Skip to main content

Did you know you can customize your iPhone 16’s Camera Control? Here’s how

iphone 16 review 8
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Apple’s latest and greatest iPhone 16 line is now available. The base model iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus now have the Action button and a more powerful A18 chip, while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have improved ultrawide cameras and the A18 Pro chip. All of the iPhone 16 phones can run Apple Intelligence once that is released in iOS 18.1 coming in October, and all models also have the new Camera Control.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Any iPhone 16 model

The Camera Control is a new physical button with touch control capabilities that sits flush on the bottom right of the iPhone 16 frame. By default, it will launch the Camera app, act as a shutter button, and allow you to adjust various camera settings.

But did you know you can also customize it in a few different ways? You can! Here's how.

How to change what the Camera Control does

With the Camera Control, the default setting is that a single click launches the Camera app, but you can change that if you wish. Here's what you need to do:

Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone 16.

Step 2: Select Camera.

Step 3: Select Camera Control.

Step 4: The Clean Preview is on by default. This will hide the rest of the Camera interface (changing modes, zoom, image preview, etc.) while you use the Camera Control. If you don’t like this, simply turn the toggle to OFF position.

Step 5: Under Launch Camera, you can choose whether you want it to be a single click or a double click.

Step 6: Lastly, you can change the app that opens with your preferred click setting for the Camera Control. The default is Camera, but you can also open Code Scanner, Magnifier, and select third-party apps that have supported Camera Control, like Halide and Instagram.

Select Camera Control, adjust settings to your liking.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

How to adjust the Camera Control's sensitivity

As you start to use Camera Control, you may not be satisfied with the default sensitivity setting to activate it. Thankfully, this can be changed to make it easier to use, or you can turn it off entirely if you’re not a fan.

Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone 16.

Step 2: Select Accessibility.

Step 3: Select Camera Control.

Step 4: If you want to disable Camera Control, just change the toggle for Camera Control to OFF. Now nothing will happen when you press Camera Control.

Step 5: If you don’t want to use the Camera Control to make adjustments when using the camera, switch the Show Adjustments toggle to OFF.

Step 6: You can change the pressure sensitivity of Camera Control to Lighter (easier) or Firmer (harder). It is on Default normally.

Step 7: You can also change the speed of the double light-press to Slow or Slower.

Select Camera Control, adjust settings to your liking.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

And that's all there is to it! The Camera Control is a really helpful tool out of the box, but you can make it work even better for yourself with a few small tweaks. Have fun!

Christine Romero-Chan
Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade. She graduated from California…
Apple might discontinue its most ‘courageous’ iPhone accessory
Apple's Lightning to 3.5mm headphone adapter.

Apple introduced the iPhone 7 in 2016. The phone is noted for being the first Apple handset to ship without a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack — something Apple infamously praised as a move that took "courage."

At a time when most wired headphones needed one of those jacks to listen to music, Apple had an interesting solution: a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter that shipped with every new phone. According to MacRumors, Apple is set to end production on that accessory.

Read more
It’s the end of the road for these two iPhone models
Apple iPhone 6S Plus

Seeing your favorite handheld gaming device in a retro store has a unique way of making you feel old, but Apple might have topped it. According to the company, the iPhone XS Max and iPhone 6s Plus are now "vintage." They join the ranks of the iPhone 4 and even the iPad Pro 12.9-inch model.

It's not wholly unexpected. Apple declares a device vintage after five years, and that means it becomes more difficult to have that device repaired or to find replacement parts for it. Obsolete is applied to products that are more than seven years old, but sometimes certain variants get that label early.

Read more
The best iPhone 15 cases in 2024: our 20 favorites
A green iPhone 15 in a bush.

Even though Apple has launched the iPhone 16, last year's model isn't going anywhere yet. In fact, the iPhone 15 is now a better buy than ever since Apple is selling it at a lower price — and you can find even deeper discounts online and from many carriers.

The iPhone 15 marked a watershed transition in Apple's standard iPhone lineup. It was a significant jump ahead of its 2022 predecessor, packing in the most significant camera improvements for a standard model since the iPhone 11 adopted the dual-lens camera design in 2019. That put it ahead of its time, and it's still a compelling choice against this year's iPhone 16, especially if Apple Intelligence isn't your cup of tea.

Read more