iPhone 16: How to Customize the Action Button

Apple's iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models have adopted the Action button that was exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro models last year. The Action button replaces the traditional Ring/Silent switch – a staple of the iPhone since it launched in 2007. Here's a rundown of its functions.

iphone 16 design
The Action button replaces the single-function switch used to toggle between ring and silent, offering additional options so users can choose between quickly accessing the camera or flashlight, activate Voice Memos, Focus modes, Translate, and accessibility features like Magnifier. Users can also associate it with Shortcuts for more options.

A press-and-hold gesture with fine-tuned haptic feedback and visual cues in the Dynamic Island ensure the Action button launches the intended action, which users can customize in Settings and assign to different actions. Here's what it can be programmed to do:

  • Accessibility: Access to various accessibility settings, such as VoiceOver, Zoom, AssistiveTouch, Live Speech, and more.
  • Shortcuts: Open your favorite app, or run a shortcut created in or downloaded from the Shortcuts app, such as sending a message, playing a playlist, or controlling smart home devices.
  • Silent Mode: Like the Ring/Silent switch on existing iPhone models, toggle silent mode on or off, which will mute or unmute the ringer and alerts.
  • Camera: Take a photo, selfie, video, portrait, or portrait selfie with a single press of the Action button.
  • Controls: Quickly access your favorite Control Center button.

  • Flashlight: Turn on or off the flashlight on the back of the device.

  • Focus: Activate or deactivate a Focus mode.
  • Magnifier: Activate the Magnifier app to use the iPhone's camera as a magnifying glass to zoom in on small text or objects.
  • Recognize Music: Launch the iPhone's built-in Music Recognition feature powered by Shazam.
  • Translate: Launch the Translate app and start a conversation or text translation with a single press of the Action button.
  • Voice Memos: Start or stop recording a voice memo with the Voice Memos app.

Customizing the Action Button

If you want to change the Action button's default Ring/Silent behavior, here's how to customize it in iOS 18. Open Settings ➝ Action Button, and swipe left and right to browse the options.

settings
If there are additional options for a selected action, two chevrons will appear below the action. For the Shortcut, Control, and Accessibility actions, you need to tap the blue button below the action and select a specific option, otherwise the Action button does nothing.

Fine-tuned haptic feedback and visual cues in the Dynamic Island accompany every long press of the Action button, ensuring you know it is launching the intended action. Meanwhile, a regular short press confirms whatever setting you have customized it to control.

Related Roundups: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro

Popular Stories

best buy holiday

Best Buy Reveals Black Friday Plans With Sitewide Sales Available Now

Friday November 8, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Black Friday sales are continuing today with Best Buy kicking off early Black Friday deals that will last for the next few days. Similar to other retailers, Best Buy's early Black Friday event includes sitewide savings on Apple products, headphones, TVs, monitors, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases Firmware Updates for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday November 11, 2024 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find...
mac mini thermal architecture feature

New Mac Mini Has Modular Storage, 256GB Model Will Have Faster SSD

Friday November 8, 2024 7:06 am PST by
Apple has returned to using two 128GB storage chips in the new Mac mini with 256GB of storage, according to a partial teardown video shared on social media today. This means the base-model Mac mini with the M4 chip will not have significantly slower SSD speeds compared to higher-end configurations of the computer with 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of storage, as multiple NAND chips allows for faster SSD...
General Final Cut Pro Feature

Apple Likely to Announce Final Cut Pro Update This Week With These New Features

Sunday November 10, 2024 12:13 pm PST by
In its announcement video for the new Mac mini last month, Apple teased an "upcoming" version of Final Cut Pro for the Mac. Apple will likely announce the update during the annual Final Cut Pro Creative Summit, which begins this Wednesday. The conference is held in association with Apple, and attendees will be visiting Apple Park on the first day. Apple already teased four new features...
iphone 6 thickness

iPhone 17 'Air' May Not Be Much Thinner Than iPhone 6

Monday November 11, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 17 "Air" model may not be as thin as Apple planned, according to a rumor originating in Korea. According to the news aggregator account "yeux1122" on Naver, citing industry sources, Apple has run into problems making the new iPhone 17 model sufficiently thin. The device's reduced thickness is apparently dependent on manufacturing a battery with a thinner substrate, but...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 2

Monday November 4, 2024 12:34 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 updates to developers, and Apple is continuing to refine the Apple Intelligence capabilities. There are also a handful of smaller features that are worth knowing about. Find My Find My has a new option to Share Item Location with an "airline or trusted person" that can help you locate something that you've misplaced....
iphone passcode green

Cops Suspect iOS 18 iPhones Are Communicating to Force Reboots, Making Unlocking Harder

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:20 pm PST by
Law enforcement officials in Detroit, Michigan are warning other police officers about an alleged iPhone change that causes Apple devices stored for forensic examination to spontaneously restart, reports 404 Media. iPhones that are undergoing examination have apparently been rebooting, which makes them harder to unlock with brute force methods, and Michigan police think that it's due to a...