Apple was working on a new action button for the iPhone 16 Pro, but the phone will reportedly have to make do without that improvement. This is why.
Action button on the iPhone 16 Pro
With the iPhone 15 Pro (Max), Apple introduced the action button last year, which we previously saw on the Apple Watch Ultra. The button first came to the iPhone in 2023 and replaced the familiar one mute-switch. With the iPhone 15 you can decide for yourself which action is performed when you press the button. Previous rumors predicted a major improvement for the action button on the iPhone 16.
Also read: iPhone 15 Pro (Max): the action button gets many more tasks
Apple is working on a new design for the action button. Contrary to previous rumors, the iPhone 15 Pro does not have Haptic Touch. With this technique, the button only vibrates when you touch it, so you do not physically press the button. The feature was expected with the iPhone 16 Pro this year, but that does not seem to be happening now. Will the action button still receive improvements on the iPhone 16 Pro?
New plans for the action button
Apple tested different designs for the buttons on the iPhone 16 Pro. In any case, it seems almost certain that a new button will be introduced with the next iPhone, with the Capture button you can operate the camera more easily. Furthermore, Apple still seems to have doubts about the size of the volume button and the action button. Apple has reportedly already tested these designs:
- One volume button with a small action button;
- One volume button with a large action button and a new Capture button;
- Two volume buttons with a large action button and a Capture button;
- Two volume buttons with a small action button and a Capture button.
The various prototypes were released in this order. It now appears that Apple is once again bringing two volume buttons and a small action button to the iPhone 16 Pro. In two previous test models, the iPhone 16 Pro still had a large action button, comparable to the size of the volume button. With the latest prototype, Apple has again opted for a small action button.
Final design unclear
Apple will probably not make any major improvements to the action button of the iPhone 16 Pro (Max). The volume buttons also remain unchanged. The biggest difference will be with the Capture button, which only comes to the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple is introducing the action button with the ‘normal’ iPhone 16 (Plus), which will come to all devices this year.
Also read: iPhone 16 Pro models will be a lot bigger: we already know this
It is quite possible that Apple will decide to adjust the design later. The prototypes that have already been released are only test models. Apple is now trying out different designs, only later will the final design be chosen. The iPhone 16 Pro can therefore still get an improved action button compared to the iPhone 15. Read more about the differences between the iPhone 15 and 16 here!
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