With the iPhone 16 series launch just a week away, it seems this next generation of smartphones is doing away with a classic part of the iPhone’s design. According to a new rumor, the silent switch has had its day in the sun and won’t feature on any of the new phones.
This latest report is from X account Apple Hub, accompanied by a mock-up image of the new Action button in place of the silent switch. This won’t come as a shock to owners of the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, the two best gaming iPhones at the time of writing, as we saw the same change on Apple‘s premium models last year. However, it now seems to apply to all iPhone 16 devices, including the base model and Plus version.
The lack of a silent switch doesn’t mean you won’t be able to mute your phone quickly, though. The Action button enables you to perform a variety of actions, one of which is silencing your device. You can also use it to bring up your camera or flashlight or even record a voice memo. Honestly, it offers a lot more utility than the silent switch, so it’s no surprise to see Apple make the change across all the iPhone 16 devices. It’s something we’ve also seen from some of the best Android phones in 2024, with the whole industry appearing to turn away from the silent switch.
Of course, we won’t know whether this supposed leak surrounding the demise of the iPhone’s silent switch is on the money until the big reveal event on September 9. We’re also waiting to find out if rumors surrounding a potential capture button come to fruition, though it seems slightly unlikely given that the Action button has an option to bring up the camera.
In terms of what else we’re expecting for the iPhone 16 series, all the pre-launch rumors point to smaller bezels, new colors, and, most importantly, the same chipset across all four models. Apple usually distinguishes its two cheaper offerings, the base model and Plus, from the premium Pro and Pro Max by giving them different chipsets. However, with the advent of Apple’s AI features under the Apple Intelligence umbrella, we’re expecting all four devices to use the same processor to power the new tools.