Since 2007, all iPhone models have featured the traditional Ring/Silent switch to quickly toggle between hearing iPhone sounds and turning them completely off. At the Wonderlust event on September 12, Apple revealed this longstanding iPhone switch will be replaced with an action button on the iPhone 15 Pro.
Similar to the action button on the Apple Watch Ultra, the iPhone 15 Pro’s action button will act as a programmable button that can open an app, start a process, and more. This handy new button can carry out more than one task, so you won’t have to choose just one of the nine available options.
Everything you can do with the new action button
By default, the iPhone 15 Pro’s action button will still function as a Silent Mode toggle. This will help immensely with the transition from Apple’s long-standing Ring/Silent switch to this new action button. You’ll have to press and hold the action button to mute or unmute the phone’s ringer and alert sounds.
Simply pressing the action button once can start or stop recording a voice memo with the built-in Voice Memos app or launch the Camera app to quickly snap a photo. You can also use a single button press to access your most-used accessibility setting, like Live Speech, Assistive Touch, or Zoom.
Or, you can create your own custom Shortcuts to launch your favorite social media app, start a playlist, control a smart device in your home, or send a message — all with one press of the action button. With the Shortcuts feature, you can even run a unique command outside of simply opening an app.
Other things you can do with the iPhone 15 Pro action button include toggling your flashlight on or off, activating or deactivating a Focus mode when you’re trying to get some work done, use the Magnifier app to read the fine print, and launch the Translate app to quickly translate text or have a real-time conversation with someone in a different language than yours.
With every action button press, you’ll feel distinctive haptic feedback based on which task you’re currently carrying out with the button. You’ll also be able to spot visual cues toward the top of the iPhone in the Dynamic Island to ensure your intended action was executed correctly.
Although the action button is an awesome upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro, we’re more excited about the speedy 3nm A17 Bionic chip and the (hopefully) beefy battery life of the Pro and Pro Max models. If you can’t wait to get your hands on Apple’s new high-end phones, be sure to preorder the 15 Pro or Pro Max as soon as possible.
