Apple has been pretty busy experimenting with the buttons on its iPhones lately. It introduced the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and added camera controls to the iPhone 16 lineup a year later. However, it seems that the company is already thinking about discontinuing one of these additions as it prepares something very special for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary next year.
As Weibo tipster Instant Digital Apple reportedly plans to remove the dedicated action button from new iPhones launching in the second half of 2027. Apparently there are plans to merge their functionality with the camera control. Pressing it once opens the camera, while holding it down activates the function the user assigned to the action button. The tipster also specifically clarified that the action button is gone, but the camera controls remain.
Fewer buttons, more responsibilities
On paper, having one less button seems like a nice way to clean up the iPhone’s frame. However, there is the small matter that Camera Control already handles photography, video recording, camera settings and visual intelligence.
Considering how many different gestures and button presses are already involved, adding more features sounds like an invitation to confusion. Apple would also have to figure out what to do with the existing long press promotions that are already in use. Perhaps some of these features could be moved behind other gestures, although that would bring its own learning curve.
A button could be part of a much larger redesign
Samsung is already doing something similar with its Galaxy S26 Ultra. Pressing the side button twice will launch the camera. If you hold down the button, Gemini will be activated by default. The setup is quite practical and doesn’t require much getting used to. However, Apple’s rumored implementation offers many more features.
As for the anniversary iPhone, we’ve already heard rumors about solid-state controls and curved glass edges. Apple could even drop the iPhone 19 name for the iPhone 20, marking the 20th anniversary since the original iPhone was introduced in 2007.
Of course, we’ve heard a lot over the years about Apple experimenting with buttons over the years, and not all of those ideas made it into production. It would be interesting to see if this change is incorporated into the final design or remains just another concept.
