After six months with my iPhone 16 Pro, Im still not convinced by the Action button

Date:
Sat, 10 May 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Description:
Im looking for a persuasive reason to use my iPhones Action button, but I havent found one yet.

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Last year, I finally upgraded from an iPhone 12 Pro to an iPhone 16 Pro , and to say it was a big step up would be an understatement. From the speedy performance and improved camera system to the Dynamic Island and super-smooth 120Hz display, Ive found a lot to love about the best iPhone money can buy in 2025.

Since getting an iPhone 16 Pro , one thing Ive really grown fond of is Camera Control . This built-in tool lets me quickly open the Camera app when time is of the essence, and I can even do it as Im taking my phone out of my pocket. Theres no need to look at the display or fumble with on-screen controls its just a quick, snappy way to start shooting.

Yet theres one new feature in my iPhone 16 Pro that I really havent taken to: the Action button . Simply put, Ive never found a compelling use case for it.

Part of my indifference towards the Action button comes down to how little time it might save me. Lots of the pre-defined options that Apple proposes like activating the flashlight and setting off Shazam are easy enough for me to get to in other ways, either via the Lock Screen or in the Control Center.

Likewise, Ive set my Focus modes to start up automatically, so I never really need to do so manually using the Action button. I dont use Visual
Intelligence or Voice Memos enough to warrant adding them instead. And Ive found nothing in Apples suggested list of controls, shortcuts, or accessibility features that Ive wanted to add to the button.

In the end, Ive spent most of my time with the Action button set up as a mute toggle, which is exactly what the feature replaced on my old iPhone 12 Pro . Shortcuts to success (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Part of the problem is that the thing Id really love to use the Action button for is incredibly fiddly (or downright impossible) right now.

For me, it would be great to use the side-mounted toggle for contextual shortcuts where, at a certain time of day or a specified location, the
Action button does one thing, and at another time or location, it does something else. I havent found a way to do that yet.

And while there are ways to have multiple shortcuts run when you press the button, setting them up is an involved, complex process. Id like to see a native option to do so from Apple, but that doesnt seem to be forthcoming, unless the company has something up its sleeve for the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this June.

Sure, maybe this is a me problem after all, my colleagues John-Anthony and Axel have found some excellent uses for the Action button involving
artificial intelligence and language translation . But neither of their
setups really appeals to me and my lifestyle. Right now, Im still looking for something to change my mind. Still searching (Image credit: Apple)

Perhaps the only thing that might convince me of the Action buttons utility
is Shazam like Camera Control, its something thats designed to be used quickly. But even so, adding it to the Action button is only likely to save
me a second or two compared to opening Shazam from the Control Center. Yes, identifying a song can be time-sensitive, but not quite as much as snapping a photo before the moments gone.

At the end of the day, Im fine with the Action button and my minimal use of it. After all, it doesnt get in the way or slow down my day-to-day life. Most of the time, I simply forget its there.

But it would be great to find a really convincing reason to use it that can revolutionize how I use my iPhone 16 Pro. If anyone can suggest one to me, Im all ears. You might also like I added AI to my iPhone 16 Pro Max's Action button and now I get the hype iOS 17.2 finally gives me a reason to use the iPhone 15 Pros Action button I just used the Action Button to take this photo and its a game-changer



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/after-six-months-with-my-iphone-16-pro-im-sti ll-not-convinced-by-the-action-button


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