HIGHLIGHTS
- It’s possible that Apple intends to include the Action button on every iPhone 16 model.
- The Action button was meant to be released alongside the haptic volume and power buttons
- Read below to know more about it.
The Action button was meant to be released alongside the haptic volume and power buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro, therefore designs and intentions for it go back at least to 2021. Unresolved technological concerns led to the sudden cancellation of the haptic volume and power buttons, while the Action button persisted and eventually found its way into the final mass production units of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
The Action button is a brand-new, user-configurable button that was unveiled with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. According to considerable evidence that MacRumors has seen, Apple intends to integrate the Action button with the full iPhone 16 range.
The mute switch that was formerly included on all iPhone models has been replaced by the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. The Action button on the iPhone offers consumers multiple functions, in contrast to the mute switch, which had just one use.
Why Action Button Matters
With the release of the iPhone 16 series, Apple intends to upgrade the Action button from a mechanical to a capacitive kind, adding even more functionality. The redesigned Action button, code-named Atlas, is anticipated to perform similarly to the Force Touch trackpad seen on more current MacBooks or the Touch ID Home button on older iPhone models.
Internal documents state that the redesigned Action button will include “tact-switching functionality,” though it’s not yet obvious exactly what that means. It will also have a force sensor, which measures pressure variations. The enhanced Action button’s capabilities will also be present in the new “Capture” button that is slated for the iPhone 16 series.
Similar to the iPhone 15 Pro, the Action button was present in even the earliest known drawings and prototypes of the iPhone 16 base model. Throughout several development phases and even hardware variants, the Action button has always been present.
Apple has also experimented with the Action button’s size, with some hardware configurations having an Action button that is bigger than the one on the iPhone 15 Pro right now and has a size more akin to the volume buttons. Several iPhone 16 prototype units have been observed to have the Action button, which is also present in internal paperwork concerning the new gadgets.
