- iPhone 15 Pro replaces the mute switch with a new action button.
- This button launches the camera, triggers shortcuts, opens accessibility options, and more.
- Most people will probably use it to launch the camera app.
It sounds crazy, but it might be worth choosing the new iPhone 15 Pro over the standard model simply because of its action buttons .
In the new iPhone 15 Pro, Apple has replaced the long-standing silent toggle switch with a new customizable action button. The button can be customized to do just about anything, from triggering voice memos to launching the camera app to running user-customizable shortcuts. It effectively turns your iPhone into a field recorder, camera, or flashlight, and it's surprisingly easy to use, too.
"I think the action button would be very convenient. Even though it's super customizable, I think 99% of people will use it for the camera function. That's actually the biggest pain point it solves because now when you want to capture anything When it comes to stuff, it's always a tech company, Justin Mauldin, founder and CEO of Salient PR, told Lifewire via email.
The old mute switch has been with iPhones since the beginning, and was even present on iPads before Apple removed it entirely. The iPad version can also be customized to a certain extent. It can be used to silence notification and alert sounds, but it can also be used as a rotation lock to stop the iPad display from automatically rotating when you lie down to read.
So there is a precedent for customizable buttons, but the Action button is more customizable and completely different. First, it's an actual button you press now, rather than a slide switch with two different positions. By default, it still mutes your iPhone with a long press, which alleviates the problem of accidental activation, but it's still not as good as the original switch for that purpose.
The position of the sliding mute switch can be determined by feel or glance, both of which are impossible with buttons. To indicate status, iPhone displays animations in new dynamic islands and provides unique tactile cues so you can use it in your pocket but can't check it without pressing a button (and turning off mute in the process) .
This is a legitimate complaint for those who mute and unmute their phones frequently, but the Action button has so many features that it's worth the trade-off. What if your phone is on silent 100% of the time? You just got a brand new button with no trade-offs.
The new button is apparently inspired by the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra and can be assigned to anything. Built-in options include the camera, launch Voice Memos, toggle Do Not Disturb, activate the flashlight and magnifying glass, select accessibility features, and of course, mute the iPhone.
Many people will definitely set the action button to launch the camera app. Or, with the help of shortcuts, they can set it to launch a third-party camera app of their choice, putting it on the same level as the built-in camera app. I think it's likely that the button will also take photos in this case, but we'll have to wait for release to find out.
"This should be the default setting," Henrikhelmers, an iPhone user and Apple fan, said in a MacRumors forum thread that Lifewire participated in. "I bet that after everyone gets used to software control of silent mode, they will make it the default setting."
This simple addition will have a huge impact on anyone who uses it, bringing the iPhone closer to specialized hardware that performs certain tasks. For example, if you like to record quickly, whether taking notes to yourself or recording live for music production purposes, an iPhone is now better than a dedicated pocket recorder.
These devices must be turned on when needed, which means waiting for them to fire up while the sound you want to capture or the thought you want to remember fades away. As far as I know, there's only one hardware recorder with instant memo functionality, and that's Teenage Engineering's $1,500 TP-7 digital recorder. The iPhone 15 Pro can now do the same thing and do it with a dedicated audio app, and it's still cheaper!
Action buttons are also important for accessibility. For example, default action options include Magnifier, which turns the iPhone's camera into a zoomable magnifying glass, allowing old eyes to read any printed menus that still exist.
It might not sound as exciting as new camera features or the iPhone 15 Pro's titanium-coated straps, but the Action button could bring more daily changes to more people than any other new iPhone hardware feature this year. .
