Apple's making the iPhone 16's Camera Control button more useful

Apple’s new Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 series was one of those features that sounded exciting during the announcement. A button dedicated to making the camera experience even quicker? Great! Yet, in practice, it didn’t exactly blow users away. The position felt awkward, and while it launched the Camera app and allowed users to switch modes or zoom, it didn’t make taking photos much easier. In fact, as reviewers pointed out, it could even cause a bit of camera shake. Now, with the latest iOS 18.2 beta, Apple is adding a feature that could finally make Camera Control feel like a useful addition.

New focus and exposure lock

In the iOS 18.2 beta 2, Apple has added the ability to lock focus and exposure directly through Camera Control on the iPhone 16 series. With this update, you can lightly press and hold the button to keep your focus and exposure settings steady. As long as you hold the button, your settings won’t reset, giving you more control over tricky lighting conditions or dynamic environments.

While this feature was hinted at during Apple’s September iPhone event, it wasn’t available at launch. Now, developers have access to it in beta testing, as highlighted by 9to5Mac. Apple promises it will be ready for everyone with the official iOS 18.2 update set to roll out in December.

Some common issues still need improvement

Early reviewers of the Camera Control button noted a few issues. Digital Trends pointed out that the button’s placement on the side of the iPhone’s frame made it awkward to use, especially for landscape shots. The need to press the button firmly also caused enough camera shake to blur some shots, particularly in low light. Tom’s Guide went even further, calling it “clunky” and overly complicated. The new focus and exposure lock could help address at least some of these concerns by giving users more practical, fine-tuned control over their camera settings.

So even with the new focus and exposure lock functionality, the early complaints linger. We might have to wait for a change in the position of the Camera Control button until Apple’s next hardware cycle, so users will likely need to get accustomed to the somewhat awkward side placement. And while the button now offers more functionality, the physical act of pressing it with enough pressure might still introduce some shake.

A sign of good things to come?

If you’ve been one of the iPhone 16 owners frustrated with the limitations of the Camera Control button, this update could be a turning point. Apple’s incremental approach to refining its features might mean we’ll see even more improvements to Camera Control, possibly taking it from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-use” feature.

For now, though, it’s fair to say Apple is taking steps in the right direction. As iOS 18.2 moves closer to its December release, we’ll soon see if this update makes the iPhone’s new dedicated camera button feel as powerful as Apple originally envisioned.