The Good, the Bad, and the Unpleasant

I finally made the switch to the iPhone 16, and I picked the larger iPhone 16 Plus. After a few days with it, I have lots of thoughts about it as I adjust to the larger size. But I’ve been able to test the new Camera Control button, one of the highlights of the iPhone 16, and I’m equally excited and frustrated. Picture this: you’re out and about, and you need to snap a quick photo of something around you. You press the Camera Control button, but then you can’t take the picture using the hand you’re holding the iPhone 16 Plus with. That means you have to use your other hand to tap the screen and get the picture. So… what’s the point of the Camera Control button?

I’ll explain everything in greater detail, as there are several things to consider to better understand my experience. Ahead of Apple’s iPhone 16 launch, I said the new Camera Control was one of the best reasons to get an iPhone 16. The new button will launch the camera app faster than ever, and that’s something I want on the iPhone. I went as far as to say that I’d rather get an iPhone 16 Pro version if the regular models turned out to come without Capture buttons.

Several weeks later, we learned everything there was to know about the Camera Control. It’ll be useful for both taking photos and invoking the iPhone 16’s Visual Intelligence feature. I won’t get it Apple’s AI in Europe for quite some time, so I’ll stick to photos. Back to my scenario, I’m a left-handed iPhone user. That is, I hold my iPhone in my left pocket, and I hold it in my left hand when talking on the phone, reading stuff on the internet, or doom scrolling. This is the first problem. The Camera Control button is on the other side of the phone compared to where my left thumb sits. I now have to train my middle finger or ring finger to launch the camera using the Camera Control. So far, so good.

I can launch the camera and I can snap a quick photo in portrait mode. I’d do that when taking pics of flyers, products in stores, or while trying on clothes. These do not have to be high-quality photos where you spend time composing the shot. I just need fast results, and the Camera Control should work well for that. Not to mention that it’s great to launch the camera from anywhere on the phone, whether the screen is locked or you’re in an app.

The second problem is performing finer gestures. My hand is not yet trained to zoom in and out with the Camera Control slider, and I might accidentally do that while I attempt to press the button to take a photo. On the same note, I can’t really invoke the Camera Control menu intentionally, even if I want to zoom or change photo settings. I’d need to use the right hand for that. Then again, if I need to mess with camera settings to take a particular shot, I’d use both hands. I’d also take landscape photos more often in that scenario.

The final issue is the case. It’s a problem I didn’t see coming when I got it. The case has a cutout where the Camera Control button is rather than featuring a button like Apple’s Beats iPhone 16 camera case. As if it weren’t difficult to press and tap the Control Center with one hand, the plastic case makes it even more annoying. The cutout cuts into my skin, which makes taking photos harder than it needs to be. There are fixes here. I can invoke the camera with the button and then take photos with the thumb placed on one of the volume buttons. Replacing the case with one that doesn’t feature a cutout can be a solution. I still can’t consider going caseless, though wrapping the phone in a film/skin could be a solution. However, after a few days of using the handset, it already feels like I’m underutilizing the Camera Control. When I do get used to it, I might just rely on it to quickly turn on the camera and start snapping photos. I will probably still customize photo settings on the display most of the time.

An even more radical fix would be to turn the Action button into a Camera button and just forget that Camera Control exists at all. If needed, you can disable it later or assign it to a different camera app. But I won’t go that far. I’m still excited about having a dedicated camera button on the iPhone. What I can’t do is change how I hold the phone — cue in all the “holding it wrong” jokes. I’ll still use it with my left hand.