iPhone Action Button Could Soon Be Merged With Camera Control

Apple is reportedly considering ditching the iPhone’s Action button entirely, moving the functionality to the other button nobody uses — the Camera Control.

That’s according to a post on the Weibo social network by the leaker Instant Digital. According to them, a single press of the combined button would open the Camera app, as usual.

But pressing and holding the button would invoke the Action button, allowing users to choose a shortcut or similar action to be triggered.

Such a move seems more likely than ever given the recent release of the iPhone Duo. Apple’s first foldable device doesn’t have an Action button, but does have a Camera Control. It seems most likely that Apple would seek to ensure that all iPhones eventually have the same buttons, so merging the functionality would make sense.

Long-pressing the Camera Control currently launches Visual Intelligence, but that feature is available as part of the new Siri option within the Camera app. This alone could mean that Apple would be able to repurpose the long-press gesture for something new — like the Action button.

The leaker claims that the change will come into effect with the launch of the late-2027 iPhones. That’s when Apple is expected to announce its 20th-anniversary iPhone, complete with a new design to mark the occasion.