Who knew? The physical camera controls are great…for the most part

It started as a rumor: Apple could add another button to the iPhone 16 series. At first I thought it sounded like a terrible idea. Why do I need another way to control the camera when I can take a picture with the volume button? Why not use the action button you already have? And would I get used to pressing a capacitive button to change camera settings?

I was willing to try out the camera controls before I ever tried them. However, after using the iPhone 16 Pro, I have started to change my attitude. It’s not perfect, but Apple’s camera controls show how helpful physical controls can be when using your phone as your main camera.

Even though Apple may consider a portless iPhone in the future, it doesn’t seem interested in a buttonless iPhone. In fact, camera controls aren’t even the only button coming from Cupertino for the iPhone 16 series – the action button is also standard across the entire iPhone 16 series. And yes, that can make the aluminum (or titanium) frame seem a little crowded, but it’s hard to argue with the reliability of a physical button. Finally, you can still press a button even if your phone is wet, which isn’t always the case with a drenched display.

However, it takes a while to get used to the camera controls. It’s in roughly the same spot as the 5G window on previous iPhones, which doesn’t initially feel like a natural place for a button. At first it was more of a place of frustration as I would always reach for the camera controls while pulling my phone out of my pocket and be forced to swipe out of the camera when I wanted to do something else. It led to a few days of grumbling as I had to remind myself to feel the iPhone 16 Pro’s smooth frame and not the notched button.

However, I’m learning and realizing that the camera controls are in a clever position as long as you don’t press too hard. When I hold it in landscape mode, it falls right where my index finger would sit at the top of the frame, like the shutter button on a mirrorless camera. In portrait mode, the camera controls land right where my thumb would be, which is much more convenient than reaching for the volume buttons.

Once you know how much pressure the camera control needs (not much), you can feel more confident reaching for it. I’ve learned that I can hold my phone pretty well, just bending one finger to open a menu rather than using an entire hand to reach across the screen. This keeps the rest of my hand firmly attached to the phone itself, which is a welcome change even on smaller phones like the iPhone 16 Pro.

And yet the best way I can sell people on Apple’s Camera Control isn’t by pointing out how well positioned it is. It’s not even about showing the satisfying click when you press the capacitive button halfway or even all the way down. Instead, the smartest part of camera controls is learning when to use them and when to skip them. The button works best when you jump into Apple’s camera settings, not when you use it to scroll through. Confused? I felt the same way after Apple’s Glowtime event, but I promise it will start to make sense.

If you watched Apple’s annual fall event, you saw that several people use camera controls as the only way to navigate settings like zoom, depth, and photo style. You’ve seen them swipe back and forth on a small button, only stopping to half-press it twice when they needed to change menus, or to press it fully to take a photo. In reality, using the camera controls is much simpler. It just takes a little practice, as I mentioned in my iPhone 16 tips.

Yes, you still have to half-press the button to open the camera settings, but from there you can control everything else by swiping on the edge of your iPhone display. Simply open the camera controls, navigate to the setting you want to change, and let your thumb do the rest. If I had known this from the start, I would have been able to zoom in and out much faster during my first week with the iPhone 16 Pro. See, the little camera control button only jumps about 1x at a time, making it a bit tedious to switch from the ultra-wide camera to the telephoto lens, while I can zoom the same amount from the main camera to about 10x with my thumb Time. It’s like a hybrid approach to camera control, merging the navigation I’m used to with a new system, and it works much better than either method individually.

To be honest, I have to thank X for giving me this knowledge. During my first few days, I had a lot of trouble with the camera controls, missing shots and not being able to zoom in on subjects accurately, so I took to social media for community advice. I watched a user press the button to open the menus, place their finger on the display, and the rest is history. I immediately switched camera strategies and now feel like I understand Apple much better.

Despite my initial concerns, I’m starting to use the camera controls a lot more. For me, this could ultimately make the iPhone 16 one of the best camera phones on the market. I reach for it intentionally and don’t get as frustrated when I accidentally press it. It hasn’t replaced my addiction to on-screen camera settings (it’s hard to replace a decade’s worth of muscle memory), but it’s not the bane of my existence. If Apple had just been a little more straightforward about how to best use the camera controls, it probably would have been a complete success from day one.

I wouldn’t be upset if Android brands followed Apple’s lead this time around – at least on their biggest smartphones. While I didn’t feel like I was dependent on the camera controls when gripping the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro, I could imagine them being on something larger like the gigantic 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max could be useful. As for Android, I wouldn’t expect to see one on the Pixel 9 Pro, the Galaxy S24, or even a flip phone like the Motorola Razr Plus. Still, I’d probably like to see a physical camera button to make the Pixel 9 Pro XL, Galaxy S24 Ultra, or even a book-style foldable like the OnePlus Open more manageable.

Of course, you don’t even have to buy a huge phone to make physical camera controls useful. Think about using your phone in the rain, snow, or with gloves on – it’s not easy. Drops get onto the display and suddenly pressing a small menu button is no longer possible. However, pressing a capacitive button on the side of your phone avoids this problem entirely. It’s much easier to tap, swipe, and re-press when you’re not worried about the display. All I can suggest is that it’s easier to explore the camera controls when conditions are good than waiting for a rainy day.

And yet, I know that some users don’t want anything to do with an extra button on their iPhone. I know people out there go to the settings and turn it off completely. Part of me doesn’t blame them – there are still plenty of kinks to work out when swiping on the camera controls, and many people can’t get over accidentally pressing another button. I can’t get people on the learning curve faster; I can only hope that they experiment and learn as much as I did. Over time, they may even find that physical camera controls are easier to use than digital ones.