iPhone 15 Pro Solid-State Button Sensitivity Can Be Customized to Cater for Cases and Gloves

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users will be able to customize the sensitivity of the solid-state buttons on their device, thanks to a new sensitivity toggle in Settings. That's according to details provided by a hitherto reliable source that shared additional details on the MacRumors forums.

iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2
Earlier this week, the same anonymous tipster revealed that the iPhone 15 Pro models will use a new ultra-low energy chip allowing the new volume, power, and "Action" solid-state buttons to remain functional when the handset is powered off or out of battery.

Some iPhone users immediately raised concerns about how the new capacitive buttons will work properly when a case is fitted or when gloves are worn. In response, the tipster has revealed that iOS 17 will include a new toggle in Settings that will enable users to customize the sensitivity of the buttons to accommodate these different usage scenarios.

iPhone case makers typically receive design details about Apple's upcoming models ahead of launch that allows them to make tweaks for button positioning and other external changes. Combined with the new sensitivity setting, this should avoid any potential issues with the peculiarities of the new capacitive buttons, which will detect presses, holds, and respond to various levels of pressure via the use of a new Force Touch-style mechanism and Taptic Engine feedback.

In line with previous rumors, solid-state capacitive buttons are expected to be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro models, with the standard iPhone 15 models retaining the same traditional button mechanism as on the iPhone 14 series. The iPhone 15 Pro is also gaining a new customizable Action button in lieu of the mute switch, with a unified volume button replacing the separate up/down volume buttons.

The iPhone 15 series is expected to be announced in September, as per Apple's typical iPhone launch timeframe. For everything else we know about the new iPhone 15 series, check out our dedicated roundups using the links below.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
ipad blue prime day

iPad 12 Rumored to Get iPhone 17's A19 Chip, Breaking Apple Tradition

Wednesday December 10, 2025 12:22 pm PST by
The next-generation low-cost iPad will use Apple's A19 chip, according to a report from Macworld. Macworld claims to have seen an "internal Apple code document" with information about the 2026 iPad lineup. Prior documentation discovered by MacRumors suggested that the iPad 12 would be equipped with an A18 chip, not an A19 chip. The A19 chip was just released this year in the iPhone 17, and...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

Aleh Avatar
35 months ago
People can be so tiring. You don’t have to like the changes but acting willfully ignorant isn’t needed either. These buttons will have new functionality and will be more durable with time and yet we always get all these comments going on about “change for change’s sake” and “solutions in search of problems” and it’s just so bizarre to me.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andyadler Avatar
35 months ago
Why do I get the feeling that this is a solution in search of a problem?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
35 months ago
That’s great! Reminds me of Touch Bar. But I still want Apple to leave the Mute Button alone.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
akb Avatar
35 months ago
I've used a phone with at least a few physical buttons every day for over 2 decades and never had one fail. You can't replicate the feedback and utility of a physical button with solid state.

This is Apple dangling a pointless upgrade carrot, or a cost saving drive that won't be passed onto the consumer - or both.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrr Avatar
35 months ago
Hope it works when the battery is dead
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zakarhino Avatar
35 months ago

Why do I get the feeling that this is a solution in search of a problem?
The same argument could be made for 3D touch but in my opinion that actually made certain tasks faster (in particular Peek, one of the most useful features ever). The long press haptic version of Peek is slower and speed is everything especially for power users and young people that use their phones at 1,000mph.

Because these buttons will be pressure sensitive and work in conjunction with haptics you can create a volume rocker that lets you instantly mute without holding down the Volume Down button for a couple seconds. It also means the Volume Up Camera trigger button can operate like a two stage trigger whenever you're taking a picture.

Usually I hate these Apple "innovations" that actually make your life harder (touch bar) but this is the rare instance I get the vision and I'm excited. I think this will end up being a feature loved by a lot doubters but it's all dependent on a rock solid implementation.

Also my initial reaction to the solid state (no rocker) Mute switch was confusion but it makes complete sense. I've seen so many other people like myself on here that hardly ever use the mute switch because we always keep our phones in vibrate mode anyway. Instead I find myself frequently using the Lock Rotation switch. The problem with having a two state hardware rocker switch is that you cannot sync it with a software switch so the only solution is to make a solid state toggle button instead. This new design will let you remap the Mute button into something you use all the time without the out-of-sync issue I mentioned. I suspect Apple will implement a unique taptic 'feel' for 'on' and 'off' respectively so you can figure out the state of the button without actually looking at your phone.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)