How to use the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
Available only in the iPhone 15 Pro range, the new Action button gives smartphone users and additional physical control for some commonly used actions to help them get things done. You can even configure the button to call up your Shortcuts library so you can access even more tools.
How to use the Action Button
By default, when you press the Action button, you’ll switch your iPhone Pro between ring and silent modes, but you can also choose to give that button another function.
If you choose to do so, you’ll make that third function active by pressing and holding the button until you ‘feel’ some haptic feedback and see some visual cues in the Dynamic Island.
When you flick between the choices, you’ll see an image of the Action button on the side of an iPhone appear on the display alongside faded icons to show the function.
You can then swipe between the different options, which include:
- Silent mode.
- Camera.
- Focus.
- Flashlight.
- Magnifier.
- Shortcuts.
- Camera.
- Translate will come to the Action button “later this year”, the company said.
You can choose which of these appear using the menu you’ll find in Settings. Those cues will tell you which action you are about to invoke. They do so by cycling through the available actions until you choose one by letting go.
Apple explains it like this:
“The all-new Action button replaces the single-function switch used to toggle between ring and silent, offering additional options so users can choose between quickly accessing the camera or flashlight; activating Voice Memos, Focus modes, Translate, and accessibility features like Magnifier; or using Shortcuts for more options.”
Of course, when used alongside the 2020 introduced BackTap feature available in Accessibility and Siri, it can be hoped that just about every task you regularly do with your iPhone can now be done through simply speaking with or tapping the device with no greater interaction required. (The caveat here is I am not yet certain if BackTap continues to work on these iPhones.
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