Apple set to scrap fan favourite feature on the new iPhone 16
Rumours suggest Apple is making a change on the new iPhone that fans might disagree with
Ever since the first iPhone in 2007, Apple fans who buy the ubiquitous phone have enjoyed using the Ring/Silent switch on the left hand edge, no matter which model of the device they have. The switch lets you set your iPhone to ring or silent mode easily and quickly, without unlocking or even when it’s in your pocket.
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The iPhone 15 still has this physical switch, but the iPhone 15 Pro does not. For the first time last year, Apple removed the switch and gave the 15 Pro line what the firm calls the Action Button. It’s in the same place above the volume buttons but instead is a button that you can assign a command to.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has a near-flawless track record when it comes to iPhone rumours, Apple will scrap the Ring/Silent switch entirely for the iPhone 16 that we expect to launch in September. Gurman says the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will all have the Action Button, marking the end of the 17-year-old Ring/Silent switch that debuted on the original iPhone.
It’s quite unusual for the switch to have lasted this long. Physical buttons that only perform one function were part of the reason Steve Jobs pushed so hard to create the iPhone in the first place - instead of a BlackBerry with a physical keyboard and tiny screen, you have a glass panel that can display different apps, and a keyboard when you need it.
The persistence of the Ring/Silent switch is a surprise when you think about it, considering Apple has moved the power button from the top of the iPhone to the side and even scrapped the Home Button altogether (even though it still exists, for now, on the iPhone SE).
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On the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, you can assign the button to toggle Do Not Disturb, the torch, open the camera, record a voice memo, open Apple Translate, or even create a Shortcut using a command on compatible apps on your phone. Something as granular as checking order status of items in the Apple Store app or call a specific contact is possible.
Of course, you can keep the Action Button as a ring switch just like the old button if you want to, and this writer does, for what it’s worth. Old habits die hard.
Gurman also says he believes the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will gain an additional button on the right edge of the phone that will act as a camera shutter button. He think it’ll be a two-stage button that will work like on a digital camera where you can press halfway to focus and all the way to snap a photo. The button is said to also be touch sensitive to allow for swipe actions such as zoom.
Gurman notes the button will come “at least” to the Pros, indicating there’s a possibility the regular iPhone 16 and 16 Plus could get it too, but we agree it’s more likely that it’ll be a Pro iPhone feature for now.
Either way, if you want a new iPhone and definitely want the physical Ring/Silent switch, it looks like the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus are your last chance - but those phones can’t run Apple Intelligence, Apple’s upcoming AI smarts due to land with the free iOS 18 software update.
You can read up on all the latest iPhone 16 leaks and rumours here.
