One of the new features rumored to be included in the iPhone 16 is a "capture button. Not much was known about the function of this button, aside from its alleged solid-state design, but now Bloomberg detective Mark Gurman may have revealed the true purpose of this button.

According to the latest edition of Gurman's Power on Newsletter, he claims that all iPhone 16 models will feature a "new dedicated button for video recording."

Gurman also claims that the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will have a "new dedicated button for video recording," which was announced earlier this year by He also repeated rumors that the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus should feature the Action button that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro series earlier this year.

The Capture button has long been suspected to be related to the iPhone 16 camera. Mainly because the word "capture" cannot be used for any other phone feature. Perhaps voice recording, but it seems a bit too niche for Apple to create a dedicated button to activate it. It would make much more sense to use it for video recording.

We had previously speculated that the capture button might act as a shutter release for the camera or a quick shortcut to the camera app. Given the many steps required to manually open and launch the camera, we feel that some sort of shortcut or gesture is necessary.

You never know what will happen in the world and there are situations where it is important to get video evidence. Therefore, the ability to start recording with the tap of a button would be invaluable. You never know what you can record in a few extra seconds. Whether it is something serious, like evidence of a car accident or a crime, or a memory you want to keep, like your child's first steps.

In addition, Apple is now focusing heavily on spatial video, which can be recorded on the iPhone 15 Pro and played back on the upcoming Apple Vision Pro headset. A dedicated video recording button would be a perfect addition to its overall system and give Apple the opportunity to promote multiple products at once.

Still, we hope Apple takes the same approach as the action button and gives users some choice. This would allow users to use the camera as they wish, rather than Apple telling them what to do.

There is still much we don't know about the capture button and the iPhone 16 series, but with it not expected to arrive until September, there is still plenty of time for details to leak out. For the latest news and rumors, visit our iPhone 16 hub.