Key takeaways
- A new leak says the iPhone 20 Pro will drop the Action button in 2027, leaving only Camera Control, with a long press taking over the Action button’s job.
- Apple introduced the Action button in 2023 as a big new feature, and the iPhone Duo already shipped without it.
- My view: Apple gives us a button, sells it as innovation, then takes it away and calls that innovation too. The price only ever goes one way.
A new leak from Weibo leaker Instant Digital says Apple will remove the Action button from next year’s iPhone 20 Pro models, keeping only Camera Control. A normal press would open the camera, and a long press would take over the Action button’s functions.
In this article: First a revolution, then a goodbye · Remove the button people use, keep the one they press by accident · The Touch Bar, all over again · Fair is fair · FAQ
First a revolution, then a goodbye
Remember 2023? Apple killed the mute switch, the little switch every iPhone had since 2007, and sold us the Action button as something big. A button you can set to anything. Then in 2024, it added a second button, Camera Control. And now, for the 20th anniversary, one of them goes away.
So which one was the innovation, Apple? Adding the button, or removing it? To me, it looks like Apple doesn’t know what it wants, and we pay for every change of mind.
Remove the button people use, keep the one they press by accident
Read what people write. They set the Action button to the flashlight, the calculator, ChatGPT, mute. They use it every day. And Camera Control? Many people say they press it by accident when they just want to hold the phone. One reader said it perfectly: “Remove the button I use all the time. Keep the button I don’t want and accidentally hit all the time.”
That’s exactly the problem. Nobody asked Apple to remove the Action button. Nobody begged for it. It’s just Apple’s imaginary belief, again.
The Touch Bar, all over again
We’ve seen this game before. The Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro: a big new feature, a higher price, and a few years later it was gone. The price stayed. Just like the touchscreen MacBook Pro, where we pay $400 more for something nobody asked for.
And I’m sure the same will happen here. The iPhone 20 Pro will come with curved edges, one button less, and a higher price. Apple will tell us it’s “simpler” and “cleaner.” In my opinion, fewer buttons for more money is not progress. It’s a magic trick.
Fair is fair
It’s a leak, not an announcement, and Apple can still change its mind. And if Apple made one button that can really do everything, fully customizable, with no lost functions, I’d say fine. But I don’t believe it. When Apple “simplifies” something, we usually end up with less, and we pay more.
My guess: in 2027 Apple will present the missing button as a feature, and in 2029 it will bring it back as a new invention. Remember my words.
Also on Evolt News: iPhone 20 Pro: Samsung Curved the Edges in 2014. Will It Work Every Day? · Touchscreen MacBook Pro: $400 More for a Touch · iPhone 18: Bigger Battery, Bigger Price · 100,000 iPhone Duo Apps and Still Black Bars · iPhone Air 2: At $100 Under the Pro, It Makes No Sense
Featured image: Tarun Raj BN / Unsplash.
This article is opinion.
iPhone 20 Pro Action button: FAQ
Will the iPhone 20 Pro have an Action button?
According to a November 2026 leak from Weibo leaker Instant Digital, no. The iPhone 20 Pro would keep only Camera Control. Apple has not confirmed it.
What will Camera Control do instead?
Per the leak, a normal press would still open the Camera app, and a long press would offer Action button-style shortcuts.
When did Apple introduce the Action button?
With the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023, replacing the mute switch that iPhones had since 2007. It came to all iPhone 16 models in 2024.
Does the iPhone Duo have an Action button?
No. The iPhone Duo shipped in 2026 with Camera Control but without an Action button.
When is the iPhone 20 expected?
The 20th-anniversary iPhone Pro redesign is expected in 2027, with displays reportedly curving around all four edges.
Is this leak confirmed?
No. It comes from a Weibo leaker and has not been confirmed by Apple or other reliable sources.
I read this news on 9to5Mac.
Sources: 9to5Mac, MacRumors, AppleInsider.
Our Take
Apple sold the Action button as a big innovation in 2023, and now a leak says it’s going away in 2027. People use it every day; Camera Control is the one they press by accident.
If it’s true, it’s the Touch Bar story again: a feature, a higher price, then the feature disappears and the price stays.
