Your iPhone’s Action Button may not survive the 20th anniversary. A new leak claims Apple will merge it into Camera Control on the iPhones launching in the second half of 2027.
Tipster Instant Digital claimed in a Weibo post that Apple will phase out the dedicated button with the new iPhones launching in the second half of 2027. Those models are expected to include Apple’s 20th-anniversary iPhone Pro redesign.
Rather than disappearing entirely, the Action Button’s functions would reportedly merge into the Camera Control button.
According to the leaker, a single press of the combined button would open the camera, just like Camera Control does today. A long press would trigger whatever function you’ve assigned to the Action Button, whether that’s Silent mode, the flashlight, a Focus mode or a Shortcut.
The setup fits how both buttons already work. The Action Button needs to be long-pressed to activate, while Camera Control opens the camera with a single press.
Right now, a long press on Camera Control opens Visual Intelligence. However, Apple has since built Visual Intelligence directly into the Camera app as the new Siri mode in iOS 27, which frees up that gesture for something else.
Apple has already shipped an iPhone without an Action Button. The iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable, keeps Camera Control but skips the Action Button entirely.
Merging the two could be Apple’s way of keeping both features without adding a button. It would also give Camera Control a clearer purpose. The button received a mixed reception when it debuted on the iPhone 16, with people questioning its usefulness and ergonomics.
The Action Button change would be part of a bigger redesign. Apple introduced the Action Button on the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 as a replacement for the Ring/Silent switch.
Apple's 20th anniversary iPhones could get micro-curved OLED displays that wrap around all four edges, along with larger screens. The iPhone 20 Pro Max could get a 7-inch display.
Earlier iPhone 20 renders even hinted at Apple swapping physical buttons for haptic touch controls, so a leaner button layout wouldn’t come out of nowhere.
Apple hasn’t settled on a name either, as far as rumours go. The phones could be called the iPhone 19 Pro, the iPhone 20 Pro or something else entirely.
Instant Digital has a mixed track record on Camera Control. Last year, the tipster claimed that Apple would simplify the button on the iPhone 18 series by removing its capacitive layer and relying only on pressure sensing. That change never happened.
So it’s best to treat this as an early rumour until more sources back it up.
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