I’m so glad I didn’t ignore the iPhone 16’s Camera Control

Before I used the iPhone 16, I was conflicted about the Camera Control. At first, I thought it just added a fun physical element to the camera, but when I remembered the years of muscle memory involved with taking photos with the iPhone using the touchscreen, I questioned whether it would be worth the effort to retrain myself to use it.

Now, after having forced myself to press the Camera Control on the iPhone 16 Plus, I’m here to tell you to do the same, as it does a whole lot more than just snap photos.

Photographic Styles are its secret weapon

It’s easy to dismiss the Camera Control as little more than a physical shutter button so you can hold the iPhone 16 in landscape orientation and use it a bit like a compact camera. While it does have this functionality, it’s only the start. Having now explored and experimented with the control, I’ve found this is the least creatively interesting aspect of it.

Before we go further, here’s an overview of what it can basically do, in case you’re not familiar. Press the Camera Control fully once to quickly launch the camera app on your iPhone 16. Then, you can either press it fully again to take a photo, swipe along the surface to switch between cameras or zoom right in on your subject. It’s fine, but because the button is placed fairly high up the side of the phone, it can be a bit awkward to press, and the normal controls are often faster to access.

Instead of leaving the Camera Control here and not bothering with it much again, you need to explore it more. Soft-tap the Camera Control twice. Don’t fully press it, just tap it in quick succession, and a whole new menu system opens up. From here, you can manually change the exposure and depth of field, along with having finer control over the zoom feature. You even switch between the rear and the selfie camera. But it’s the last two options I think you’ll enjoy most: Photographic Styles and Tone.

More than just filters

I didn’t really pay much attention to Photographic Styles until now, mostly because you were forced to choose a style and stick with it, with no opportunity to change to another after you’d taken the photo. That has changed with iOS 18 and the iPhone 16 series as Photographic Styles can now be swapped out after you’ve taken a photo. The number of styles has also been increased, and there’s now a way to tune the look exactly to your liking in real time.

All of this is available using the Camera Control, and it’s a lot easier than swiping and tapping on the screen. Here’s an example. I like to use black-and-white filters on some photos. To adopt this Photographic Style, you tap an icon at the top right of the screen and then swipe across the screen to scroll through the available styles. To adjust the tone, you use the special panel and slider at the bottom of the screen.

While it’s certainly not difficult, I think the Camera Control is a neater way to achieve the same thing. Lightly double-tap the Camera Control and select Styles, then swipe across the button to preview how each style changes the scene. Your fingers never cover the screen, and it’s also easier to swipe between options in landscape orientation using this method. Once you’ve chosen the style, use the same double-tap to go back a step and then select Tone. Now you’re ready to swipe and adjust the final look. Then fully press the Camera Control to take the photo.

Camera Control in a case

I’ve been using the Camera Control on an iPhone 16 Plus, and it’s also available on the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I’ve also had the phone inside Apple’s official silicone case, which differs from many third-party cases by covering the Camera Control with another button rather than leaving it uncovered. There’s always a concern about responsiveness when you add another layer to a touch-sensitive panel, so how is it?

The Apple silicone case has a sapphire crystal surface with a conductive layer for seamless interaction with the Camera Control, and it works really well, even when you want to lightly double-tap the button. It also sits flush with the surface, while cutouts in other cases make it just a little more awkward to swipe, which is a crucial part of using the Camera Control for Photographic Styles.

Does all this mean I’m completely turned around about the Camera Control? While I’ve definitely found a use for it that I didn’t expect, it doesn’t change the fact I’m predisposed to using the regular touchscreen controls for the camera, or that the button itself is quite high up on the body so it doesn’t fall quite as easily under your finger as it should — especially on the larger iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Also, the changes to Photographic Styles are permanent and stay in place until you change them, even if you close the camera app, which can be frustrating.

The right feature at the right time

But I don’t mind. I definitely see the Camera Control in a new light due to the additional menu system for Photographic Styles, and I consider it a clever extra feature on the iPhone 16 that I’ll enjoy using when the time is right. In the same way I don’t always want to change the Photographic Style, I don’t think I’ll always feel the need to use the Camera Control.

And as I get more familiar with it and what it can do, I find I mix the Camera Control’s functionality with the regular iPhone app controls, so my use becomes a hybrid of the new button, the touchscreen, and other shortcuts. I’m so used to opening the camera app with the lock screen shortcut that I still use it, but go straight to the Camera Control to switch Photographic styles, then press the button to take the photo. It has quickly entered my iPhone camera workflow.

Discovering how the Camera Control and Photographic Styles work so well together gives me a reason to use them both, and I think it’ll open up new ways of being creative with the iPhone 16’s camera. If you’ve ignored the Camera Control thinking it only did one thing, just like I did, give it a try now and have fun with the new Photographic Styles.