Unleash 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 very first model. Nowadays, all iPhones have a customizable action button, which users can freely remap to different actions. Some of the default actions include muting the iPhone, switching to Focus mode, launching the Camera app, recognizing a song, recording audio, and translating speech.

While these actions are sufficient for many users, professionals may find them lackluster. 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 this feature, you should be able to create and assign any shortcut you want.

Generic Control Center Toggles

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

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

Once you choose a toggle, iOS will complete the desired task every time you hold down the Action button.

Summon AI Assistants

Siri is far from a reliable virtual assistant, especially when it comes to maintaining longer conversations. Luckily, 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 this feature with other popular chatbot apps, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.) Once installed and logged in, you’ll find new toggles in the Controls list mentioned in the previous section. Some of the shortcuts provided by Gemini include typing a prompt, live chat, scanning with the camera, uploading a file, etc. Assign the feature you typically rely on, and it will always be one click away from the launch action button.

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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’s likely that it offers a companion iOS app that you can use to unlock, start, or tune it. Many automakers have integrated these features 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 view available actions compatible with your model. Choose the one you need most, then save the shortcut.

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Head towards the Action button in the Settings app and scroll horizontally to find the Shortcut option. Press Choose a shortcutand choose the one you just created. Triggering the Action button will now control your car in the way you specified.

Smart home switch

Likewise, the Action button can control some 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 Rocking accessory Or Scene action and choose the appropriate HomeKit bulb. For more in-depth checks, you can opt for the Control the house 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 configuring and saving the shortcut, you can assign it to the action button as shown 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, choose Phone in the list of applications and insert the Call action. Choose your partner’s contact card, save the shortcut and assign it to the Action button. And there you have it!

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Multiple actions

Now you might be thinking that some of these use cases are quite specialized and it doesn’t make sense for them to occupy the sole function slot of the action button. Fortunately, there is a workaround to this problem: the toolbox approach.

Create a new shortcut, go to the Shortcuts app in the creation flow and add the Run shortcut action. In the action options, set blank space to Ask every time. You can now access the action button settings again and assign the newly created shortcut. Every time you trigger it, it will display a list of your other shortcuts, and you can press any of them to perform the necessary task on the spot. So you can assign all the above-mentioned shortcuts to the action button simultaneously.

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Conditional shortcuts

Even though it works, the toolbox approach can be overwhelming if you have created many 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 exhaustive list?

When you’re outside, 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 your location and continue a specific task accordingly.

Create a new shortcut, then find and add it Get current location action. Add the If action, change the default Latitude selection to Streetand type your original street name in the blank space at the end.

Add a Run shortcut action under the If 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 Otherwisethen select the speed dial shortcut. Once finished, assign the conditional shortcut to the Action button.

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Now when you trigger 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, your smart home device will be automatically activated. Otherwise, it will proceed to call your partner.

This is just a basic example of the power of conditional shortcuts. You can create if statements that detect your current activity for execution-related shortcuts. Likewise, you can configure the Action button to perform specific tasks based on the app you have in the foreground, the orientation of the phone, the battery level, or other factors. You even nest multiple if statements to create a complete shortcut that fits whatever you’re doing. It may take you a while to get there, but it’s technically possible.