“The iPhone gets a new button”

There were no capacitive buttons on this year’s models.

The purpose for which it will be used has not been revealed

It had been rumored for months before Apple announced the iPhone 15 series that all physical buttons would be replaced with digital buttons like when you press the touchpad on a MacBook. At the same time, there was also talk that the action button should be able to register pressure sensitivity so that you can use the same button to do multiple things. So you end up with an action button that you have to pre-select what to do.

But Apple isn’t done yet, because “Project Nova” and a “Capture” button have now been unveiled. Apple actually had plans to implement a new button on the same side as the power button this year, but Apple didn’t do so. These custom buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro were referred to internally as the “Bongo” project, but various problems with the project ended with them having to abandon it this year.

That will likely happen next year

The new ‘capture’ button is expected to become capacitive with vibrations so as to mimic a downward pressure. According to MacRumors’ sources, this button will have a “press-down sensor.” This is where the function we wrote about at the beginning comes into play: the amount of force you press the button determines what will happen; Flashlight, camera, or pre-selected app.

This is supposed to come as an addition to the Action Button which is somewhat confusing, and we don’t quite understand what the point of the two Action Buttons is if one of them becomes pressure sensitive.

In any case, MacRumors believes that all iPhone 16 models will get the new button next year, and that Apple has planned models without the button if something goes wrong. Apple’s blog also notes that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will have 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, up from 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays.