iOS 18, announced on Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, will reportedly bring more functionality to the iPhone 15 Pro’s Action button. Apple is said to offer quick access to more customizable actions, including calculator, stopwatch, home, remote control and more.
Currently, users can assign nine preset options to the button in addition to doing nothing. However, more features like dark mode toggle, device control via the Home app, and the launch of Tap to Cash could be coming soon.
Added new functionality to the action button
According to a report by 9to5Mac, Apple has introduced 14 new customizable actions for action buttons in iOS 18 Developer Beta 1. Currently, iOS 17 includes Voice Memos, Camera, Focus, Do Not Disturb, Flashlight, Translate, Magnifier, Accessibility, and Shortcut. In addition to these options, the user can also set them to “Nothing”.
iOS 18 will reportedly expand these existing actions with a new Controls option in iPhone Settings. The new options are:
calculator
Alarm. warning
stopwatch
Home
timer
Wallet
Dark mode
Scan the code
Airplane mode
Mobile phone information
personal center
remote control
Tap to get cash
Ping my watch
The action button was introduced by Apple with the release of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2023. This replaces the mute switch above the volume control, but is not available on iPhone 15 models. Particle for direct object
Update Control Center
In addition to the addition of action button functionality, Apple also announced a major overhaul of Control Center. Although not shown at WWDC, iOS 18 will allow users to access camera features in third-party apps. The availability of this potential feature has been confirmed by a new framework for developers called LockedCameraCapture.
According to Apple, it allows developers to create extensions that allow their apps to “launch the camera experience and quickly record content when the device is locked.”
iOS 18 also allows users to swipe between pages to reveal more controls and toggles. The new Control Gallery displays a full list of options you can add to Control Center.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
