The camera control function is one of the most important features of the iPhone 16 lineup. This new button features several layers of software integration, and Apple thinks it adds state-of-the-art camera functionality.
Day by day, however, I’m more convinced that this is the worst feature Apple has ever added to an iPhone. I first wrote about it a few days after the iPhone 16 became available. I called it Apple’s biggest hardware change on the iPhone 16 a huge disappointment. A month later I wrote that iPhone 16 Camera Control might be the company’s worst new feature in yearsand now I am convinced that that is the case.
BGR‘s Chris Smith also wrote an article saying that the The iPhone 16’s camera controls were a disappointmentbut he was still missing the camera control button after returning his iPhone 16 Plus! After more than three months, however, I don’t have to mince my words: the Camera Control function is simply worthless.
How to use camera controls on iPhone 16 Pro Max. Image source: José Adorno for BGR
I already had three major problems with them (now with additional information about why they bother me). But the latest software updates added a fourth problem:
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- Quickly opening the Camera app is always slow for me – sometimes it even causes my phone to restart
- Taking photos with it is awkward because of the position of the button, and I think it’s difficult to use it in both portrait and landscape modes (I’ve also taken so many shaky photos that it’s just not worth it)
- Selecting camera settings with it is slower than just tapping the screen (and over time it has become more difficult and not the opposite)
- New: Quickly opening the Camera app usually results in a black screen as the camera doesn’t activate
With all that in mind, I’ve pretty much abandoned the Camera Control functionality. That’s what I thought iOS 18.2 visual intelligence might change my opinion on its usefulness, but it didn’t.
Ultimately, the forgotten action button turned out to be more useful than the camera controls. With the action button, I’ve added a handy shortcut that lets me shuffle my downloaded Apple Music songs. So convenient.
After three months of problems, I’m convinced that Apple couldn’t do anything to improve this feature, which is a shame. It feels like the company had several great ideas, but Cupertino was never able to take full advantage of them. The Dynamic Island still feels empty, the action button is rather useless for casual users and the camera controls are too complicated.
I hope the iPhone 17 offers a simpler experience and not the opposite.