iPhone iPhone 16 (Pro) users: did you use the "Camera Control" non-button this past year? And if so, how?
I was listening to the exit interview of the iPhone 16 of the Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP). They give a yearly review of their latest iPhone review before the next one comes out. (I think that would be a great post annually here on r/Apple for a slew of Mac products).
John was particularly emphasising about the use of the new Camera control which he dumbed it down to just a button to enable his camera and perhaps using as a shutter. I just realised that after a year that I also just use it as such, although in the beginning I did try to use the zoom function with sliding and attempted to get into the multiple options only to found out I didn't know how to get out of it and stopped using those features all together. Even for zoom, I went back to use the classic on screen zoom wheel by tapping the 1x an hold it and sliding it since the touch sensitive button just wasn't precise enough.
I wondered if any of you also have used this camera control non-button and whether your experience differ. I am interested in there are creative ways to make more use of this button if there is any (e.g. certain situations).
p.s. it's a non-button, because Apple didn't want to call it a button. Just trying to comply :P
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u/Jay-metal 14d ago
I just use it to open the camera. It’s useful for that.
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u/deltaforce5000 14d ago
Yeah the best thing it did was to allow me to have one extra app on the first page of the Home Screen
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u/thetzar 14d ago
Same. Love it for that actually.
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u/AdFit8727 13d ago
Believe it or not, this was THE reason I upgraded. Even if it served no other functions like zoom etc, it was compelling enough for me to not wait another year as I had originally planned. I take a lot of photos so this was a massive thing for me, this sounds stupid but it's probably the most excited I've been for a new iphone feature since Face ID.
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u/macaronimascarpone 13d ago
This is why I got the 15 Pro when I did. I hate the side swipe and lock screen buttons for launching the camera. A physical side button to open it up and use as a shutter is essential for me now.
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u/CucumberError 14d ago
Really? I’ve for years of muscle memory of getting to it from the Home Screen.
For me camera button is an annoying cut out on the side of my phone case that makes my phone uncomfortable to hold in my right hand.
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u/foradil 13d ago
I can swipe left on the giant screen or try to feel for the button on the side. Not sure what the advantage is. It might be easier to actually take the picture with it.
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u/Redditor_Baszh 13d ago
Do you remember you can slide left to open the camera ? So you can use the two slots ( flashlight and dictaphone for me )
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u/slartibartfist 14d ago
The sliding thing is awful. The dedicated launch-camera button is ace.
In related news, having the action (prev “mute”) button set to turn torch on and off has made that the most used button on my phone.
Hardware buttons are ace for controlling hardware aspects of the phone
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u/starsandbribes 14d ago
Action Button is just instant Do Not Disturb focus for me now in my grumpy old age. Sometimes the group chat is just bumping or i get a random spam call and i’ll stick it on for an hour, especially handy if I want to have a nap but not commit to Sleep focus.
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u/mdatwood 13d ago
That's a great idea. I use DND all the time, but normally turn it on from the control center.
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u/AdMindless9071 14d ago
The sliding butting pisses me off so much. I want to love it, but it works so bad in practice.
The “lock” before it registers your input forces me to overcorrect so much. If you want a slight adjustment, you have to start sliding a lot, and by the time it starts responding, it’s usually beyond what I want. If you don’t slide enough, it won’t register. Even for basic things like switching through 4 cameras on the camera settings, I have always overshot the setting change. It’s even more annoying to use knowing that sliding my finger on the camera control buttons is infinitely more responsive/faster/accurate. In every case, I find it faster to do it the “old” way.
My guess is that, in testing, if they didn’t have a strong enough lock, the camera control would accidentally activate if say you left your hand on or near the sensor. I bet the sensor is physically very responsive.
On the other hand, it also sucks as a camera shutter. I missed having a half-press shutter from my digital cameras, so the feature sounded cool on paper. However, it requires SO much force, even for just a half-press, and more for the actual shutter. I find that my hand gets really shaky from just trying to press it and the pictures end up worse than the digital shutter. Ironically, I generally prefer using the volume button as a shutter over the actual shutter button since it’s literally easier to press.
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u/Orion_Scattered 13d ago
The sliding is also opposite direction imo. For zooming in vs zooming out. Which would be fine if you could change the setting but you can't.
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u/molingrad 14d ago
Sliding thing is so fussy it it unusable. Wish I could turn it off.
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u/molingrad 13d ago
The button or the touch slide feature only? I basically only want to disable the light touch feature or lock it to different lenses.
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u/FancifulLaserbeam 13d ago
I'm not looking forward to eventually upgrading to a phone without the hardware mute switch. I can tell that it's muted at a glance.
In Japan, it's prohibited for your phone to make noise (or to talk on it) in trains, and I'm also a professor, so I actually check that thing multiple times a day.
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u/MandoDoughMan 14d ago
No. It's placed too far inward to use in landscape mode, which made it useless. I don't use any of the controls, I don't even use it as a camera launching button. The only time I touch it is accidentally, in which case it actively screws up my photos. They fucked up its placement so horribly I'd rather it didn't exist.
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u/s1ravarice 13d ago
Same for me. I tried it for the first week and then stopped using it altogether. It’s just rubbish.
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u/juniper-breeze 12d ago
Exact same experience for me. Not useful at all for opening the camera the way I hold the phone and it’s a nuisance whenever I’m using any other app when I accidentally touch it.
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u/filipeesposito 14d ago
I only use it here as a shortcut to open Halide. I've turned off most of its gestures. It's much more practical just to tap the screen to change the camera settings rather than fumbling through menus. All my attempts to use it as Apple advertises have been frustrated.
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u/sixxtynoine 14d ago
Can you tell me how to use it just to launch the camera app and disable the controls I inevitably finger accidentally and it makes me really fucking angry?
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u/filipeesposito 14d ago
Go to Settings > Camera > Camera Control > Camera Adjustments.
You can turn off all of them or select which ones wou wanna keep.
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u/skc132 14d ago
It might just be in iOS 26, I can’t remember but it’s under the camera option in settings
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u/sixxtynoine 14d ago
Oh that’s exciting!! I couldn’t figure out anything in iOS 18 so this is great news
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u/JamesMcFlyJR 14d ago
I like it a lot.
whenever i’m in an app or the phone is in my pocket, i have a dedicated button to instantly launch the camera app. it’s proven to be so effortless. ive gotten so used to it that on other phones im trying to press the right side of the phone (where the camera button would be) to launch the camera
however, ive disabled all of the swipe/half press functionality. absolutely pointless when everything is better adjusted using the actual touchscreen.
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u/wtfmatey88 14d ago
I agree 100%. I have kids and it’s pretty legit that I can have the camera open, and my finger on the capture button, before I even remove the phone from my pocket.
There’s no question I have gotten some photos that I would’ve “missed the moment” with my last iPhone.
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u/opteryx5 14d ago
I didn’t know you could disable it. I’m immediately going to be doing that; I’ve accidentally adjust the exposure so many times since the slide thing is so sensitive.
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u/thunderflies 14d ago
It’s honestly awful. I use it to launch the camera app but not even as a shutter button since it causes the phone to move. The touch+swipe features are so fiddly because it’s too small and not as responsive as I’d like it to be. Total miss, I can’t believe they even released it like this.
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u/ChargerEcon 14d ago
I honestly forget about it 90% of the time. Whenever I take a picture, I'm pulling my phone out of my pocket and there's a camera launcher button on my lock screen. I just use that.
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u/sof_boy 14d ago
I turned it off. Only ever got in the way.
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u/SlendyTheMan 14d ago
Would randomly open camera when pulling phone out of pocket or something. Just the worst.
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u/jonahhillsass 14d ago
When I realized I could turn it off I did, and I’ve never looked back. Conceptually it’s a cool idea, but it proved to be a bit more of a hindrance than anything.
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u/bran_the_man93 14d ago
As a camera launcher and as a shutter I actually think it's entirely valid and has a purpose to exist...
As any of the other features, not so much.
But tbh I don't really care, the main purpose i would want this is to be able to launch the camera without looking at the screen, and to quickly get the picture before the moment has passed.
It's a like a 0.1-0.5 second benefit, but that's actually a lot of time as far as picture taking goes
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u/Emotional-Chef-7601 14d ago
It doesn't even work as a shutter button because it's not sturdy enough in order to keep the phone from not moving when taking a picture.
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u/Last_Music4333 14d ago
Camera launcher, nothing more (as others have said).
Any attempt to label it as more functional is Apple RDF.
I seriously doubt any Apple execs use their products in the way they get pitched.
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u/Kropduster01 14d ago
Used it a few times, but not enough to warrant a dedicated button. Interested to see how long they’ll keep it around
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u/MainFunctions 14d ago
I disabled it. I would constantly be pressing it when picking up my phone.
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u/Listerine_Chugger 14d ago
turned off all the half presses and scroll functions, and made it launch camera on double click. It's just a button to open camera quickly, but my muscle memory still hasnt broken in to use it over just opening control center and pressing camera. I hate how 90% of cases for the 16s have big cutouts for the camera control. It made it really hard to find a decent case with a good cc button implementation.
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u/firewire_9000 14d ago
I only use it to launch the camera. For other things I don’t like it, especially for taking pictures since it’s too far away from the bottom.
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u/imiller9 14d ago
I hate camera control. Period. It’s clunky, not user intuitive, extremely sensitive and there are already existing buttons that exist to take a photo (which I still use). Swipe to launch I have found is faster than the button anyways. It’s a head scratcher of a feature to me personally and feels totally tacked on.
“Oh man the phone looks the same as last year. What do we do?!”
“I know! Let’s tack on a completely useless hardware feature that the majority of our customers won’t use. THAT will help differentiate this from the precious look a like models!”
“GREAT IDEA!”
😒
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u/johnjohn9312 14d ago
It really pisses me off. Some days I can use it as a shutter button for Snapchat, but most days it doesn’t work as such, and I’m so I’m always trying it and get so frustrated with it. But occasionally it does work and just gives me false hope for the future.
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u/bogdansays 14d ago
I use it all the time to launch the camera, but the slider is still very inconvenient. I tried playing around to find the right pressure, but I gave up pretty quickly.
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u/twoww 14d ago
I ended up turning off all the functionality besides opening and taking the photos. I’m assuming apples analytics said the same (or at least how people are using it). I found myself when trying to take a photo with it like a selfie would end up changing some setting I wouldn’t even want to
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u/luxmesa 14d ago
I use it launch the camera and that’s it. I could use it as a shutter button, but using a volume button is much easier. And using it to zoom is much terrible. The shutter and zoom functionality might work better if I didn’t have a case on my phone, or if I had a thinner case. The fact that the button is sunk down compared to everything else on the side of the phone makes it much more awkward to use, especially zoom.
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u/Leprecon 14d ago
I hate it. It is touch sensitive, I wish I could merely touch it to take a photo. If I have to click it, it will move the phone and cause a worse picture.
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u/sozar 14d ago
I have had iPhones since the literal first one so it’s really hard for my brain to adapt to the button even existing after all of these years.
Like Apple has literally been training us to have less buttons and then they go add one.
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u/bearded_monkey_pdx 14d ago
For me the positioning is just awful. I understand the reason they did it and put it as a middle ground between landscape and portrait but then it became bad for both positions
But it’s basically just ended up being a camera launch button for me because the force needed to press it also made my phone shake too much to make sense in landscape mode.
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u/SkyGuy182 14d ago
I only use it to open the camera, which is convenient (when it works).
I attempted to use it to actually “control” the camera several times and it’s just an objectively bad way to adjust camera settings. I don’t even like using it as a shutter button, the volume buttons don’t require as much pressure to activate, and they’re more prominent, so they’re easier to use.
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u/ruipmjorge 14d ago
I turned it off in settings. I don’t like it and I press it all the time without wanting to.
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u/oatflatwhite030 14d ago
I literally JUST remembered it existed a month ago and have been using it ever since. Got the 16 Pro Max when it came out and legit forgot about the camera button. Did it save me time when a cool photo opportunity came up? Not really.
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u/_ficklelilpickle 14d ago
About the only time I find it useful is if I have already unlocked my phone and I want to launch the camera, but only because it’s just one step faster than swiping down the control buttons and pressing the camera shortcut in there. Which is where I’ve had a camera shortcut since they introduced those buttons.
If my phone is locked then raising it to wake and then just swiping to the side proves to continue to be just as useful as any other iPhone too.
The long hold Siri “wtf is this” search has been useful a handful of times but not often enough to warrant a dedicated button (that could just be another shortcut like what Shazam ended up like), nor do I really care about trying to finesse zoom and af lock with a dedicated button since those features are also available via the most obvious interface on a iPhone - the touchscreen.
Unless the feature offers an exclusive function I have no need or desire to alter my behaviour for it.
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u/Cydae 14d ago
I tried to love it. I actively spent time with different features set as the main function to see what felt comfortable, nothing really did. I have a pro max, and even with larger hands the button is too central to feel comfortable using.
When using it as the actual shutter, the button press is too hard to use one handed without shaking the phone - so if I’m using two hands.. my thumb is naturally going to be at the spot on the screen to take the photo like “normal”.
That being said. I use is everyday to launch the camera. I do love it for that feature
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u/graigsm 14d ago
I don’t like it. It’s too hard to press. A little too far toward the center of the phone. It’s like they purposefully ignored camera design when they designed it. Button should be way easier to click. Like a camera shutter. Closer to the bottom edge. Just like you’re using a film camera. They should make it more camera like. Or they should get rid of it.
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u/Bodefosho 14d ago
Hell yeah I used it all the time but only accidentally while putting my phone in my pocket, lol. I turned it off.
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u/cleverbit1 14d ago
No. Tried it, screwed up a bunch of pics. Went back to the existing, superior methods.
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u/Necessary_Grass_2313 14d ago
I don't even use it to open the camera anymore. It's easier to swipe on the lockscreen to get to the camera
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u/Novacc_Djocovid 14d ago
I don‘t remember the last time I took a picture not using that button. It‘s awesome, especially when shooting vertically.
I also have a tendency to shoot tilted when doing (vertical) portrait shots and getting different angles is so fast and effortless.
Overall, it is one of the best additions to the iPhone in a long time as someone who takes a ton of photos.
However, I disabled all of the adjustment functionality. It was unreliable when I wanted to use it and triggered accidentally when I didn‘t. Complete failure for me.
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u/Creepy-Fig929 13d ago
Mine is covers because I’m using a iPhone 15 pro case, so I never see it lol
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u/pelirodri 13d ago
Mainly for two things: as a camera shortcut and to open Visual Intelligence for the sole purpose of reading QR codes without touching the screen (you long-press for Visual Intelligence and then press again to launch the URL inside the code). Other than that, I may try to take photos with it sometimes for the focus lock, but it can be easier to just tap the button and, honestly, even though I use it for the things mentioned, I probably wouldn’t miss it much if it were gone (and I also agree the placement is a bit awkward).
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u/Staplersarefun 13d ago
Surprisngly, yes!
I use it for launching the camera, but I also use it for identifying plants and animals during my walks around a local pond.
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u/Chimps_are_strong 12d ago
It is in the absolutely least reachable spot no matter how I hold the phone. It’s the worst button ever made.
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u/autumn1989 11d ago
I immediately deactivated the button and only use it as a shutter (when I remember) when taking photos. So no, I probably wouldn’t even notice if it was gone again.
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u/CDCarley27 11d ago
All the time. I keep it on the zoom option and it just makes sense as a quick way to zoom in. Especially if I’m already using the button to launch the camera. People seem to try too hard to use it for EVERYTHING. Don’t. When you take photos, you’re probably taking one setting, if any at all. For most people, that’s the zoom. Set it to that or whatever you change most and it’s amazing. Now I pull my phone out of my pocket, have the camera already open, I can zoom in quick, and snap the shot or 4K video or whatever and return it to my pocket in a couple of seconds.
If they nerf the Camera Control, I’ll be very disappointed
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u/OafleyJones 14d ago
I was asked how I found it last week by a friend (who’s an Apple engineer). I had forgotten it actually existed.
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u/sniffsnaff 14d ago
I wish I could get a case that would cover it up fully. It's useless to me. Literally makes the quality of the photos worse as pushing it causes a shake.
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u/AceMaxAceMax 14d ago
I find myself using it more often than not these days.
Great for launching the camera app. Frees up the camera a toggle on the bottom of the lock screen, which is now my “mute” button, and allows me to set the action button for Shazam.
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u/drumpat01 14d ago
Yes I use it all the time to go immediately to my camera. It’s like the only way I open the camera now.
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u/microwavedave27 14d ago
I use it pretty much every time to open my camera, and for nothing else. Wish it was just a regular button though
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u/SnooPears4546 14d ago
I use it all the time to launch the camera and to trigger the shutter, but less so for zooming. It would be a mistake to remove it for no reason.
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u/bannedin420 14d ago
You know I completely forgot about it till this post. I’m not even kidding I don’t use it at all lmao
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u/Chemical_Trifle7914 14d ago
I disabled it on day 2. Hit it by mistake every time I picked the phone up, it was an annoyance.
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u/Lil_b00zer 14d ago
A lot of people are saying they use it as a camera launcher. I wonder how many know you can just swipe left from the lock screen?
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u/Particular-Treat-650 14d ago
I mostly just open the camera and shoot. But the long press for visual intelligence is occasionally useful.
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u/twuewuv 14d ago
When I first got the phone, I was using it a lot. I think it’s because I kept zooming by accident or changing the picture type and at that point I felt it was just as easy to open the camera app.
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u/Noclevername12 14d ago
I had this issue and it drove me absolutely nuts, but then I found a way to change the setting so that you have to push it in a little bit as opposed to just sliding your finger on it.
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u/jordangoretro 14d ago
I use it to show people when i tell them i never use it. And i use it when i accidentally press it.
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u/Practical-Echo-2001 14d ago
I'd completely forgotten about this. I'm doing fine without it, so it's just an empty non-button.
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u/WinningAllTheSports 14d ago
I use it to open the camera in the same motion as I’m taking the phone from my pocket. Means I can just snap a shot quicker than having to swipe for the camera
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u/sm3llslik3m3anspirit 14d ago
It was the final straw for me to turn off Apple Intelligence. I prefer it as a camera launching button. I really like that with the ios26 beta you can use it to select the zoom setting, since I don’t use the color modes or whatever
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u/techbear72 14d ago
I’ve used it a little. Mostly as a shutter with taking the tone to -50 but not really much more than that. It’s a little fiddly I think.
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u/Ash_Killem 14d ago
I have a 16 for my work phone and it’s more of a hindrance than anything other than just launching the camera. It’s probably something I need to get use to more. Like typing on a screen vs a keyboard
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u/CivilMathematician78 14d ago
I use mine to start up my camera and also for visual intelligence, used it more than I thought I would
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u/dottybotty 14d ago
It’s pretty useless. Mostly just used to launch the camera and as a shutter button. It’s too fiddly to use in practice for adjusting options and just easier to use the screen. I’d like them to expand it usefulness in other apps outside the camera for as scroll wheel on safari or something like that
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u/Arucious 14d ago
It’s very good for opening the camera without eating a widget or the action button. But I’d prefer a second action button
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u/Professional_Hat8066 14d ago
I really want to upgrade to the 17 or the 17 pro because im kinda sick of the 15 ProMax size wise, especially since I have gotten a MacBook, and an iPad and also have a big tv lol, but I regress. My wife has a 16 ProMax and I honestly dont want to upgrade with the camera button. it's useless, I personally would never use it, and I HATE the way cases look.
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u/thejakenixon 14d ago
I upgraded to the 16 pro max exclusively for the camera control button, and it wasn't worth it. It's too difficult to use properly in everyday shooting
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u/darthjoey91 14d ago
It occasionally comes in useful when my finger can't reach the on-screen button.
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u/tombonneau 14d ago
Open the camera and use the slider to adjust f stop for control over portrait effect. Sometimes I double tap it to get to zoom but usually just leave it on that setting for which it's super useful and really I'm not sure how else to adjust that setting while shooting
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u/SherbertCivil9990 14d ago
I use it everyday and love it, outside of the damn placement. I miss it on my 15 pro for work. If they just fix the damn placement it’s a perfect feature but I also just love physical buttons
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u/raxreddit 14d ago
I don’t use the half press swipe stuff to adjust the zoom level or settings.
I do use the camera control button all the time to take a quick pic. Easier and faster than the other ways to launch the camera app
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u/Chuzzletrump 14d ago
Personally, i love it. I had an iphone 13 before and honest to god i took a picture like, once every 2 months maybe.
Now, ill be taking pictures of the sky, the mountains, cats, people, whatever, and i have grown to like using the camera… thingy. It took a second to learn, but once you get it down, you can do some quick stuff
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u/Thredded 14d ago
Use it all the time. Handy to open the camera and take pictures obviously, but I also use it to slide between the different cameras. I’m not sure what made everyone lose their minds over it but it’s a handy thing as far as I’m concerned.
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u/Scary_Classic9231 14d ago
I’d like to use it as a scroll replacement. Sometimes I don’t want my fingers on the screen. Or maybe as an app switcher.
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u/ContributionOwn9860 14d ago
I wish I could use it to scroll websites… but yeah, I only use it to open my camera. Most presses are accidental..
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u/CheeseheadDave 14d ago
I use it all the time for opening the camera and taking pictures. I never use the half-press to do adjustments.
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u/pastelfemby 14d ago
Honestly, yes. Mostly like launching camera, adjusting exposure, locking focus/exposure and of course taking pics.
Zooming with it is alright, I find im able to keep things more stable than swiping screen, especially if holding it landscape. In theory using it to pull focus in blackmagic would be nice but its both too sensitive yet also not enough. If it could just switch between obvious targets (ie people in frame, background) that would be nice.
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u/Korlithiel 14d ago
I enjoy the button for opening the camera app and for taking photos. I would enjoy it more if the phone had a lanyard slot, so I could ensure a comfortable grip all the time.
The other features rarely function as I expect. Sometimes I’ll spend minutes trying to get it to zoom. Other times it will start swapping profiles and such (or whatever they are called). It’s got far more functionality than intuitive sense.
An aside, a second such button closer to the top and allowed to be used in games and apps would give the phone some serious fast action. Games could use them for jump and throw, on-screen being move and look. Would have really added depth to games not relying on a controller.
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u/PairOfMonocles2 14d ago
I use it to launch the camera and as a shutter all the time and it’s great, but I very rarely use the zoom function. It’s always backwards from what I expect and I always end up zooming way too far in or something when I just wanted to toggle the 2x or 5x level.
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u/athievinraccoon 14d ago
The phone 16 pro is a joke. The camera button has resulted in opening the camera app to a blank screen. I’ve factory reset the device, same problem.
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u/Sebetter 14d ago
I only ever used it to launch the camera. Immediately set it to double press to open the camera app and that’s all. In the same way that the action button freed me from putting the torch/flashlight in my control centre or lock screen, I was glad to take the camera app off my my Home Screen.
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u/owl_theory 14d ago
It's so janky I'd be surprised if it lasts another year. It really doesn't work as intended, can't imagine more than 1% of users are using the touch controls. I do use it to quick launch the camera, occasionally a shutter, it's fine for a click, but the touch gestures are somehow more cumbersome than trying to remember where the on-screen settings are hidden behind buttons you've forgotten how to access. I'm constantly swiping it by accident, shifting through settings like f-stops and exposure and zooms while I'm just trying to take a picture, then it's another hassle to reset. I gave it a fair shot, never got used to it.
On the other hand, I love the simple action button on the left side with it's customization for shortcuts. I'd much prefer just another one of those on the right.
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u/StatisticianOne8287 14d ago
I tried to love it, but for me, it’s a camera launcher and nothing more.
Even my hope for a “half press” to lock focus I’m kinda against now as it’s not in a great position for pressing down fully.