What is Camera Control? The new camera button on the iPhone 16 explained

The iPhone 16 is the best smartphone lineup Apple has ever produced, introducing a host of innovative AI features that aim to simplify our lives, but one of the most exciting additions is Camera Control.

This new feature, in the form of a dedicated camera button, merges Apple’s thoughtful hardware design with advanced software capabilities to make getting the perfect shot that little bit easier.

Here’s everything you need to know about Camera Control:

What is Camera Control?

On the surface, Camera Control is a dedicated camera button, but dig a little deeper and you’ll soon realise there’s a lot more going on that makes Camera Control a genuinely innovative addition to the iPhone 16.

The new button integrates a tactile switch for a satisfying click, a high-precision force sensor for light press gestures, and a capacitive sensor for touch interactions. This combination allows users to instantly access the camera, take photos, and start video recording with ease.

Gone are the days of fumbling to unlock your phone or open the camera app. With Camera Control, you can quickly launch the camera with just a click. It’s similar to double-pressing the power button on an Android phone to bypass the lock screen and automatically open the camera app.

The Camera Control button’s tactile feedback offers a familiar, satisfying feel, while the light press gesture enables users to interact with the camera in new ways.

You see, the Camera Control doesn’t stop at just snapping pictures. A new camera preview feature helps users frame their shots more effectively. By sliding your finger across the Camera Control button, you can adjust various camera settings, such as zoom, exposure, and depth of field.

Does Camera Control work with third-party apps?

The Camera Control button is designed to work with third-party apps, such as Snapchat, allowing developers to tap into this new hardware and create unique camera experiences.

This opens up exciting possibilities for social media platforms and photography apps to enhance their user interfaces and make content creation even more accessible.

Later this year, Camera Control is set to unlock even more powerful features thanks to AI. With just a press and hold, users will be able to quickly access information about objects and places.

For example, you could walk past a restaurant, press Camera Control, and instantly pull up its hours, ratings, or reviews. Or maybe scan a flyer to add an event directly to your calendar.

AI-driven object recognition will also allow users to identify dog breeds, plants, landmarks, and more.

Apple is also opening up Camera Control as a gateway to third-party AI/Search tools. Whether you want to search Google for where to buy an item you’ve just snapped a picture of, or get quick problem-solving assistance from ChatGPT.

Why didn’t Google think of this?

All of this begs the question, why didn’t Google think of this before Apple? Given Google’s emphasis on seamless user experiences and the growing importance of smartphone photography, a dedicated camera button or gesture would have been a natural fit for the Pixel 9.

Not to mention, Google’s leadership in AI thanks to Gemini, adding an intuitive shortcut to launch an AI vision search tool instantly could have enhanced the Pixel’s appeal even further.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a dedicated camera button on the next Google Pixel phone…

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