One button to rule them all

I recently bought a new phone and after using it for a few weeks I must say it really is an upgrade. Longer battery life and better camera were the main reasons to buy a new phone, but there is one new feature on this phone that makes it a real upgrade; the action button.

Previous iterations of this model had a toggle on the side to set the phone to silent mode, but the Apple replaced this switch on the iPhone 15 with a button. This results in the loss of a visible que to see what status the switch has. This means that the device has a lower agency. The button has more options, but is less tactile and intuitive. In return we now have a button that is customisable; it can do what you want it do do and even takes your context into account; It’s dynamic… This means you can toggle the ringtone on or off, depending on your location.

The mechanic behind this sorcery is the shortcut app; a very powerful tool to make your life easier, but it comes with a learning curve. There tons of situations and variables that you can help you create a contextual flow and after some experimentation you can actually configure something that makes sense.

With the help of the action button, I can now unlock my bike without taking my gloves off and boost the heater at home. The future is here! I’m sure there are more relevant “actions” you can initiate with the help of this smart button, but sometimes we need a little tech-push to jumpstart the ideation.

Time for action!