Apple would remove the Action button from the iPhones arriving in the second half of 2027 and move its functions to Camera Control. That’s the claim from leaker Instant Digital on Weibo. Apple hasn’t confirmed anything, so for now it’s only a rumor.
What the leak says
According to a post published on November 6, 2026, Apple will stop including the Action button on the new iPhones in the second half of 2027. The timing lines up with the major redesign expected for the iPhone Pro models marking the iPhone’s 20th anniversary.
The functions wouldn’t go away. They would move to Camera Control:
- Single press: opens the camera, as it does now.
- Press and hold: triggers whatever action you’ve assigned to the Action button (Silent mode, Focus, flashlight, Shortcuts…).
The leaker makes it clear that it’s the Action button that goes, not Camera Control.
What’s official today
- The Action button arrived with the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 and replaced the mute switch the iPhone had had since 2007. The current iPhone 18 Pro models (starting at $1,199 in the US) keep it.
- Camera Control debuted on the iPhone 16 lineup in 2024.
- The iPhone Duo already launched without an Action button: it only has Camera Control, and Silent mode is turned on from Control Center. Apple has already tested the idea in a real product, and it’s now asking iPhone Duo buyers what they think.
Is the rumor reliable?
With caveats. Instant Digital has gotten Apple details right before, but it has also been wrong about this very button: it said the iPhone 18’s Camera Control would lose its touch layer and keep only pressure detection, and that didn’t happen. Plus, there are still about ten months to go, and we don’t know what these models will be called (iPhone 19 Pro, iPhone 20 Pro, or something else) or how much they’ll cost.
Our take
The change makes sense: one less button on the side, a cleaner design, and consistency with the iPhone Duo. Today, pressing and holding Camera Control opens Visual Intelligence, but with iOS 27 that feature is already built into the Camera app, so Apple has room to give that gesture to the Action button without losing anything along the way. The question is ergonomics: Camera Control sits on the other side and at a different height, and anyone who uses the Action button by feel, say to silence their phone in their pocket, will have to relearn the gesture.
What it means for you
Nothing changes if you have an iPhone or are about to buy one: the iPhone 18 Pro models keep the Action button. If you use it every day, it’s a detail to watch when Apple unveils the new models in fall 2027.
Sources: 9to5Mac (Nov. 6, 2026) · MacRumors (Nov. 6, 2026) · MacRumors – iPhone Duo without an Action button (Sept. 9, 2026) · Apple Newsroom – iPhone 18 Pro
