Code clue points another finger at iPhone 15 Pro 'Action Button' feature

(Image credit: Future)

Apple’s iOS 17 Beta 7, released this week, has been found to contain new code relating to new haptic feedback patterns for where the mute button is usually found on an iPhone.

Usually, this wouldn’t be much to look into. But with constant hearsay that the mute button is about to be replaced by an ‘Action Button’, where you can set app and settings shortcuts on iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max (Ultra), it’s getting harder to disregard this rumor.

As 9to5Mac reports, these new patterns vibrate much more prominently compared to those activated when toggling the mute button in previous iOS releases. So if you’re switching between different apps or settings that you’ve set this Action button to control, you would be able to tell what’s been enabled by these stronger haptics.

If it makes the cut to the final hardware release, this new feature for the Pro models could prove handy for quick-fire actions. But there’s an accessibility feature that could already give you an idea of what you could use the Action button for, if you decide to upgrade next month.

Backtap to the Future - iMore’s Take

Available on iOS 14 or later, BackTap allows you to launch an app or an action by tapping the back of your iPhone multiple times. You can go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch right now to enable Back Tap.

I’ve been using this since its arrival, and its abilities have changed over the years. Currently, I tap twice and the Camera app will launch, while tapping three times will make a ChatGPT Shortcut appear.

It’s been incredibly useful, and with it being an accessibility feature, it seems as if Apple decided that it could be great as a more prominent hardware feature too, via the rumored Action Button.

While an Action Button already exists in the Apple Watch Ultra, it feels as though BackTap is the starting point for the natural evolution the Action Button is taking as it jumps to iPhone.

With an improved camera, a thinner bezel, and this new button all allegedly coming to these models, it’s only making me more excited for my iPhone 15 Pro Max (Ultra) upgrade, tentatively scheduled for next month.

Daryl is iMore's Features Editor, overseeing long-form and in-depth articles and op-eds. Daryl loves using his experience as both a journalist and Apple fan to tell stories about Apple's products and its community, from the apps we use everyday to the products that have been long forgotten in the Cupertino archives.

Previously Software & Downloads Writer at TechRadar, and Deputy Editor at StealthOptional, he's also written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', which tells the story of the beginnings of Lara Croft and the series' early development. He's also written for many other publications including WIRED, MacFormat, Bloody Disgusting, VGC, GamesRadar, Nintendo Life, VRV Blog, The Loop Magazine, SUPER JUMP, Gizmodo, Film Stories, TopTenReviews, Miketendo64 and Daily Star.