The Return of iPhone Buttons: Apple's Bold AI-Driven Reversal

We all know fashion is cyclical, but so, it seems, is tech. Once upon a time, phones dedicated more space to buttons than screens. Over time, in a trend largely led by Apple, phones have featured fewer and fewer buttons. We’ve now reached the point where, other than volume controls and a power button, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a physical button on your phone at all. But that’s all changing with the iPhone 16 line, which Apple announced at its “Glowtime” event on Monday. The phone comes with one more button than its predecessor. The button is called the Camera Control, a capacitive button that activates and operates the iPhone’s camera app.

This comes after Apple last year added the action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, a programmable shortcut button sitting above the volume keys. That took the number of physical buttons from three to four. This year, it’s gone from four to five, with the base iPhone 16 also getting the action button. So it’s official: Seven years after forcing us to reckon with the loss of the iPhone’s home button, physical buttons are not only back on the iPhone, but increasing in number.

Some Android phones have had similar physical controls for years, but Apple has a track record of leading the charge when it comes to minimalist phone design, meaning that this is an unusual and notable about-face from the company.

The move is likely to divide opinion. Some people out there are still clinging to older iPhones with home buttons—they’re likely to be thrilled that when forced to upgrade they have the option of more physical controls. Others may wonder why it’s necessary for Apple to backtrack in this way. As someone who has been using a physical camera grip with a phone this year to capture some of my favorite photos, I’m personally excited to see if the camera control can improve my photography.

The return to buttons likely wasn’t an easy decision for Apple, but rather a tradeoff that will allow it to enable more exciting and complex features—especially when it comes to integrating Apple Intelligence into the iPhone. For many years, the company has been gradually minimizing the ways in which we physically interact with our phones, including by encouraging us to interact with Siri using our voice. Instead of clicking, pressing, and holding, we’ve been swiping in and down from the sides of the screen.

There are some experiences, though, that buttons may just be better for enabling. We’ve already seen this year that dedicated Copilot buttons have been introduced on many new Windows laptops. To maximize the AI and software capabilities, some adjustments to the baseline hardware are necessary. Even Apple seems to be recognizing that. It puts features like Apple’s Visual Intelligence—its version of Google Lens—directly at people’s fingertips. It also makes the camera, which is still one of the most highly prized features of any iPhone, more central and easily accessible.

Maybe at some point Apple will find new ways to integrate these controls that don’t require buttons, but it seems that, for now at least, the physical button is officially back from the dead and finding a new lease of life, as AI becomes increasingly integrated into our devices.