In defense of the iPhone Action Button

Apple’s announcement past week that the Action Button is present connected each of its iPhone 16 models, alternatively than conscionable the Pro exemplary that the fastener debuted connected past year, was a small overshadowed by the instauration of the Camera Control button — a capacitive, tactile fastener for launching and controlling the iPhone 16’s camera. But don’t fto that fool you: the Action Button is inactive 1 of the astir almighty features Apple has added to its phones successful years.

One precise evident usage of the fastener is to link it to the iPhone’s camera app, letting you property and clasp to unfastened the app, past property erstwhile much to instrumentality a picture. But does that mean the Camera Control fastener has made it obsolete? I don’t deliberation so.

By default, the Action Button serves arsenic a mute toggle — it did regenerate the mute switch, aft each — that you property and clasp to mute oregon unmute your phone. But too that and utilizing the camera, it tin bash truthful overmuch more. To statesman with, you tin acceptable it to bash elemental things (by utilizing Settings > Action Button), similar flick connected the flashlight (or the torch, if you like), acceptable a Focus Mode, oregon unfastened Apple’s Translate app. With iOS 18, Apple added the quality to representation it to a Control Center enactment oregon admit a opus with Shazam.

But you tin spell mode beyond simple. For me, it’s a mode to assistance maine usage my telephone less. I don’t mean walk less hours connected it — I mean it lets maine chopped retired each the extraneous swiping and tapping that I person to bash to transportation things retired connected my phone. It’s thing I’d been trying to fig retired done different means, similar adding Shortcuts to my homescreen, but the Action Button has been the missing portion of a puzzle I’d been piecing unneurotic for years.

Now I usage the fastener respective times a day: long-pressing it to get to an enactment that turns each the lights disconnected earlier I spell to bed; selecting aggregate AirPlay speakers astatine erstwhile successful an easy-to-use paper format that waits for maine to decorativeness choosing earlier it streams my audio to them; connecting to my AirPods erstwhile Apple’s auto-switching diagnostic (all excessively frequently) doesn’t enactment right.

I bash each of this by mapping the fastener to a customized Shortcut — Apple’s almighty automations app that comes included with each iPhone, iPad, and Mac. I usage a akin attack to erstwhile Verge reviews exertion Dan Seifert, who wrote astir the button past year. Long-pressing the fastener runs a Shortcut that brings up a paper of immoderate of the astir communal actions I instrumentality connected my phone. These options tin bash elemental things similar acceptable my telephone to soundless oregon unfastened the Find My app erstwhile I request to find my keys.

They besides trigger much analyzable actions. One of them brings up a speedy signifier to adhd an assignment to my calendar, alternatively than having to unfastened the calendar app to bash it. And erstwhile I pat “Play Podcasts,” it brings up a 2nd paper of each of the AirPlay targets successful my house. It’s cleanable for erstwhile I’m cleaning and I conscionable privation to rapidly get thing playing successful each room.

YouTuber Stephen Robles put unneurotic a video guide for creating a strategy similar this — and uploaded a template that you tin usage to get yourself started if you’d alternatively not statesman from scratch. That said, if you do privation to bash it yourself and don’t privation to beryllium done Robles’ guide, I’ve written up immoderate basal instructions astatine the bottommost of the page.

Listeners connection caller ways to usage the Action Button

In a caller Vergecast episode, David said that readers of The Verge “overwhelmingly” told him they bash not usage the Action Button. Not everybody is funny successful this benignant of streamlining, and that’s fine. But aft that episode, my radical — the nerds who emotion coming up with obtuse and clever ways to usage the Action Button — posted to societal media astir however they usage it.

Here are immoderate of my idiosyncratic favorites:

This idiosyncratic astir apt utilized the “Open App” Shortcuts enactment for this, and I’m afloat connected committee with that.

This person’s person tin conscionable long-press the Action Button with their telephone successful their pocket, and it volition automatically nonstop a bosom emoji to their girlfriend. All-time large use, particularly if you enactment a carnal occupation wherever your hands are ever soiled and you conscionable privation your important different to cognize you’re reasoning astir them.

This use, from a remark connected the YouTube upload of that Vergecast episode, takes vantage of the information that Shortcuts tin trigger antithetic actions based connected the predisposition of your phone. So this idiosyncratic made their Action Button a context-sensitive automation trigger. Fantastic.

It’s not that the Action Button is perfect. I inactive privation that Apple had added different options, similar the quality to transportation retired different tasks by double- oregon triple-tapping it. But arsenic it stands, the Action Button is the sleeper car of features — unassuming, yet much almighty than it seems astatine archetypal glance.

What I’ve written present lone scratches the surface. How bash you, beloved Verge reader, consciousness astir the Action Button, and however person you utilized it? Let america cognize successful the comments.