I was ridiculously excited to update -to me to a iPhone 16 Last fall. After spending five years with my iphone 11 well dear, but obsolete, I was ready for all the usual advantages: a better duration of the battery, the most beautiful cameras and (especially exciting for me) a pink tone of Barbie. What I did not expect was that my iPhone 16 came with no, but two new buttons: the action and control of the camera. And one of those would rain absolutely in my parade.
The action button is a small button above volume adjusters. Was entered with iPhone 15 Pro and is a customizable button This can do anything, from turning your timbre to ordering your Dunkin coffee. She is small, delay and mint her own business.
It is the camera control button that causes the whole chaos.
Control of the camera It is a new button on the iPhone 16 line that does what the name implies: controls the camera. He intends to help you quickly take pictures and serve as a shortcut to launch the camera application. You can slide your finger through a mini settings menu to adjust the camera zoom, among other things. But there is a true reason for the existence of the button: alas.
Like any other technology company, Apple has invested a lot in artificial intelligence. Looking forward to next week World Developer Conference To highlight the advances made by the company since debuting his Apple Intelligence’s functions suite last year and to detail What role will the ia play In the next generation of your software and hardware.
Apple intelligence It has been the main thread of much of the company’s innovation. The camera control button, for example, is the physical track Visual intelligenceA new feature fed by AI that allows you to use the camera to scan objects in the real world for more information about them. I think it is cheeky, but it is meaningless to me, and it is a feature I never liked to use.
There are Other cases of use For the camera control button, including ways to do Customize button settingsAs my colleagues have found through their tests. But this does not change the fact that the camera control button is so completely embarrassing.
It is a long button, approximately the size of the launch button, located at the bottom right of the device. And it is very, very easy to touch by accident. I opened my camera while putting my phone in my pocket, while driving and using navigation applications and once I was turning off my phone at night, let the camera application open all night and drain the phone’s battery.
And if this was not annoying enough, every time I intended to open the camera by controlling the camera, it took it. Figure.
While the camera control was enabled, the camera roll included impressive features like these:
I couldn’t tell you when or where these photos were accidentally taken.
I ask you: What is the point of a button that works when you do not need it and it does not work when you do it? There are three ways to access your iPhone’s camera from the blocking screen they take according to literals. The camera control is a very expensive and very reliable addition to the iPhone 16, all for the good of AI functions that Many people do not need or use. There has been no time since I disabled the camera control that I lost. So even if Apple announces some enormous visual intelligence updates in WWDC next week, there is no way to turn it back.
I realize that my camera adherences are minor complaints between what has been a general positive experience with my new phone. But as a journalist in the AI, I can’t help but see this as a worrying sign. So many technology companies have reviewed their software and devices to be friendly, whether Google makes us spam with Gemini emergencies at each Google application, the new co -pilot button on Microsoft Windows laptops or the Apple’s camera control button.
Technology companies are eager to climb the AI train and they have not thought enough whether these functions improve or just download our experience through their products. And it is not enough to offer options for deactivation. Luckily for me and my camera roll, Apple does it. But I hope that in the future, these drastic measures are not necessary, as companies are more intentional with their characteristics that facilitate alas.
If you want to join -me to let the camera control button obsolete, you can go to your iPhone settings and select camera. Then tap Control of the camera. Inside the camera control select accessibilityand after Switch the camera control. If you also experience hyper-sensibility, you can adjust the amount of caps (and pressure required) to trigger the button to the same accessibility page below light press.
For more information, see our practical experience with the iPhone 16 Pro And our iOS 19 wishes list.
