Report: iPhone 16 Camera Button Enables Zooming and Focus Adjustment Through Swipe

A new report from The Information today sheds more light on the rumored capture button for the iPhone 16 lineup. According to the report, the capture button will be able to respond to both touch and pressure, allowing users to “zoom in and out by swiping left and right on it.”

Apple currently plans to bring the capture to the entire iPhone 16 lineup, the report says. The button is said to be mechanical rather than solid state, so it will actually move when it is pressed. This is similar to the other buttons currently on the iPhone. Even with the mechanical design, however, the surface of the capture button will respond to touch input, which is what will enable you to zoom in and out. The button will also respond to pressure, the report says. Users will be able to “bring images into focus by pressing it lightly and activate the shutter by pressing more firmly on the button.” The report also adds that there are “no other planned cosmetic changes that would distinguish the iPhone 16 from the previous model.” The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, however, are rumored to get slightly bigger than their predecessors. Finally, today’s report says that Apple’s plans to switch to capacitive buttons on the iPhone 15 were scrapped due to “quality challenges and because the haptic vibrations themselves didn’t meet its standards.”