Apple is strongly suspected to be ready to announce a new range of iPhones in September 2023, with theiPhone 15andiPhone 15 Proon the horizon. They’re both going to offer upgrades over the currentiPhone 14andiPhone 14 Pro, but we were most interested in the Pro models already. A new leak proves that we were right to be.
That leak suggests that Apple is getting ready to bring a huge feature from the popularApple Watch Ultrato the iPhone lineup, and it could change the way we use our phones.
Time to take Action
We’ve been hearing rumours for months now that Apple plans to do away with clicky buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. That will mean that the physical volume buttons will turn into capacitive buttons that vibrate when touched. But it’s the mute switch that could be the big change here because it’s turning into a vibrating button as well. And that gives Apple an opportunity to turn it into something else entirely.
The mute switch has been around since 2007 but if it’s turning into a capacitive button it sounds like Apple is also going to change its function and name, too. A leak on the MacRumors forum from the same person who outed the Dynamic Island last year suggests the mute switch is out and the Action button is in.
In a post on the forum, the anonymous user said hinted that the Action button will replace the ringer switch, suggesting that people will be able to change how it functions. That could mean giving people the power to turn it into a shutter button for the camera, or a button that starts a specific app or runs a particular shortcut, as is the case on the Apple Watch Ultra.
The possibilities are essentially endless, and it sounds amazing. It’s also possible that the app’s functionality could change depending on the app being used - a shutter button in the Camera app, a mute button when the phone is locked, etc.
Apple is expected to announce the new phones in September so there’s still time for more leaks before that happens. And with iOS 17 set to be announced at WWDC23 we might get more clues there, too.
