Apple could merge the Action button with Camera Control on its 2027 iPhones, potentially leaving users with fewer buttons and more gestures. Shikhar Mehrotra / Digital Trends
Apple has been rather busy experimenting with buttons on its iPhones lately. It introduced the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro, and a year later, added Camera Control to the iPhone 16 lineup. But it seems the company is already considering retiring one of those additions, as it prepares something rather special for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary next year.
As Weibo tipster Instant Digital reports, Apple is planning to remove the dedicated Action button from new iPhones arriving in the second half of 2027. The plan is apparently to merge its functionality with Camera Control. A single press would open the camera, while holding it down would activate whatever function users have assigned to the Action button. The tipster also specifically clarified that it’s the Action button going away, while Camera Control will stay.
Fewer buttons, more responsibilities
On paper, having one less button sounds like a neat way of cleaning up the iPhone’s frame. However, there is the small matter of Camera Control already handling photography,
