The iPhone's Camera Control could be the new MacBook Touch Bar, according to sketchy rumor that says iPhone 18 will drop it

Date:
Wed, 20 Aug 2025 10:06:27 +0000

Description:
The iPhone 17 series might be the last phones with a Camera Control button according to one source, but we have our doubts.

FULL STORY ======================================================================The iPhone 17 series could be the last phones with a Camera Control button This
is apparently because Apple has found that people aren't using it much But
the source doesn't have much of a track record, and there are other reasons
to doubt this claim too

Its fair to say that responses to the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 series have been mixed. While some users are unconvinced by this addition to the iPhone , others have found a lot to love about the Camera Control button
. But if youre in the latter camp youll be disappointed to hear that its days might be numbered.

According to Weibo poster OvO Baby Sauce OvO (via GSMArena ), the iPhone 17 series might be the last phones with this button, as Apple has apparently
told its suppliers it will no longer order Camera Control button parts.

This is apparently because Apple has found that iPhone owners arent using the button much, and that by removing this key, the company can cut some costs which could be especially beneficial in this new age of tariffs.

Still, Im unconvinced. Its hard to get a sense for how many people actually use the Camera Control button much, with social media suggesting its a real mix of lovers and haters , but even if not many people are using it, we doubt Apple would give up on it so fast.

Even the much-maligned MacBook Touch Bar lasted five years before Apple ditched it, and its clear that some people do like the Camera Control. More than just camera controls Visual Intelligence identifying a dog (Image
credit: Apple)

Plus, the Camera Control button does more than that name suggests its also the gateway to Visual Intelligence, which is one of Apples headline AI features. Now, there are other ways to access this, but theyre less
immediate, or require you toggling it to the Action button, which then means you cant use that for something else.

Right now, Visual Intelligence itself might not seem a big deal to most people, but thats in large part because Apple Intelligence lags behind rival AI services. If and when it starts to catch up, Visual Intelligence could be something youd reach for often, as it lets you use AI to learn about or translate whatever youre looking at.

So it seems unlikely that Apple would make such a major feature less easily accessible it would be like admitting not only that these camera controls arent that useful, but that Visual Intelligence isnt either.

I cant see Apple doing that, and its worth noting that the source making this claim also doesnt have much of a track record. So until the same claim is
made by someone like Mark Gurman who has a history of accurately leaking Apple information you should probably file this under unlikely. You might also like The iPhone 17e could get these 3 upgrades, according to new leak including the super-useful Dynamic Island The iPhone 17 Air almost makes the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge look thick in new dummy unit photos The iPhone 17 Pro could cost $50 more than its predecessor heres what that might mean for
other configurations



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/the-iphones-camera-control-could-be-th e-new-macbook-touch-bar-according-to-sketchy-rumor-that-says-iphone-18-will-dr op-it


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