Daily TipsiPhone

How to use the Camera Control button on an iPhone 16 device

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The Camera Control feature on the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max lets you quickly open your iPhone camera and access common camera settings. 

As Apple says, it makes the pro camera system more versatile with an innovative new way to quickly launch the camera, take a photo, and start video recording. The Camera Control button (its location is shown below) has a tactile switch that powers the click experience, a precision force sensor that enables the light press gesture, and a capacitive sensor that allows for touch interactions. 

A new camera preview helps users frame the shot and adjust other control options — such as zoom, exposure, or depth of field — to compose a photo or video by sliding their finger on the Camera Control.

You can open the Camera app by clicking the Camera Control button. To Click the Camera Control to open the Camera app.

° Click again to take a photo, or click and hold to record a video.
Note: If your camera is set to Video mode on launch, click to start recording.
Settings available with the Camera Control

You can select and adjust any of the following settings with the Camera Control:

  • Exposure: Brighten or darken the scene by increasing or decreasing the exposure.
  • Depth: Increase or decrease the background depth-of-field effect (this setting turns on Portrait mode if it wasn’t already selected).
  • Zoom: Zoom in or out.
  • Cameras: Adjust the field of view by changing the camera.
  • Style: Change the Photographic Style.
  • Tone: Lighten or deepen the mood by increasing or decreasing the tone.

Note: Not all controls are available in all camera modes.

Select and adjust the Camera Control settings

° Slide your finger on the Camera Control to scroll through the settings choices, then lightly press to select the setting you want.

° Slide your finger on the Camera Control to adjust the setting.
The setting is saved and appears the next time you lightly press the Camera Control.

° Click the Camera Control to take your shot.

Later this fall, Camera Control will be updated with a two-stage shutter to automatically lock focus and exposure on a subject with a light press, letting users reframe the shot without losing focus. Additionally, developers will be able to bring Camera Control to third-party apps such as Kino, which will offer users the ability to adjust white balance and set focus points, including at various levels of depth in their scene.

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.