Earlier this week, a random report from an account with no tracking history claimed that the iPhone 18 would drop the camera control button. We were skeptical of the rumors at the time, and now a new leak from a more reliable source has the full context.
As it turns out, Apple isn’t planning to remove the camera control from the iPhone 18 entirely, but rather offering a watered-down version of it.
As a reminder, controlling the camera on the iPhone 16 is a complex piece of engineering. It combines a pressure-sensitive button with a capacitive surface through which you can swipe and tap to control the camera app. You can press the button to take a photo, swipe across its surface to switch modes, zoom in and out, and more.
Rumors come from Instant digital account on Weibo, which has neatly leaked information about upcoming iPhones in the past. They say Apple is currently running regular trial production of the pressure sensor used to control the iPhone’s camera. However, the company has removed the touch-sensitive component from the button.
The report specifically cites high production costs and long-term reliability concerns for camera control as reasons for the change. I’m sure user reviews play a role too.
Take 9to5Mac
This makes more sense to me than Apple giving up camera control altogether.
My use of the camera control consists of using it as a way to launch the camera app and as a shutter button for taking photos. In fact, I’ve disabled all the cool swipe features.
I would be shocked if Apple removed the camera control entirely. However, the simplified version of it makes perfect sense. Additionally, Apple is using Camera Control as a way to quickly launch its Visual Intelligence feature, which got a major upgrade as part of iOS 26 this year.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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