Aside from developing its own silicon for its iPhones, Apple hasn’t really done much new with its iPhone releases in recent years. However, the new camera control feature available on all iPhone 16 models this year might be one of the best features Apple has introduced in recent years. And in typical Apple style, it’s simple, useful, and incorporates recent technological advancements.
Unlike the action buttons introduced last year, The camera control isn’t actually a buttonIt’s a small touch-capacitive area with pressure-sensitive sensors and haptic motors underneath that generate haptic feedback to mimic the actual clickiness of a button. It’s basically the same technology used in the Force Touch touchpads of today’s MacBooks. And it’s covered in sapphire glass, so it should be durable, too.
With a quick press of the button, you can now instantly Launch the camera and, with a second press, take a photo. Long press the The video recording will begin.
Depending on the camera setting or mode you choose, it offers easy control Through swipingFor example, you can zoom in or zoom out, adjust the strength of the faux bokeh in Portrait mode, adjust the exposure in Pro mode, etc.
Since this is a capacitive touch area that’s also pressure-sensitive, it can be assigned different actions depending on how hard you press the button. Double-Press It is also used to select certain modes from the camera menu.
A two-stage shutter release feature is also in the works, but will be released later this year. This will allow you to lock focus and exposure and recompose your shot before taking the final photo, which requires you to press harder.
Third-party developers are already working on using the camera control button in their apps as Apple is allowing the new button to be used in any app. Snapchat will be one of the first to use it as it was demoed on stage last night.
In addition, the Camera Control button makes it easier to use Apple’s Visual Intelligence feature. Click and hold the Camera Control to start Apple’s Camera Control. Visual intelligence feature. All you have to do is point to a specific object, be it a restaurant, a landmark, a dog in the park or a festival ad, tap the button to take a photo and the AI will extract the relevant information and add the festival to your calendar as well.
Visual intelligence through camera control
You can even start complex conversations about your work or university notes with ChatGPT. Just point with your camera, click and wait for the result.
On-demand visual search using visual intelligence
Apple says this system uses on-board computing and cloud resources to give you relevant search results from the web. And don’t worry about the images you share, the company ensures that no images are stored on its servers.
Notably, Not all AI-related features will be available at launchIn fact, iOS 18 will not even come with the said feature set and will likely arrive with another software update by the end of this year.
Still, the camera control button seems like a promising new feature and you can use it with or without AI.