Get the Shot: How to Take Photos With the iPhone 16's Camera Control Button
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Snapping a quick photo on your iPhone can be tricky. You have to open the Camera app, set the zoom and exposure and other controls, and then try to take the picture. By then, the subject of your intended photo may be gone. Setting the default camera settings can help, but there's an even better option now.
The iPhone 16 lineup include a new touch-sensitive Camera Control button that aims to help you take pictures faster and easier. You'll find it on the right side about two-thirds of the way down appearing as a curved rectangular white button. Pressing the control once opens the Camera app. Press it again to snap the photo. Pressing down slightly, and then swiping left and right zooms in and out. Lightly pressing the control locks the focus and exposure.
The Camera Control button requires some trial and error. You’ll need to learn how, when, and where to tap the button to trigger the right feature. After trying it, you may be tempted to go back to the standard on-screen controls. But give it some time and you may grow to like it, at least in certain instances. Here's how it works.
Customize Camera Control Settings
By default, pressing the Camera Control once opens the built-in iOS Camera app, but you can change this and several other options under Settings > Camera > Camera Control. Enable Clean Preview to remove the on-screen camera controls for an unobstructed view of your subject. You may want to keep this off if you're still not ready to go all-in on the physical Camera Control button.
Under the Launch Camera section, you can choose between a single click or a double click to open the Camera app. The single click is quicker, but if you find yourself triggering the control accidentally, switch it to Double Click to see if that works better.
This screen also lists different camera and social apps, as well as utility features, on your phone. If you want to trigger a program other than the default Camera app, such as Instagram, tap the one you wish to use. Those with vision impairments can use the Magnifier option to quickly use the camera as a magnifying glass. If you don’t want to use the Camera Control at all, you can set this option to None.
Take a Picture and Change Camera Settings
Now, line up a scene that you want to shoot. Press down on the Camera Control, and the Camera app opens. To take a photo with the default settings, just tap the button again. To shoot a video, hold down the Camera Control and release it when you wish to stop the video recording.
To display a list of camera settings, lightly tap the Camera control twice. Slide your finger up and down on the button (left and right if it’s in landscape mode) to cycle through the exposure, depth of field, zoom, cameras, style, and tone settings.
When you find the setting you wish to change, lightly tap the Camera Control once to access it. Then move your finger up and down to cycle through the options for that setting. Here’s how each one works:
Exposure
Use this setting to lighten or darken the scene and move between 2 EV and -2 EV. The exposure value combines shutter speed and aperture to determine how much light will reach the lens. The more light, the brighter the scene; the less light, the darker the scene. Play around with the exposure if a scene is too bright or too dark, or to add a certain aesthetic to the photo. For example, a scene that’s slightly darker may be more interesting than one that's conventionally bright.
Depth of Field
This setting determines how sharp the background of a scene is compared to the subject of the photo. Make the depth of field higher to put more of the scene into focus and lower to make the background out of focus, like in Portrait Mode. You may need a lower DOF to capture a photo in a dark environment, while a scene with ample lighting may be set to a high number. However, an image with a blurry background may be more appealing than one with the entire scene in focus.
Zoom
The zoom setting simply zooms in and out of the subject. You may need to zoom in to capture a faraway subject and zoom out to capture a large area.
Styles
The styles setting applies a specific color temperature to the photo, such as warm or cold. Here, you can choose among several different styles, including stark black & white, muted black & white, luminous, natural, vibrant, amber, gold, neutral, and more.
Tone
The tone setting controls the amount of shadowing in your photos, another way to essentially lighten or darken the scene. Moving from 1 to -1, you can add or subtract shadows to create a dramatic effect.
Adjust Accessibility Settings
You can also change certain settings for Camera Control through the Accessibility screen. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Camera Control to enable or disable the Camera Control button. You can also enable or disable the ability to make adjustments when you lightly press the Camera Control.
If the Camera Control doesn’t always respond properly when pressed, you may want to change the amount of pressure that needs to be applied or the speed that is needed to perform a double light-press.
