To set the Action button on an iPhone, open Settings > Action Button, swipe left or right until the action you want is on screen, and leave Settings. The choice is saved as soon as you swipe to it. To use the button, press and hold it. This works on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the newer models listed below. The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have a Ring/Silent switch instead, so they do not have this setting.
The Action button is a physical button on the left side of the phone. It sits where the Ring/Silent switch is on other models. Out of the box it is set to Silent Mode, so holding it switches the phone between Silent and Ring. You can assign it a different job at any time.
Apple’s list of models with an Action button in the iOS 27 iPhone User Guide includes:
- iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, and iPhone 16e
- iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max
- iPhone Air
- iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
Apple’s separate article on iPhone buttons and controls also names iPhone 17e as a model with an Action button. If your phone is not on either list, look for a small switch above the volume buttons. A switch means there is no Action Button menu in Settings, and the alternatives near the end of this guide apply to you.
These steps follow Apple’s Use and customize the Action button guide. Assigning a new action replaces the current one, because the button holds only one action at a time. If you rely on it to silence the phone, read the Silent Mode section below before you change it.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Action Button. A picture of the side of the iPhone appears, with icons for the actions you can assign.
- Swipe left or right to move through the actions. The name of the current one appears below the row of dots.
- Stop on the action you want. If a menu button appears below the action name, tap it and pick one of the listed options.
- Leave Settings. There is no Save or Done button. The action shown on screen when you leave is the one assigned.
- Press and hold the Action button to confirm that it now does what you chose.
Actions you can assign
Apple lists the following actions for iOS 27. The exact set on your phone can differ with your iOS version, model, language, and region.
| Action | What holding the button does | Extra choice needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Mode | Switches between Silent and Ring for calls and alerts. This is the default. | No |
| Focus | Turns on a Focus to silence notifications and filter out distractions. | Optional |
| Camera | Opens the Camera app. | Optional |
| Visual Intelligence | Uses the camera to learn about places and objects around you. Requires Apple Intelligence. | No |
| Flashlight | Turns the flashlight on or off. | No |
| Voice Memo | Records a voice memo. | No |
| Recognize Music | Identifies a song playing nearby or on the iPhone with Shazam. | No |
| Translate | Translates phrases or a conversation. | No |
| Magnifier | Turns the iPhone into a magnifying glass. | No |
| Controls | Runs a control of the kind found in Control Center. | Yes |
| Shortcut | Opens an app or runs a shortcut from the Shortcuts app. | Yes |
| Accessibility | Turns on an accessibility feature. | Yes |
| No Action | Nothing. The button is turned off. | No |
Pay attention to the last column. For Controls, Shortcut, and Accessibility, Apple says you must tap the button below the action and select a specific option. If you only swipe to one of these and leave, the Action button does nothing.
Visual Intelligence needs Apple Intelligence. Apple says Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 is available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 models or later, and not in every language or region. If the action is missing from your list, that is the likely reason.
A shortcut is a saved task from Apple’s Shortcuts app, such as opening one app or running several steps in a row. The Shortcut action is how you make the button do something that is not in the built-in list.
- Go to Settings > Action Button.
- Swipe to Shortcut.
- Tap Choose a Shortcut.
- Select a shortcut from the list. To make the button open an app, choose the option for opening an app and then pick the app.
- Leave Settings, then press and hold the Action button to run it.
Apple documents these steps in Run shortcuts with the Action button. If the shortcut you want is not listed, create it in the Shortcuts app first and then return to this screen. For one example, a shortcut can turn rotation lock on or off.
Press and hold the button. A quick press is not enough, which helps prevent the action from running by accident in a pocket or bag.
For many actions the button works as an on/off control. With Silent Mode assigned, holding the button turns Silent mode on, and holding it again turns Silent mode off. The flashlight behaves the same way. If the light stays on, see how to turn off the flashlight for other ways to switch it off.
On iPhone 16 and later models with Camera Control, clicking Camera Control already opens the Camera app. That leaves the Action button free for something else, such as the flashlight or a shortcut. For the other ways to switch the light on, see how to turn on the iPhone flashlight.
Once you assign another action, holding the button no longer mutes the phone. Apple’s Silence iPhone page gives the replacement: go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and turn Silent Mode on or off.
Silent mode does not mute everything. Apple notes that Clock alarms, audio apps such as Music, and many games still play sound through the speaker. To mute a game, change its own settings, for example by turning off Super Mario Run sounds. In some countries or regions, the Camera and Voice Memos sound effects also play. For more detail, see how to silence calls on iPhone and how to turn off the iPhone camera shutter sound.
Nothing here is permanent. To restore the original behavior, go to Settings > Action Button and swipe back to Silent Mode. To stop the button from doing anything, swipe to No Action. This is useful if the button keeps getting pressed by accident.
Troubleshooting
- There is no Action Button menu in Settings. The menu appears only on models with the button. Check the model list above. If your iPhone has a Ring/Silent switch, it does not have this setting.
- The button does nothing. Open Settings > Action Button. If it shows Controls, Shortcut, or Accessibility, tap the button below the action name and pick a specific option. Also check that it is not set to No Action.
- A quick press does not work. That is expected. Press and hold the button.
- Visual Intelligence is not in the list. It requires Apple Intelligence, which depends on your model, language, and region.
- Your shortcut is missing. Create or add it in the Shortcuts app, then tap Choose a Shortcut again.
- The phone no longer goes silent. The button has a different action. Use Settings > Sounds & Haptics, or assign Silent Mode again.
- The button does not respond at all. Remove any case that may be blocking it and restart the iPhone. If it still does nothing with a working action assigned, contact Apple Support, because it may need service.
You cannot add the Action Button menu to an unsupported model, but Apple includes a similar feature called Back Tap. It runs an action when you double-tap or triple-tap the back of the phone.
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.
- Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap.
- Choose an action, such as taking a screenshot, turning on an accessibility feature, or running a shortcut.
To turn it off later, return to the same screen and choose None. Apple describes the feature in Tap the back of iPhone to perform actions or shortcuts.
Frequently asked questions
Does the iPhone 15 have an Action button?
Only iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max do. The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have a Ring/Silent switch, so the Action Button menu does not appear in Settings on those models.
Can the Action button do more than one thing?
The button holds one action at a time in Settings. The Shortcut action is the flexible option, because the shortcut you assign can be built in the Shortcuts app to carry out more than one step.
Do I need to save my choice?
No. There is no Save button on the Action Button screen. Whatever action is showing when you leave Settings is assigned. For Controls, Shortcut, and Accessibility, you also need to pick a specific option first.
Why does my iPhone open the wrong thing when I hold the button?
The button runs whatever is currently assigned. Open Settings > Action Button to see the current action, then swipe to the one you want.
How do I turn off the Action button?
Go to Settings > Action Button and swipe to No Action. Holding the button then does nothing until you assign an action again.
Next step
Open Settings > Action Button and swipe through the full list once so you can see every option your iPhone offers. Pick the action you would use most often, hold the button to test it, and remember that Silent Mode is still available in Settings > Sounds & Haptics.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.