The Camera Control feature is one of the marquee features of the iPhone 16 lineup. This new button features several layers of software integration, and Apple thinks it adds state-of-the-art camera functionality.
However, day after day, I’m more convinced that this is the worst feature Apple has ever added to an iPhone. I first wrote about it a few days after the iPhone 16 became available. I called it Apple’s biggest hardware change on the iPhone 16 a huge disappointment. A month later, I wrote that iPhone 16 Camera Control might be the company’s worst new feature in years, and now I’m convinced that’s the case.
BGR‘s Chris Smith also wrote an article saying that the iPhone 16’s Camera Control was a disappointment, but he still missed having the Camera Control button after he returned his iPhone 16 Plus! However, there’s no need for me to mince words after more than three months: The Camera Control feature just sucks.
I already had three main issues with it (now with extra information on why they disturb me). But the latest software updates added a fourth issue:
- Fast-opening the Camera app with it is always laggy for me — sometimes, it actually causes my phone to reboot
- Taking photos with it is uncomfortable because of where the button is positioned, and I think it’s hard to use it in both Portrait and Landscape modes (also, I took so many shaking photos that it’s just not worth it)
- Selecting camera settings with it is slower than just tapping the screen (and with time, it has become more difficult and not the opposite)
- New: Fast-opening the Camera app usually brings a black screen, as the camera doesn’t activate
With all that in mind, I have pretty much abandoned the Camera Control functionality. I thought that iOS 18.2’s Visual Intelligence could change my mind about its utility, but it didn’t.
At the end of the day, the forgotten Action Button has proven more useful than the Camera Control. With the Action Button, I have added a neat shortcut that lets me play my downloaded Apple Music songs on shuffle. So handy.
After three months of issues, I’m convinced that Apple could do nothing to improve this feature, which is a shame. It feels like the company had several great ideas, but Cupertino was never able to fully take advantage of them. The Dynamic Island still feels empty, the Action Button is kind of useless for everyday users, and the Camera Control is overcomplicated.
I hope the iPhone 17 offers a more straightforward experience and not the opposite.
