After all, Apple introduced a new Action Button with the iPhone15 series. Admittedly, it was intended as a direct replacement for the mute switch that had been around since the original iPhone and which had become a bit outdated in terms of functionality.
On the iPhone16However, Apple is reportedly adding another physical control on the sides in the form of a capacitive button, tentatively called the “Capture Button” as it will control the camera functions.
iPhone 16 Record Button Functions
In addition to the usual assumption that the new physical key is on the iPhone16 Models allow you to take photos, rumors say there are other functions of the record button:
- Light pressure: Focus on the subject
- Click: Take photo
- Long press: start video recording
- Slide right: Zoom in
- Slide left: zoom out
The record button is located on the side of the power button, where the 5G mmWave antenna is on the US versions of the iPhone. The antenna is now moved to the left because the right side, opposite the camera lens, is the perfect position for a record button, whether for taking photos, zooming, or recording video.
The latter two can further exploit the benefits of the sensitive-click capture button combination as they are equipped with Tetraprism cameras whose 5x zoom functionality is greatly enhanced by the sliding zoom movement of the capacitive capture button.
Record button and iPhone 16 cases
From the iPhone 16 series dummy cases we've seen so far, it appears that new cases will be released with a special cutout for the supposedly new record button to control the camera.
The cutout in the iPhone 16 series' body actually hints at a capacitive recording button. | Image credit – Sonny Dickson
It is said that the official Apple protective case iPhone16 The series does not have this opening and is designed in an integrated design that does not affect the normal use of this capacitive button.
Duan Rui, September '24
据说, 苹果 iPhone 16 系列官方保护壳, 没有这个开孔, 会做成一体式设计, 还不会影响这颗电容式按键正常使用. pic.twitter.com/uSkaQqwXFe
— DuanRui段锐 (@duanrui1205) 4 September 2024
How and why is the record button on the iPhone16 series under a case remains a mystery, however. Granted, it could mark the area where you can pinch and swipe to record or zoom, but if third-party case makers offer a cutout, it would be a completely different experience for the user depending on whether they get an official case or not.
In block 1406, the electronic device may receive a signal from a housing. The signal may correspond to an input received at a touch sensor of the housing. The signal may indicate one or more characteristics of the input, including the touch sensor that performed the detection, a duration of time for an input, a force or pressure, a movement (e.g., a slide gesture), a location, a fingerprint detection, and the like.
This sliding motion or variable pressure points sounds a lot like what the record button is supposed to do without being covered, at least according to several reliable rumors.
Apple's patent for virtual case buttons that communicate wirelessly with the phone to mimic the actions of the side buttons gives some clues as to how its official iPhone16 Cases can cover the recording button underneath and still perform the same functions. Apple envisions both NFC and physical connectors as a means of communication between the phone and the case.
Apple patent for case with virtual buttons that mimic the function of the physical buttons underneath. | Image credit – USPTO N20240288949
However, we don't yet know how the physical button works, which is said to be flush with the side but responds to touch and pressure. So Apple may have tested it covered with a case and achieved a satisfactory result.
However, if Apple has never been one, then it is a “good enough” company. So if it doesn't have a Capture Button cutout on its official iPhone16 In some cases, thanks to virtual case buttons or some other solution, it will probably be just as reliable as cases with cutouts.
However, this could iPhone16 Shoppers are wondering before they opt for third-party cases over official ones, which, if history is any indicator, might be the only ones with a proprietary Apple communication protocol between the case and the iPhone. That's perhaps the crux of the matter, and we shudder to think what an official iPhone case with technology that replicates a shutter button and zoom slider would cost.