Apple is reportedly dropping the iPhone Action button from new models released in the second half of 2027, according to a leaker on Weibo. The Action button would merge with the camera button, so one press opens the camera and a long press runs whatever action you have assigned.
The leaker, known as Instant Digital on Weibo, posted the claim today and added that he means the Action button is going away, not Camera Control.
The iPhone Action Button Would Merge Into Camera Control
Apple introduced the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 in place of the Ring/Silent switch. Today you press and hold it to run whatever function you picked in Settings, such as Silent Mode or Camera. Silent Mode is the default, and holding the button again turns it off.
The Action button sits on the left edge of recent iPhones, and Camera Control sits on the right edge. If the leak is accurate, the two controls would become one button, so the key you use to take photos would also run your assigned action with a long press. A long press is already how you use the Action button, so the merge mainly adds a single press for the camera.
Camera Control already adjusts camera settings such as Exposure and Zoom on the iPhone 18 Pro, and the leaker says that control stays. The same leaker said in August 2025 that Apple was removing its capacitive sensor and relying on pressure sensing alone.
The iPhone Duo Already Ships Without an Action Button
The iPhone Duo has no Action button and no silent switch. The phone has volume buttons, Camera Control and a side button with a built-in fingerprint sensor instead.
If you want a shortcut key on the iPhone Duo today, a Lock Screen control that opens a folder of your Shortcuts works as the software replacement. Our guide shows how to bring back the Action button with that setup.
The Timing Fits the 20th-Anniversary iPhone
The leaker says the change starts with new iPhone models in the second half of 2027. Apple’s flagship for September 2027 is expected to be the 20th-anniversary iPhone, so the leak lines up with that launch.
It is not yet known whether every new model would lose the Action button or only some of them. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max announced this year both keep it, so any change is at least a year away.
Our Take
I think merging the two buttons is a sensible step, because the Action button already works with a press and hold. The open question is Silent Mode, which is the Action button’s default job today, and I would want it to stay one long press away on the merged button.
