With the release of its latest iPhones, Apple finally retired the classic mute switch on the Pro models. So, if you have an iPhone 15 Pro Max or the smaller 15 Pro variant, you will find a new Action button located right above the volume controls. By default, the Action button still acts as a silent mode toggle, and thanks to iOS 17, users can pick one of several other actions. Furthermore, you can even use some workarounds to supercharge it and assign multiple tasks to it. If you're looking to explore the Action button's functionality, whether you're new to iPhones or more of a power user, we've got you covered.

Action button basics

The Action button supports a single task by default. To trigger it, you need to click and hold it for around a second. At the time of writing, there aren't different click combinations that can trigger other tasks, such as a double click. Whether Apple adds more combinations through future software updates is yet to be seen.

As mentioned above, the Action button defaults to toggling silent mode. To remap it for another task, follow the steps below:

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Go to the Action Button section.
  3. Scroll through the available options:
    • Silent Mode: This is the default selection, and it switches the mode on or off.
    • Focus: You can pick one of your existing Focus modes (for example, do not disturb) to toggle on or off.
    • Camera: You can assign the button to open the camera and go directly to some of the popular modes, such as Photo, Selfie, Video, Portrait, and Portrait Selfie. Clicking the Action button would also act as a shutter, while holding it would record a video once you've actually opened the Camera app.
    • Flashlight: You can set it to enable or disable the camera's LED.
    • Voice Memo: This is a quick way to start recording an audio track.
    • Translate: This would start a live audio translation session between the two languages you last used in the Translate app.
    • Shortcut: You can pick one of the shortcuts you've created in the built-in app to be triggered.
    • Accessibility: You can choose one of the popular accessibility features to be triggered.
    • No Action: You can set it so nothing happens when you click the Action button.
  4. Once you pick a task, it'll be executed whenever you click and hold on the Action button, which will be indicated on the Dynamic Island.

Action button advanced tasks

As we've established already, the Action button is quite limited regarding the number of tasks you can assign. However, you can rely on the Shortcuts app as a workaround to bring more tasks into the equation.

How to assign multiple tasks with the Action button

  1. Launch the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on the plus (+) button in the top right corner to create a new shortcut.
  3. Hit the Search Bar at the bottom and type "Menu."
  4. Tap the Choose from Menu button under Scripting.
  5. Rename "One" and "Two" to something relevant to their tasks. These will appear in the list of tasks when you trigger the Action button later on.
  6. Use the Search Bar to look up the desired task, such as calling someone or identifying music.
  7. Drag the chosen task to the menu's respective branch.
  8. You can create as many tasks as possible using the Add new item button.
  9. When you're done creating the tasks, hit Done in the top right corner.
  10. Now, follow the steps listed in the section above to assign Shortcut as the Action button's task.
  11. Pick the shortcut you just created.
  12. Now, whenever you click and hold the Action button, a drop-down menu will reveal all of the tasks you've created in the Dynamic Island. You can click any of them to trigger the relevant task. Through this method, you can make all the tasks you frequently execute more accessible by being a click away.

How to set conditional tasks with the Action button

If you don't want to have a long list of tasks pop up whenever you trigger the Action button, you can rely on conditional shortcuts that execute a certain task based on preassigned factors. For example, you might want the Action button to trigger Low Power mode when the battery is below 25%, but launch the Camera app if your iPhone is sufficiently charged. We'll use that as an example below:

  1. Launch the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
  2. Hit the plus (+) button in the top right corner.
  3. Tap on the Search Bar at the bottom and type "Battery."
  4. Click on Get Battery Status under Scripting.
  5. Search for "If," and insert the If action under Scripting.
  6. Set the Condition as is less than and type the desired low percentage, such as 25.
  7. Under If, search for and insert Set Low Power Mode.
  8. Under Otherwise, search for and insert Open App.
  9. Set the App as Camera.
  10. Hit the Done button in the top right corner to save the shortcut.
  11. Assign this shortcut as the Action button task, as demonstrated in the previous sections of this guide.
  12. Now, when you click and hold the Action button, if your battery is below 25%, it'll enable Low Power mode. Otherwise, it'll launch the Camera app. It's all automatic.

This is just one example of how you can utilize if statements in the Shortcuts app to create more powerful tasks for the Action button. You can similarly have a conditional task that checks your current location and reacts accordingly. For example, if you hit the Action button at work, it could toggle Focus mode, while hitting the same button at home would control your smart lights. And if you nest several if statements, you could even have a third option or more. So, when you're neither at home nor at work, it can launch the Camera app for shooting interesting moments when on the go.

You can even merge both sections above to create conditional lists of dynamic actions that change based on a number of factors. The possibilities are quite endless. How you get creative and use the various available conditionals is up to you.