So there’s been rumors lately about Apple introducing a new action capture button which would go to the bottom RHS (where the US models today have the mm wave window). That made me realize that’s about the last location I can properly hold the iPhone without unintended action: the bottom left and right sides.
I run into this issue all the time. When needing to insert the iPhone (never in a case) in my car’s dash holder or worse yet, remove it from there. Or when I need to attach the iPhone to an awkwardly placed USB cable at work. In order to get the iPhone into position, I end up pushing buttons I don’t want. Usually the on/off switch, sometimes also the volume buttons. Which makes me wonder, how the heck do other people hold their iPhone so they don’t constantly hit buttons they don’t want to.
My default position for holding an iPhone is the same as yours., but I don’t have the button issue you have. I use an Apple Clear Case on my phone. and I find it quite hard to be sure buttons are actually pushed. Sometimes it takes several attempts. Fortunately, I have an Apple Watch, and most approvals that require double-tapping the side button can also be done from the watch.
I tend to hold mine similarly, in one hand by the left and right bottom sides. Which hand changes depending on what I’m doing with the phone.
What annoys me about the buttons (pre-iPhone 15, so no action button to worry about) is how the side button and the volume buttons are directly opposed. I use an Otterbox Commuter case, which stiffens the buttons a little bit. When I’m double-pressing the side button, for example, to OK Apple pay, I have to hold the phone carefully to properly have opposing pressure to allow the button press to actually register without triggering one of the side+volume effects. It strikes me as not so much bad design as an unfortunate choice out of several not-great options. Having the button on the top worked better for me in that regard.
I have an iPhone SE, so it’s a bit smaller, and may require a different handhold than a larger iPhone (I don’t know – have always used an SE or similar sized iPhone).
That said, I tend to hold it in the center; specifically, with thumb on upper half of the left side, and 4 fingers on the right side, pretty much along the whole side.
And I’ve rarely if ever accidentally pushed buttons… because of the bumper case I’ve got the iPhone in. It’s a soft rubber/liquid silicone case by Ornarto. Makes it easy to hold the iPhone firmly without pressing the buttons in (for me, anyway.)
Never understood why that button had to go to the side. Even on this gargantuan iPhone 15 I can still reach the top so I could hit it there. But I cannot reliably hit it on the side without inadvertently also hitting the volume buttons. Like @dianed143 I end up making a lot of unwanted screenshots that way.
I’ve long disliked the side button position directly opposite the volume buttons because I’m constantly taking unwanted screenshots.
That said, I like the position of the side button in isolation and would be happy to have the volume up/down buttons somewhere else where they wouldn’t be so easily hit accidentally. Or even just a single button that rocked in two directions.
What I don’t understand is, even if Apple wants the on/off button in the side, why it has to be so low. On the LHS, there is the ringer switch (on the 15 Pro the “action” button) and it is half an inch higher than the on/off switch on the RHS. If Apple thinks people can reach that far up on the side to hit that action button, why can they not reach that far up for the on/off button? Misaligning volume buttons and on/off switch could help a lot with inadvertent button presses and screenshots etc.
That volume rocker style is what the old iPhone 3G had. There were rumors Apple was going to bring back the rocker or at least a common button for volume in the 15, but none of that materialized. That said, even if they did it on the 16, I do not see how a rocker by itself would really help if said rocker is still placed directly across from the on/off switch.
I think the buttons are placed on opposite sides so that if you want to simultaneously press them, you can do so without the phone awkwardly twisting in your hand, regardless of which hand you’re using to hold the phone. The fundamental problem seems to be using the simultaneous press to trigger functions in the first place.
Another issue is using volume up as shutter release. Because of the position Apple has chosen for the on/off button, that’s often where my thumb often ends up when I’m taking a picture. And then instead of getting that perfect shot timed right, I end up turning off my display.
I gave up on trying to use the volume button for the camera shutter. Pressing the button causes my phone to shift just enough to screw up my shots, every single time, probably because my case stiffens the buttons just a little bit. I just use the on-screen shutter or a remote.
I’ve got the same phone, and hold it the same way. I have Torro leather case with a flip phone form factor, so I may be perpetuating habits from pre-iPhone phones.
More rumors about the Capture Button. Its location is being confirmed for where the mm wave window is. So how would you put a phone like this in a dash holder? Only MagSafe from here on out?
And on a somewhat related note, what if you have an iPhone with an Action Button but would like to use that to do something else than mute. Does iOS now provide a mute toggle for Control Center so you can free up that Action Button to do other stuff? Or do you have to drill down into Settings to turn mute on/off?
There is a bell you can turn on and off. And of course sliding the volume control. I could not find a description of the bell, maybe turns the notifications off. Would like a more binary toggle switch.
Right-handed with small hands, I’ve always used the smallest iPhone available; currently that’s an iPhone SE.
With a wallet case (currently a Tucch). One of the reasons I use that kind of case is that it obstructs the left-hand volume buttons. No more un-wanted screen shots. Also, when putting the iPhone into (or out of) my picket, the cover folding back on top of the screen prevents my fingers (or my pocket) from activating anything.
[The old-back cover also provides excellent screen protection without having to stick anything onto the screen. Alas, the cover does often interfere with taking photos.]
Yes, as provided by Assistive Touch. But I don’t want a to have to tolerate a permanent blob on my screen just so I can perhaps unmute once every other week. Can anybody who actually has an iPhone 15 Pro tell me if there is a CC widget to turn mute on/off?
