Why Do Some People Hate the iPhone 16's Camera Control Button?

Users were excited when Apple introduced a dedicated camera button on the iPhone 16 during the "It's Glowtime" event in September 2024. However, after using the iPhone 16 Pro Max since its launch, many people have been quite disappointed with this new feature.

1. Difficult to use

You can quickly launch the Camera app using the Camera Control button. However, when you try to use Camera Control in the Camera app, you will quickly realize that it is not as intuitive as Apple introduced.

The tap gesture sometimes doesn't work properly, and the swipe gesture isn't as seamless as it should be. I find it much easier to tap or swipe through UI elements in the Camera app than to slide my finger across the tiny Camera Control button.

Overall, the Camera Control button doesn't save you any time once you're in the Camera app, and if anything, it just takes you longer to find the setting you want to adjust.

2. Or accidentally click the wrong button

Why Do Some People Hate the iPhone 16's Camera Control Button? Picture 1

Even though many people barely use the Camera Control button, they still often accidentally press it when recording video or taking photos while holding the iPhone in their left hand. This way, your ring finger is right on the Camera Control button, making it easy to accidentally enter data.

When this happens, all the UI elements in the camera app suddenly disappear and you are forced to use your right hand to swipe and exit the Camera Control overlay to get all the controls back.

3. Cannot resolve camera shake

Why Do Some People Hate the iPhone 16's Camera Control Button? Picture 2

You can press the volume down button to take a photo (or record a video) in the camera app. However, the problem with using this physical button is that it causes the phone to shake, resulting in photos that aren't as sharp as you'd like.

Hopefully Apple will address this issue with the Camera Control button, as it has a capacitive touch surface. Unfortunately, you still have to press the button to take a photo, which again causes camera shake. If Apple allowed users to take photos with a simple tap or double-tap, this wouldn't be an issue.

So far, in my experience, Camera Control doesn't make taking photos any easier. Sure, you can quickly launch the Camera app now, but you can also do that with a custom Action button on your iPhone. For now, many people have decided to disable Camera Control on their iPhones so they don't accidentally press it when using the Camera app. Perhaps they'll change their minds when Apple rolls out Visual Intelligence with iOS 18.2, which will make full use of the new button in the new app.

Jessica Tanner

Update 09 December 2024