When Apple introduces a new feature to the professional iPhone, it's only a matter of time before it spills over to the lower-priced models in the series, as it did with Dynamic Island, which debuted on the 14 Pro and is now on the iPhone 15, just one year later.

MacRumors has seen what it calls "extensive evidence" from sources that the Action Button will be on all iPhone 16 models. And early documents suggest it could potentially be a pressure-sensitive capacitive button that unlocks more flexible usage.

To review, the action button was introduced on the left side of the iPhone 15 Pro. It replaces the much-loved mute switch, but combines that functionality with several other options, including flashlight activation, quick launch of the camera, and on-the-fly translation in iOS 17.2. Early rumors suggested a capacitive sensor, but what eventually appeared was a physical tactile button.

The issue that forced Apple to move away from capacitive sensors last time appears to have been resolved; according to MacRumors, the new action button, codenamed "Atlas," will be "similar to the Touch ID home button on older iPhone models and the Mac Force Touch trackpad," and functions "similarly to the Force Touch trackpad.

To be clear, this does not mean that Touch ID itself will be resurrected; it is reportedly dead in the water. The internal document adds that the new part will have a force sensor that detects changes in pressure as well as a "tact switch feature."

What does it mean Even MacRumors is "unclear" what it means. It could be a typo in "task switching," but that is complete speculation on our part.

Interestingly, according to the site, this appears to be in conjunction with the newly rumored "capture" button for the camera, not in place of it. According to the report, the "capture" button will "include the same functionality as the improved action button."

The iPhone 16 is still early days, and MacRumors cautions against the report by noting that it is still many months away from mass production and that this is pre-production information. In other words, even though it is "unlikely," it could change.

In fact, it seems very likely that action buttons will be more widely adopted. Not only would unifying controls across devices make life easier for Apple and third-party app makers, but we have already heard that the action button will appear on the iPhone SE 4 in 2025. It seems certain that it will first appear on mid-range devices in order to be included on Apple's least expensive devices.