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.