It seems like the new Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max might be making a turn for Apple’s next set of iPhones.
MacRumors has spotted an updated customizable Action button on multiple iPhone 16 prototype units mentioned in internal documentation. This could mean there’s a decent chance the action button could return in the next generation of iPhones.
The Action button replaces the mute button on previous models and is customizable. You can assign to it any action you want (from a limited list of actions), including the mute function itself.
Unlike the iPhone 15 range, which featured an Action button only on the Pro and Pro Max models, the button has been spotted on all versions of the iPhone 16 range, including the base model. Interestingly, it has also been seen on the fourth-gen of the entry-level iPhone SE, except we would have to wait for 2025 or probably even 2026. But getting an Action button on the next iPhone SE could mean that the iPhone 15 might be the last iPhone sporting a mute button.
According to MacRumors, the prototypes also suggest that the Action button on the upcoming iPhones might be capacitive-type instead of the mechanical one currently on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The new Action button will have a force sensor with something called “tact-switching functionality.”
The Action button will also be larger in size, apparently big enough to resemble the volume rocker more than the mute button.
Apart from these design tweaks, the Action button on the next range of iPhones will likely be similar to the iPhone 15 range in functionality and customizability.
It’s important to add that all of the information reported above is based on speculation and is subject to change, which means Apple’s next-gen iPhones might not necessarily resemble its current prototype units.