The iPhone 16 models that Apple unveiled today all feature a new camera control button located on the right side of the iPhone below the power button. The camera control button can be used for various functions when taking pictures and videos.

According to Apple, the camera control button should work in both landscape and portrait mode and has been equipped with a force sensor and a touch sensor to support various gestures.

• Single click – Open the Camera app (or a third-party app).
• Click once, open camera – take photo.
• Click and hold – open camera app, start recording a video.
• Lightly press – opens controls like zoom. This button also lets you lock focus and exposure (available this fall) to reframe shots without losing focus.
• Double light press – Opens the camera preview menu to select various controls such as exposure or depth of field.
• Swipe – Cycle through the available adjustment options and also change parameters such as zoom, exposure or depth of field when a control is selected.

The button has extensive software support, so you can also switch between control functions without having to manually go into the camera app.

• Adjust zoom
• Adjust the exposure
• Adjust depth of field
• Swipe through different style options

Third-party developers will be able to use camera controls to customize settings for their apps, and it will work in social media apps like Snapchat.

Later this year, Camera Control will be able to work with a new visual intelligence feature. Users can open the Camera app and point it at an object to get information about that object with a click and hold gesture. For example, pointing the camera at a restaurant will show opening hours and reviews, while pointing it at a plant will help you identify the plant. If you use visual control on something that has a date, like a flyer, the date will be added to the Calendar app.

Camera Control acts as a gateway to third-party tools, for example when users search for an item they want to buy on Google or want to use ChatGPT to solve a problem.

There are settings that allow users to change the double press speed and the sensitivity of the button for a light press.

The camera control is made of smooth-textured sapphire glass and surrounded by stainless steel bezels. It is slightly recessed into the ‌iPhone‌ frame and the pressure sensor has haptic feedback, so it feels like the shutter of a DSLR camera.