The Action Button only replaced the iPhone’s mute switch three years ago, and it may already be on its way out. As UNILAD Tech reported, Apple is rumored to be removing the button from future iPhones, and a lot of owners are not happy about it.
The rumor first surfaced on MacRumors on November 6, citing a leaker on the Chinese social network Weibo. The claim is that Apple won’t replace the Action Button with anything new. Instead, its job would move to Camera Control, the touch-sensitive button that arrived on the iPhone 16. Here’s how that would work, which iPhones it would affect, and how much weight to give this leak.
The short version
- The rumor comes from Weibo leaker Instant Digital, first reported by MacRumors on November 6, 2026.
- It targets iPhones launching in the second half of 2027, Apple’s 20th anniversary year. Not the base iPhone 18 due next spring.
- The Action Button’s shortcuts would move to a long press on Camera Control.
- The iPhone Duo already works this way, with Camera Control and no Action Button.
- It’s a single, unconfirmed source with a mixed track record. Apple hasn’t commented.
How the merged button would work
Right now, iPhones with both buttons split the jobs. The Action Button runs whatever you assign it, and Camera Control opens the camera and controls zoom, exposure and other settings with a slide or light press. A long press on Camera Control currently launches Visual Intelligence, Apple’s point-and-ask AI feature.
Under the rumored design, a single press on Camera Control would still open the Camera app. A long press would trigger whatever you’d normally put on the Action Button, like Silent mode, the flashlight, a Focus or a Shortcut.
| Action | iPhone 18 Pro today | Rumored 2027 iPhone |
|---|---|---|
| Silent mode, flashlight, Shortcuts | Press the Action Button | Long press Camera Control |
| Open the camera | Press Camera Control | Press Camera Control |
| Visual Intelligence | Long press Camera Control | Inside the Camera app (Siri mode in iOS 27) |
| Buttons on the left side | Action Button plus volume | Volume only |
That Visual Intelligence change is what makes the rumor plausible. MacRumors points out that iOS 27 already builds Visual Intelligence into the Camera app through a “Siri mode.” If that feature no longer needs its own gesture, the long press on Camera Control becomes free for something else.
The iPhone Duo already did this
There’s a real-world preview. Apple’s first foldable, the iPhone Duo, launched in October with Camera Control and no Action Button at all. Reports say Apple is even testing a version of the Duo setup for future models. If you want to see how the Duo compares to Apple’s regular flagship, we covered that in our iPhone Duo vs iPhone 18 Pro breakdown.
Dropping a button also saves internal space and simplifies the frame, which matters more on thin and folding phones. That logic is easy to follow. Whether people will accept it is a different question.
A short history of the Action Button
The Action Button has had a quick rise. It started on the Apple Watch Ultra, then spread across the iPhone lineup in about two years.
From Apple Watch to (maybe) nothing
Key moments for Apple’s side buttons
SEPTEMBER 2022
The Action Button debuts on the Apple Watch Ultra.
APRIL 2023
Reports say Apple has shelved solid-state buttons, code-named Project Bongo, for the iPhone 15 Pro.
SEPTEMBER 2023
The iPhone 15 Pro replaces the Ring/Silent switch with the Action Button.
SEPTEMBER 2024
Every iPhone 16 gets the Action Button, and Camera Control debuts.
OCTOBER 2026
The iPhone Duo ships with Camera Control and no Action Button.
SECOND HALF OF 2027
The rumored end of the Action Button on new iPhones.
Do people actually use it?
This is the heart of the backlash. Reactions on Reddit, quoted by UNILAD Tech, were mostly negative. One former Android user called it “one of my favorite features.” Another uses it as a quick menu for hearing aids, silent mode and a personal hotspot. A third argued that “almost everybody uses this button for something. Almost nobody uses the camera control button for anything.”
The polling tells a more mixed story. Neither survey below is scientific, but both suggest a big chunk of owners barely touch the button.
How people use the Action Button
TidBITS reader poll, September 2024
As a mute switch 33%
To open the camera 21%
Don’t use it 20%
How useful owners find it
MacRumors social poll, about 7,000 responses, April 2024
Often forget it’s there 50.6%
Use it occasionally 26.8%
A “game changer” 12.6%
Notice that the most popular use, a mute switch, is exactly what the old Ring/Silent switch already did. That supports Apple’s possible thinking: if most people just use it to silence the phone, a long press elsewhere could cover it. Fans of custom Shortcuts would lose the most, since a long press is slower than a dedicated button.
How reliable is this rumor?
Treat it with caution. It comes from one source, Instant Digital, and that leaker has missed before. They previously claimed Apple would strip the capacitive touch layer out of Camera Control on the iPhone 18, and that didn’t happen. Outlets disagree on which models would be affected, too. Some say only the 2027 Pro models, others say the 20th anniversary iPhone specifically, and nobody knows yet what those phones will be called.
Why it could be true
The iPhone Duo already does it, and iOS 27 frees up the long press gesture on Camera Control.
Why to stay skeptical
One Weibo source, a recent miss on Camera Control, and conflicting claims about which models.
What it means if you’re buying an iPhone soon
Nothing changes for the iPhones you can buy today. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, the Pro Max at $1,299, and the iPhone Duo at $1,999, and all of them keep their current buttons. The base iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e are expected in spring 2027 with the A20 chip, and nothing in this rumor points at them. Pricing for those is still unclear, especially with Apple’s CEO warning about “unprecedented” memory costs.
Make the most of your Action Button now
Go to Settings > Action Button and swipe through the options. Choosing Shortcut lets you run a custom menu of several actions from one press, which is how power users get the most out of it. If you never use it at all, that’s a sign you probably won’t miss it.
The takeaway
Apple dropping the Action Button is a real possibility, not a done deal. The idea has some logic behind it, since the iPhone Duo already works this way and iOS 27 makes room for the change. But it rests on a single leaker with a mixed record, and any change is about a year away. If the Action Button is part of your daily routine, it’s worth making some noise now. Apple has reversed button decisions before.
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