iPhone 15 to add mysterious new button on the side, Apple rumours suggest
Apple is adding a mysterious new button to the side of the upcoming iPhone 15, rumours have suggested.
The button will replace the mute switch that currently sits at the top of the phone’s side, according to a number of leaks from within the production.
It is not clear what that button will be used for. But it looks likely that it will be something like an “action button”, allowing users to choose what it does.
The button could presumably activate other functions like do not disturb, the camera, the torch – or the mute and volume option that is currently available in that slot.
Apple rolled out a similar action button with the Apple Watch Ultra, late last year. Users are able to choose its function, with options such as starting a workout.
The new button may be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, according to some rumours. Apple has been looking to differentiate the Pro versions of the phone from their more affordable siblings with new hardware and software features.
Possible changes to the buttons have been rumoured for the iPhone 15 for some time, though it has never been clear what the purpose of the change might be. Most recently, they were reported by 9to5mac, which said that it had received renderings of the new phone that showed the button.
The upcoming iPhones’ buttons have been the subject of intense speculation, and not only over that action button. Some other reports have suggested that Apple could be moving towards “solid state” buttons for the volume clickers on the side of the phone.
Such solid state buttons do not press down, like traditional ones, but instead use small vibrations sensors to give the feeling that they are. Apple uses similar technology in the trackpads on its Macs, and it was also used for the Home Button in later iPhones until it was taken away in the iPhone X.
But recent leaks have suggested that technical issues encountered during the production of the phone have delayed that feature. It may be delayed until next year, with the new model that may be known as the iPhone 16.
