Apple may remove Action button from iPhones in late 2027

The dedicated Action button will reportedly start disappearing from new iPhones in the second half of 2027, according to a tipster who posted the claim on Weibo.

The post says Apple plans to consolidate the Action button and the Camera Control into a single physical control on next year’s devices. The tipster’s description frames the change as a reallocation of the Action button’s functions rather than an outright loss of its customizable capabilities.

How the controls would work

Per the tipster, a single press on the combined control would open the Camera app while a long press would trigger whichever shortcut the user has assigned to the Action button. The post stresses specifically that it is the Action button being removed, not the camera key.

The tipster asserts Apple will remove a physical button while retaining its customizable functions by moving them to the Camera Control.

Apple originally introduced the Action button with the iPhone 15 Pro, and the post notes the iPhone 18 Pro still retains the Action button in its current form.

The Weibo post does not name any specific models, leaving it unclear whether the change would apply to the entire fall lineup or only select models. Either way, the claim is that Apple would eliminate a separate physical button without dropping the button's configurable actions.

Design context

Separately, previous reports have suggested next year’s Pro models could receive a more substantial redesign, with quad-curved screens appearing in prototypes. Whether the rumored button consolidation is part of that broader redesign remains to be seen.