Oliver Haslam on January 13, 2024, 6:20 pm

Apple Reportedly Changed The iPhone 16 Pro’s Action Button Again

Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro isn’t expected to be announced until September this year, but we’ve been seeing the device steadily for a few months now. Key aspects that we’ve seen reports go back and forth on relate to the Action button and a new, so-called Capture button.

Now, a new report suggests that Apple has again altered its plans.

That report comes via MacRumors which claims that a new Proto2 prototype of the iPhone 16 Pro has changed the way its Action and Capture buttons will look and function.

The report details four different configurations that Apple has been working on, all with different button layouts and configurations.

During the different ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ development stages, Apple has tested four button configurations and two sizes for the Action button.

Unified volume button with small Action button

Unified volume button with large Action button and new Capture button

Separate volume buttons with large Action button and Capture button flush with frame

Separate volume buttons with small Action button and Capture button flush with frame (current)

The report goes on to say that the new Proto2 version of the iPhone 16 Pro does away “with the larger, flush look.” The quote above appears to suggest the Action button is flush, but that’s contradicted later in the report.

The flush buttons are of course the capacitive buttons that were originally leaked as part of the iPhone 15 Pro but were ultimately pushed to the iPhone 16 Pro. If they’ve again been removed, it’s possible we might have to wait until the iPhone 17 Pro (if ever) for their arrival.