The Action button first introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro could get more powerful and expand to new devices next year. A new rumor today claims that all four iPhone 16 models will feature an Action button. Apple is also reportedly planning to add more functionality to the Action button and switch to a capacitive button design instead of a mechanical one.
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iPhone 16 rumors: A more powerful Action button
A switch to a solid-state button was rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro, but Apple reportedly scrapped those plans at the eleventh hour. In what seems to be a saga that will never end, it looks like the switch from mechanical to capacitive solid-state buttons is back in the cards for the iPhone 16 lineup next year.
Today’s report was published on MacRumors by someone associated with a somewhat popular leaks account from the iPhone 15 rumor cycle. The report emphasizes that the new details come from pre-production information and Apple’s plans could change. Again, that’s precisely what we saw happen last year.
According to the report, the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max will all feature the Action button instead of a physical mute switch. Currently, only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max use the Action button. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus still use the classic mute switch.
In addition to the Action button expanding to new iPhone models and switching to a capacitive design, Apple is also reportedly planning to make it more powerful. The story claims that the new Action button will “function similarly to the Touch ID Home button on older iPhone models, or the Force Touch trackpad found on more recent MacBooks.”
The new Action button will purportedly be able to detect “changes in pressure” thanks to a new force sensor. The report also mentions a “tact-switching functionality,” but says it’s “currently unclear” what that means.
There also aren’t any details on what additional functionality could be unlocked by the new capacitive design. Currently, the Action button can only be assigned to one function. It’s possible that a revamped version of the button could be assigned to multiple functions, linked to things like single-press, double-press, and long-press triggers.
Apple has also reportedly “experimented with different sizes for the Action button.” In pre-production testing, some iPhone 16 models have allegedly included an Action button that’s bigger than the iPhone 15 Pro’s and “more closely resembling the volume buttons in size.”
Learn more about the iPhone 16 Pro in our complete guide right here.
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