Free up your iPhone’s Action button with these 7 creative shortcuts

When Apple introduced the iPhone 15 Pro, it removed the classic mute switch that had been part of the iPhone design since the first model. Today, every iPhone features a customizable action button, which users can freely reassign to several different actions. Some of the default actions include muting the iPhone, toggling focus mode, launching the Camera app, recognizing a song, recording audio, and voice translation.

While these actions are sufficient for many users, professionals may find them mediocre. Fortunately, iOS supports deeper customizations through Apple’s Shortcuts app, allowing the Action button to perform a virtually infinite number of tasks. Once you understand the logic behind the function, you can create and assign any shortcut you want.

Toggle Generic Control Center

If you find the built-in Shortcuts app too complex, you can make do with the Control Center switches. While they’re not as flexible, they do include some useful first-party and third-party features that you can assign to the Action button, beyond Apple’s default suggestions.

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Simply go to action button section in the Settings app and scroll horizontally to reach the Controls option. Touch Choose a control to see a complete list of available options that you can use with the Action button. Some of the popular actions include toggling dark mode, playing background music, starting a quick note, and launching Calculator. Depending on the apps you have installed, you will also find other actions provided by third-party developers.

Once you’ve chosen a switch, iOS will complete the desired task each time you press and hold the Action button.

Summon AI assistants

Siri is far from a reliable virtual assistant, especially when it comes to holding longer conversations. Fortunately, you can assign a third-party AI assistant to the Action button to mimic Siri’s side button shortcut.

First, you will need to download the official Gemini app. (Or, if you don’t like Google’s AI, you can also use the feature with other popular chatbot apps, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.) Once installed and logged in, you will find new options in the Controls list mentioned in the previous section. Some of the shortcuts included in Gemini include typing a message, talking live, scanning with the camera, uploading a file, and more. Assign the functionality you normally rely on and you’ll always be one click away from the Action button on startup.

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Unlock your car

The Action button doesn’t necessarily have to control your iPhone. If you have a newer car, it likely offers a companion iOS app that you can use to unlock, start, or adjust it. Many vehicle manufacturers have built these capabilities into the built-in Shortcuts app, making them compatible with the Action button.

Launch the Shortcuts app and tap the plus (+) button to create a new shortcut. Scroll through the list of apps in the shortcut builder and locate your car’s companion app. Tap it to see the available actions compatible with your model. Choose the one you need the most and then save the shortcut.

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Go to action button section in the Settings app and scroll horizontally to find the Shortcut option. Touch Choose a shortcutand choose the one you just created. Activating the Action button will now control your car in the way you have specified.

smart home switch

Similarly, the Action button can control certain smart home products, such as lights, through the Shortcuts app. In the shortcut creation flow described above, locate the Home app. If you simply want to turn a light on or off, opt for the lever accessory either Scene action and choose the corresponding HomeKit bulb. For deeper controls, you can opt for the Control Home action instead, which, for example, allows you to specify the color and intensity of the light, not just turn it on or off.

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Once you have finished setting up and saving the shortcut, you can assign it to the Action button as described in the previous section.

call your partner

Remember the speed dial feature from the prehistoric era of Nokia phones? You can replicate it using the Action button on your iPhone. To do this, create a new shortcut, select Phone from the application list and insert the Call action. Choose your partner’s contact card, save the shortcut and assign it to the Action button. And voila!

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Multiple actions

Now, you may be thinking that some of these use cases are quite specific and it doesn’t make sense for them to take up the Action button’s only function slot. Fortunately, there is a solution for this: the toolbox approach.

Create a new shortcut, navigate to the Shortcuts app in the creation flow and add the Run shortcut action. In the action options, set whitespace to ask every time. Now you can head back to the Action button settings and assign the newly created shortcut. Every time you activate it, it will show a list of your other shortcuts and you can tap any of them to execute the task needed at the moment. As such, you can assign all of the above-mentioned shortcuts simultaneously to the Action button.

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Conditional shortcuts

While it works, the toolbox approach can be overwhelming if you’ve created a lot of shortcuts. What if there was a smarter way to incorporate multiple tasks into the Action button, without having to manually choose a shortcut from the all-encompassing list?

When you’re outdoors, for example, you probably won’t need to access your smart home shortcuts. With conditional shortcuts, you can program the Action button to react to its location and continue with a specific task accordingly.

Create a new shortcut, then find and add the Get current location action. Add the Yeah action, change the default Latitude selection to Streetand write the name of your local street in the blank space at the end.

Add a Run shortcut action under Yeah action and select the smart home shortcut you created earlier. If you usually call your partner when you’re away from home, add another Run shortcut action under Otherwiseand select the speed dial shortcut. When you’re done, assign the conditional shortcut to the Action button.

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Now, when you activate the Action button, it will first check your current location using your iPhone’s GPS. If the street you are currently on matches your home address, it will automatically toggle your smart appliance. Otherwise, your partner will be called.

This is just a basic example of how powerful conditional shortcuts can be. You can create if statements that detect your current activity for execution-related shortcuts. Similarly, you can set the Action button to perform specific tasks depending on the app you have in the foreground, the phone’s orientation, battery level, or other factors. You can even nest multiple if statements to create a comprehensive shortcut that fits everything you do. It may take some time to get there, but it is technically possible.