MILLIONS of newer iPhone models have a special camera button on the side of the phone that’s loaded with tricks.
If you’ve ever pressed it, you’ll know that it quickly opens the camera – but it can do so much more than that.
This is the Camera Control button, and it was introduced by Apple with the iPhone 16.
That means you’ll find it on the following devices:
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 16e
- iPhone 17
- iPhone Air
- iPhone 17 Pro
- iPhone 17 Pro Max
TRICK 1 – VISUAL INTELLIGENCE
If you press it to the point of a “click”, then you’ll notice that the camera opens.
TOTAL WIPEOUT
The ‘silent killer’ apps SECRETLY draining your iPhone battery
I-SAVE
I’ve tested every iPhone & there’s a standout model almost EVERYONE should buy
And if you’ve got Apple Intelligence turned on, you can use it for a special feature called Visual Intelligence.
Hold down the Camera Control button and it’ll bring up Visual Intelligence.
Then you can snap a picture of something you’re looking at, and the iPhone AI will tell you all about it.
So it could be a certain type of plant, or a famous statue, or an iconic piece of art in a museum.
Most read in Phones & Gadgets
TRICK 2 – OPENING APPS
Another handy trick is the ability for the Camera Control button to open other apps that aren’t the camera.
The catch to this is that the new app needs to be primarily a camera app too.
Just go into Settings > Camera > Camera Control > Launch Camera (Camera).
Then you can change it to another app, for example:
- Code Scanner
- Halide
- Infltr
- Magnifier
- Snapchat
Now when you click the Camera Control button once, it’ll open this app instead.
You can change it back to the regular camera at any time.
TRICK 3 – THE HIDDEN MENU
When Apple first announced the Camera Control button, it showed it being used to live-adjust camera settings while you’re snapping photos.
But many people don’t know that this feature exists.
That’s partly because the feature was turned off by default for many people in newer iOS updates.
Firstly, go into Settings > Camera > Camera Control and then turn Camera Adjustments on.
Now launch your camera as you normally would.
Rest your finger on the Camera Control button and lightly double-press it. Don’t double-click it – if you hear a click, you’re pushing too hard.
This double-press action should bring up a small menu right next to the button.
You can then scroll along this menu using your finger by rubbing along the Camera Control button.
Then lightly press when you see an option you like.
This is how you can move between different camera setting adjustments, like zoom or camera lens, or exposure or focal depth, and even photographic styles and tone.
Once you find one you want to play with, lightly press on it, and then you can scroll using the Camera Control button to edit that setting.
Sign up for The Sun Tech newsletter for gadgets, games & more
Hello! I’m Sean Keach, The Sun’s Head of Technology and Science
I’ve been writing about gadgets, games and the future of technology for more than a decade.
During that time I’ve penned thousands of articles, filmed hundreds of videos, talked tech on TV and radio, and travelled around the world to bring you the latest on Apple, Meta, Google, Amazon, Netflix and more.
And I’ve got a weekly newsletter called The Sun Tech that you can read for free every Thursday.
I bring you the latest from the world of tech, including behind-the-scenes action, exclusive content, expert analysis, and plenty of help advice – so please follow along!
And it’ll stay defaulted to that setting, so next time you open your camera, you can just scroll on the Camera Control button right away to adjust it.
You can even use it in selfie mode to quickly adjust the tone of your snaps.
If you can’t get the menu to appear, you can make it a little easier.
Go into Settings > Camera > Camera Control > Accessibility.
Then you can change it to a lighter Light-Press Force, and a Slower Double Light-Press Speed.
That should make it much easier to bring up the hidden menu.
