The Action Button

The Action button came out of nowhere. Several reliable reports had suggested Apple would stick with the ring/silent switch (this was supposed to be based on the iPhone 14, after all), and some photos of dummy units shared in January backed that notion up.

Those who predicted an Action button were in the same minority as those who said the Dynamic Island was coming to the iPhone 16e. One of those rumors was correct: the iPhone 16e indeed got the Action button.

This certainly makes it feel more like a part of the iPhone 16 family, particularly since Apple is using the Action button to support Visual Intelligence — a feature that heretofore has been limited to the iPhone 16 family due to the Camera Control. IPhone 15 Pro owners are wondering if they’ll get Visual Intelligence too; Apple’s change certainly makes that possible, but we’re not holding our breath.