iPhone 15 Pro action button design revealed right before launch event

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This could be one of the iPhone 15 Pro's secret weapons

iPhone 15 Pro Max mockup with thin bezels
(Image credit: Unbox Therapy / YouTube)

The iPhone 15 launch event is only hours away from kicking off, revealing all the latest upgrades and features for Apple’s next iPhone line-up. One of the biggest features we’re expecting is the action button, which is set to replace the mute switch on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max — and a last minute leak may have given us our first look at its design.

A render of what appears to be the new action button has just been posted by phone case manufacturer Spigen over on Twitter. It doesn’t reveal much, but it does look as though the new button will be living in the exact same place as the mute switch — right above the volume keys. It also looks very button-like, which is hardly a huge surprise.

The action button is expected to be a solid-state button, which means zero moving parts. The design in this render looks remarkably similar to the volume buttons, which are expected to be the same mechanical buttons we’ve had in previous iPhones. 

You’d expect a new kind of button to have a new design, but if this render is accurate that may not be the case. One reason I can think of is that Apple wants to ensure some kind of design symmetry between the buttons  — so the solid state design doesn’t visually stand out quite so much.

Being solid state the feel of the button is bound to be completely different. Rumor is that Apple is including haptic feedback with the button, so that users are aware of when the button gets activated. So functionally, even if the button has been designed to blend in, it may feel quite different to use.

The button itself is said to be programmable, and while it can switch the iPhone 15 Pro into silent mode (and back) we’ve heard about a bunch of different possible actions users can choose from.  The iOS 17 beta revealed that possible actions include turning on the flashlight, opening the camera, activating focus mode, translating content, recording voice memos, activating accessibility tools or toggling one of the new Shortcuts in iOS 17.

We’re likely to hear all about the action button during the Apple September Event, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) today. You can read all about the latest news as it happens in our Apple event 2023 live blog, or you can check out our iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max hubs for the latest news and rumors.

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Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.