How to use the camera control button for the new iPhone 16

The new camera control button on the iPhone 16/16 Pro is as polarizing as politics. Some people like that. They think this makes it easier to shoot on the go instead of unlocking your iPhone with Face ID and launching the Camera app. The button also provides quick access to visual intelligence in Latest version iOS 18 Update and can serve as an accessibility tool for people with mobility difficulties.

Other people hate the camera control button enough to call it the worst feature Apple has ever added to an iPhone. That’s way cruel, Tybut you can understand the point once you start using the camera control button yourself. The button is located on the lower bottom half of the iPhone, so you’ll have to carefully balance the device with your index finger and thumb while pressing down to take a photo. If you don’t have the mechanism on your wrist, it causes the phone to shake a bit — the complete opposite of how you want your phone to move when trying to take a photo. Apple has algorithms that help overcome some of the shake caused by controlling the camera, but there’s still some cognitive dissonance. How am I supposed to believe that the photo I took was stable when I feel my iPhone shaking while doing so?

If you’re new to the iPhone 16/16 Pro, you’re probably wondering what the benefit of a button that no one asked for is. My job is to give you instructions after using the product myself, so that you can at least benefit from a function that no one else claimed. As I said, the camera control button is useful for taking photos quickly. But it can do some other things if you decide that the old way of taking photos on the iPhone still suits you better than this new thing.

Tap to shoot

The camera control button on the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro is a physical button that contains the DNA of the MacBook trackpad. Press it firmly, as you would the power or volume buttons, or press down gently for a soft press. The button area is capacitive, so you can control the interface by moving your finger.

Double tap the camera control button to bring up the camera lens on the iPhone. You can Press again Take a photo or long press to start recording a video. If you don’t press down at all, by default you can use the camera control button to zoom in and out between the camera lenses, including that 5x telephoto one that Apple has listed for both lens sizes. iPhone 16 Pro. You can click lightly on Camera control Double button to cycle through other settings, including exposure, depth, and new iPhone 16 photography modes.

The smooth push and slide mechanism was very confusing at first. It took some time to understand what a soft press on the camera control button meant and to recognize the iOS interface animation when it was activated. I have an easier time using the phone’s sliding mechanism if I’m holding it with my other hand.

If you update to iOS 18.2Apple lets you control exposure and focus lock using the camera control slider. that it Easy to set up In the Settings app, though you’ll need to do all of that before taking the photo.

Customize the camera control button

I am an Android user Most of the timeMy favorite shortcut for accessing the Camera app is to double-tap the power button. To that end, I didn’t mind that the camera control button required a double press before being activated as well. But I chose the faster shortcut to launch it after one click. Apple lets you do this from Settings. under Camera controlTap to choose between one or two taps to launch the camera.

The camera control can also be modified or used as a button Accessibility tool For people with accessibility needs. under Settings > Accessibility > Camera controlYou can adjust the strength of soft and hard pressing of the button and even specify how hard to press.

You don’t even have to use it

You don’t have to use Camera control Button to launch the iPhone camera app. If you dig back into the iOS Settings panel, under Camera Control Settings, you can program it to launch something else despite the limited options. You can choose between a built-in QR code scanner, a magnifier to realistically enlarge small text, or any third-party apps that have implemented the new hardware. You can also turn off the camera control button completely if it’s interfering with the rest of your iPhone experience.