The iPhone 16 camera button might serve more than just a shutter function

Another outlet has claimed that the iPhone 16 will have a physical camera shutter button. You can apparently make zoom adjustments by swiping the button too.

We heard last month that Apple was planning to bring a camera or capture button to the iPhone 16 range. Now, another outlet has corroborated these claims while shedding more light on this feature. The Information reports that Apple is indeed planning to add a camera shutter button to the upcoming iPhones, citing two people familiar with the development. This will be a physical button rather than a capacitive key and will be situated on the lower right-hand side of the devices. The iPhone 16 camera button is said to be sensitive to both pressure and touch. And this will purportedly enable a couple of extra features.

A new way to control camera zoom

For one, it’s said that lightly pressing the button will allow you to focus, while a firm press will let you capture an image or start recording. This isn’t new as the few phones on the market with a physical camera button tend to follow this formula (half-press to focus, full-press to capture). The best part, however, is that you can apparently swipe left or right on the key to zoom in or out. Most smartphones already let you make zoom adjustments via the volume keys, but Apple’s execution means your finger wouldn’t have to leave the capture button at all. We also hope this approach allows you to make fine zoom adjustments with slower swipes. The Information reports that this camera button is currently being tested on the standard, Plus, and Pro models. So fingers crossed that the feature ends up being available on all iPhone 16 models rather than eventually being restricted to Pro handsets.