The appearance of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max has undergone three major changes. The exterior is now titanium instead of stainless steel, lightning has given way to USB-C and there is now an action button on the device. But what exactly can you do with the latter?
For many Apple fans, it will take some getting used to. The mute slider that has been on the side of the device since the first iPhone is gone with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. It has been replaced by a new action button. WANT editor Jeroen Kraak explains exactly what you can do with it.
The action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
Although the action button appears for the first time on an iPhone, it is not entirely new. We already saw such a button on last year’s Apple Watch Ultra. Moreover, Samsung had such a button on the side before, but it was only aimed at the failed voice assistant Bixby.
By the way, on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, you can still use the action button to (un)mute your phone. You do this by holding that button down for a long time.
The beauty, however, is that you can also give the action button another function. Which feature you then conjure up is entirely up to you. And that is quite remarkable, since Apple’s ecosystem normally does not allow you to change features of the hardware yourself so easily.
Here’s how to change button function
There are two ways on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max to adjust the function of the action button. First, you can choose from eight default options. To do this, go to Settings > Action Button in iOS 17. Here there are eight default functions. Silent mode is pre-enabled, but you can additionally choose from the following seven options:
Focus mode
Camera
Flashlight
Voice memo
Magnifier and other accessibility options
Commands
Translate
But as mentioned, there is another option to change the function of the action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. To do so, head to the Commands app. The big advantage is that it allows you to give it any function you want. So the possibilities are endless. For example, you can use it to launch another app or add another function, such as taking a screenshot.
In addition, the action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max has even more functions when you use it in certain apps. For example, if you use the voice memo feature, you can also use the action button in that app to stop the memo. Then in the camera app, you use it again to take a picture.