Apple may ditch quantity controls for extra Motion buttons with future iPhone

Key Takeaways

Apple’s new patent hints at future iPhones with user-configurable quantity buttons.
Apple first launched the Motion Button with the iPhone 15 Professional.
It is unclear if this patent will turn out to be actuality. Nevertheless, it was just lately filed by Apple and revealed by the U.S. Patent Workplace.

Final yr, Apple debuted the Action Button on the iPhone 15 Pro. It is a little bit button on the cellphone’s left facet which you can program to do nearly something you need, like turning in your flashlight or calling a good friend. Now it appears the Cupertino-based firm is seeking to broaden this functionality to different buttons on the iPhone.

The U.S. Patent Workplace has published a brand new Apple patent that reveals a future iPhone may get much more Motion Buttons, due to all three buttons on the left facet of the cellphone turning into user-configurable. The patent was first noticed by Patently Apple, and whereas the language within the patent is fairly technical and never very concise, the drawings paint a a lot clearer image.

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Who wants up and down quantity anyway?

Patent footage present configurable quantity buttons

Apple / U.S. Patent Workplace

As you’ll be able to see above, the patent pictures present the already current Motion Button as user-configurable and the quantity up and down buttons. If this patent applies to a future iPhone and also you now not need the quantity buttons, you possibly can reprogram them to do one thing else, like ordering a Starbucks coffee, toggling silent mode on and off, or beginning a voice memo. Whereas that is cool, and having extra choices is nice, I would miss the common quantity buttons fairly rapidly.

That is only a patent, so it isn’t assured to occur. Apple might select to proceed leaving the quantity buttons as they’re. Nevertheless, the patent was filed in Might this yr and launched this previous week, so the thought is contemporary in Apple’s thoughts. Apparently, the patent additionally applies to the iPad and the Mac, so maybe these gadgets may get an Motion Button sooner or later.

Apple launched the Motion Button with the iPhone 15 Professional/Professional Max. This yr, Apple added the Motion Button to your entire iPhone 16 lineup and a brand new digicam management button. With Apple including new buttons on the previous two iPhone releases, maybe the iPhone 17 can have this characteristic accessible when it launches in September 2025.