Last Updated on 10/09/2024 by Arun jain
Apple has just unveiled four new iPhone 16 The models confirm most iPhone Rumors that have been doing the rounds for the past few months.
All new iPhones have a new button, which was regularly referred to as the Capture button in the leaks. Its real name is Camera Control, because that’s what the button will be used for. Camera controls instantly open the camera to either take photos or enable the exclusive iPhone 16 Visual Intelligence feature, which is part of Apple Intelligence.
Capacitive buttons detect touch presses, allowing you to select camera controls in the Camera app and zoom in and out. The camera control button also works with Apple’s new custom case for the iPhone 16, which doesn’t have a cutout.
While I’m a big fan of the camera control button and plan to use it often, watching Apple’s presentation on Monday made me realize something: Apple could have added Touch ID to the iPhone whenever it wanted to, even if that meant putting it on the display. Put aside instead of under.
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I’m not a fan of Touch ID, and I’d rather use Face ID, but I understand why some users miss it. Apple avoided having a fingerprint sensor under the iPhone display all these years while adding a fingerprint sensor on the side of iPads, indicating that it was always a possibility for the iPhone.
The iPhone 16’s camera controls further prove that Apple can design a Touch ID sensor to complement the Face ID functionality for the iPhone.
How the camera controls work
The camera control button sits below the power button, but is flush with the surface. It doesn’t protrude outwards because it’s not like the standby or volume buttons.
Apple says the camera controls feature “sapphire crystal with a smooth texture.” Flaunting the button is a stainless steel trim.
To use the camera control, you have to click it once. Whether you hold the iPhone 16 in portrait or landscape, it opens the camera app.
Click the camera again, and you’ll take a photo. A click-and-hold gesture will enable video recording.
The button also has a high-precision force sensor to provide tactile feedback. Moreover, a “multipixel capacitive sensor” under the sapphire crystal works with a signal processor to recognize touch signals.
iPhone 16 will differentiate between full click and light press. The latter is a gesture that brings up a new overlay menu on the screen below the button. This allows you to select different camera options or adjust the zoom. You have to slide your finger on the sensor to select menus or zoom in and out.
A double light press will bring up additional controls.
Finally, camera controls will get a two-stage shutter via an update later this year. This will allow you to lock focus and exposure just like a professional camera. A light press will let you reframe the shot without losing focus.
Visual Intelligence
To access the Apple Intelligence feature exclusive to the iPhone 16 series with camera control, you have to click and hold the button while pointing the iPhone at objects around you.
On-device AI will recognize your context and provide assistance. It will understand that you are pointing the phone at the restaurant to give you opening times and reviews. It will let you add events to the Calendar app while viewing event ads on the street.
Visual intelligence will also help you recognize animals and objects. Finally, it will let you search the internet for things around you. This is Apple’s version of Google Lens and an emerging alternative to Circle to Search.
Visual intelligence features will roll out in the iPhone 16 in the future.
Can the camera controls support Touch ID?
The camera control button can change the way you use your iPhone. Given the complexity of the hardware and software, I wondered if Apple could have added Touch ID support to the button as well. Or whether future versions of the camera control will have it.
It might be overkill for users like me. I don’t care about unlocking the iPhone when it’s in my pocket. And when I hold the iPhone 16 up to my face it will authenticate me with Face ID when I’m using the camera or visual intelligence. But, again, Touch ID has many fans.
Post The iPhone 16’s new camera control button is proof that Apple could bring back Touch ID anytime soon appeared first BGR.