A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
If you're looking to buy Apple's latest flagship phone, the iPhone 15 Pro, you might be in for a little surprise. That's because the mute switch, a feature that's been around since the original iPhone, is being replaced by what Apple is calling an action button.
DEVIN COLDEWEY: If you hold it down, it can still mute your phone or switch it to ring. But it can also launch a bunch of other shortcuts, like launching the camera or the Notes app.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Devin Coldewey is a technology reporter at TechCrunch. Now, when the iPhone first came out, being able to quickly switch off sounds and alerts was critical to avoid disruptions. I mean, you need it in a radio studio, for example. Who wanted to hear this in the middle of an important business meeting?
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
(SOUNDBITE OF PHONE RINGING)
INSKEEP: Oh, sorry. My phone.
MARTÍNEZ: It still happens every once in a while. But we now use our iPhones for so much more than calls.
COLDEWEY: They're not just phones, they're our computers where you get notifications all the time. It's perfectly normal to have your phone buzz in the middle of a meeting or dinner or even a date, and you just check it.
INSKEEP: Although, you may get a frosty stare. For Coldewey, the end of the mute button seemed inevitable.
COLDEWEY: It's a change in philosophy, but it's also not really a conspiracy to make you be on your phone all the time. I think we were already on our phones all the time.
MARTÍNEZ: And the action button will, in theory, make it easier to customize the iPhone for quick access to that camera for that fast selfie.
COLDEWEY: Losing this switch, it kind of sucks. But it also might be really good for a lot of people.
INSKEEP: Oh, I'm sorry. I was checking my phone. Am I supposed to - oh, I am supposed to say something here. Just like that, it's time to say goodbye to what Coldewey calls the iPhone's last significant moving part, a physical switch.
MARTÍNEZ: You beat me to the joke. But if you must have a moving part, just buy a different iPhone model. Problem solved.
(SOUNDBITE OF WU-TANG CLAN, DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN AND AESOP ROCK SONG, "PRESERVATION") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.