The introduction of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max has left Apple’s flagship smartphone model without the classic call mode switch that every iPhone model since its release in 2007 has had. In its place, you can now find an Action button – a programmable button whose task is now determined by the user.
Predictably enough, next year the regular iPhone 16 will also get the Action button, and a little later it will be available on the new iPhone SE in 2025.
However, according to MacRumors, Apple is not planning to stop with the current capabilities of this key.
The Action button appeared in the company’s plans two years ago. At that time, the manufacturer also planned to update all other keys on the smartphone, replacing standard mechanisms with “haptics”, as it was with the latest versions of Touch ID in previous iPhones and is still used in the trackpads of all MacBook laptop models. The technical difficulties of implementation, which almost at the last minute postponed this idea to the next generation of smartphones, got in the way.
However, the Action button was added to Pro models earlier this year. Currently, the company offers users a rather limited list of functions that can be selected for this button, although a creative approach with Shortcuts can significantly expand the standard list.
The following year, the key will change from a mechanical to a capacitive-type button. It will detect changes in pressure and have a “beat switching function.” What the latter means is still behind the scenes in Apple’s internal documentation, where the overall project is called Atlas. In general, the button may also change its name to the Capture button, while retaining all the current features.
The company also experimented with its size, which could reach the dimensions of the adjacent volume keys.
All of this is still under development and may not be included in the next models if engineers face further difficulties. But current plans still call for significant updates in the next iPhone models.
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