I7guy]

The way IOS is handicapped it doesn’t really make it any better than a high end android device.

My wife has a top end Pixel she can hook up to her Studio display and use the little phone like a full fledged PC, with mouse support and a file system.
iOS does its best to emulate that feel.
But does its best also to make sure you cant quite accomplish the same tasks in the same manner as you would in your MacBook Pro. iOS REMINDS YOU that it’s not a desktop OS.

The more Apple continues to change, the less and less my wife and I work on the platform. Our revenue on the Apple App Store for desktop and mobile has shrank significantly.

Where on the PC/Android side it’s exploded.

I’ve been an Apple fanboy since 1998.
But with every new product that’s introduced I find myself slipping to the dark side.
And well guys, it’s not that bad over here.

You guys do what’s best for you. Our family and extended family once a mix of android and iPhone are now exclusively iPhone.

I and we (the family) just like all of the inter connectivity.

 

[okkibs]

Here's everything it will do: It will work like it does on the 15 Pro.

 

[NightfallOrchid]

I never actually use the action button on my 15 Pro Max, but the removal of the physical mute switch was the most useful change in a long time: Finally it’s possible to use the Shortcuts app to automatically mute your phone when leaving your home, and unmute it when you get back!