iPhone Action Button Tipped to Merge Into Camera Control From 2027

A tipster on Weibo claims Apple will remove the iPhone's dedicated Action button and merge its job into the Camera Control, starting with iPhones in the second half of 2027. A single press would open the Camera and a long press would run your Action shortcut. Apple has said nothing.

What exactly is the claim?

The tipster says the Action button will start disappearing from new iPhones in the second half of 2027, and its functions will move to the Camera Control. A press opens the Camera app, while a long press triggers whichever shortcut you had assigned to the Action button. He is specific that it is the Action button that goes, not the camera key.

The post names no models, so it is unclear whether the change would cover the whole autumn lineup or only some phones. The rumour is that Apple removes a physical button without dropping its customisable functions.

How do the buttons work today?

Apple introduced the Action button on the Apple iPhone 15 Pro, and the Apple iPhone 18 Pro still has it, alongside the Camera Control. The iPhone 18 Pro, announced on 9 September 2026, has a 6.3-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED, a 4,056 mAh battery (4,288 mAh on the eSIM-only model) and the A20 Pro chip.

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro in four colours, rear views.

Why would Apple do it?

The tip gives no reason. We read it as a simplification: one fewer physical button and cut-out in the frame, while keeping the shortcut feature. That is our inference, not part of the claim. It also depends on how well a single key can handle both a quick press and a long press without accidental triggers, which is the main risk we see.

Is it part of a bigger redesign?

Possibly. We have previously heard that next year's Pro models could get a more substantial redesign, with quad-curved screens being tested in prototypes. Whether the button change belongs to that redesign is not known. See more from Apple in our database.

Should you wait?

Nothing about this affects the iPhone 18 series on sale now, which keeps both buttons. If you rely on the Action button, we would wait for Apple's autumn 2027 announcement before drawing conclusions. A single-source Weibo tip can change.