Android’s missing action button would put iPhones to shame
Android’s missing action button would put iPhones to shame
https://www.howtogeek.com/androids-missing-action-button-would-put-iphones-to-shame/
Publish Date: 2026-04-07 08:45:00
Source Domain: www.howtogeek.com
Android has a reputation of being more customizable than the iPhone, but that’s become less true over the last few years. For example, iPhones now come with an extra button just for shortcuts—Android could do it so much better, though.
The “Action Button” made its debut in 2023 with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. It replaced the long-standing mute switch, which has since been replaced by the Action Button on every iPhone model. There’s a lot of potential for a fully customizable bonus button, but that potential is not realized on an iPhone.
The Action Button is limited
It’s still an Apple device, after all
Admittedly, the Action Button is pretty darn cool. Combined with Apple’s excellent Shortcuts app, it can do some powerful stuff. For example, you can set it up to do different things when pressed based on the time of day. The problem is that Apple never truly relinquishes control to its customers.
The Action Button can only be assigned one action at a time. That action could be a complex multi-part automation, but it is still just one action. You can’t assign actions to a double-tap, triple-tap, or even a single tap. It’s a long-press and one action—that’s it. If you still want mute switch functionality with the Action Button, you haven’t actually gained anything.
This is a very common complaint amongst iPhone users. To get around it, people make the Action Button open Control Center or a menu of Shortcuts. But at that point, it’s just a shortcut to other shortcuts. I can’t help but feel like Android phones could do so much more.
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