Apple may drop the dedicated Camera Control shutter button from the next year’s iPhone 18 lineup due to low engagement, according to a sketchy rumor.
Apple giveth, and Apple taketh away! Just a year after the debut of the dedicated Camera Control shutter button on the iPhone 16 Pros, a sketchy new rumor claims the company may already be preparing to retire it for next year’s iPhone 18 lineup.
The report by MacRumors is based on claims published by a Weibo account with a track record that’s best described as nonexistent, so take this with the usual dose of skepticism. It claims that Apple told suppliers to stop producing components for the feature due to “low engagement.” If that’s true, then most people aren’t actually using this feature.
Do you use the Camera Control button?
Apple marketed the Camera Control button as a professional-grade shutter alternative, complete with haptic feedback and the ability to adjust zoom, depth and exposure. But real-world reviews were mixed. Some found it a clever nod to dedicated cameras, but many reviewers found it unusable due to awkward placement below the power button on the right side. Speaking of rumors based on sketchy sources, there’s another one claiming Apple will actually add a second Camera Control button to this year’s iPhone 17 Pros.
It would be apparently located on the top edge and complement the existing Camera Control button on the bottom-right edge. This is based on an anonymous tip sent to MacRumors from someone with no proven track record but apparently familiar with Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro ad. The current Camera Control button is hard to reach comfortably with your finger when the device is in landscape orientation. Another button on the left side (the top side in portrait orientation) could solve this problem, unless you consider how bizarre two Camera Control buttons sound.
Of course, Apple did previously launch features with great fanfare only to vanish when the usage numbers didn’t justify their existence. The iPhone’s mute switch was replaced with the Action button and the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar was unceremoniously removed in under five years.
That being said, it may be too early to remove the Camera Control button; the feature debuted less than a year ago on the iPhone 16 Pros, released in September 2024. But if usage numbers are really low as the poster claims, and the feature complicates manufacturing or adds cost without a clear return, then ditching it might make sense. Keep in mind that this comes from a sketchy source. Also, reliable supply chain analysts haven’t backed up the claim.