The Camera Control button is a prominent feature on Apple’s premium iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models. Even if your iPhone is several years old, there is a feature that allows you to quickly activate the camera without having to unlock it or touch the screen. Simply set up the hidden “button” on the back of your iPhone.
You can use this feature to not only launch your camera app, but also turn on your flashlight or activate Shazam to identify a song before it ends. You can summon your iPhone’s Control Center or Notification Center without having to swipe down from the top of your screen. In reality, with a little bit of imagination, you can utilise this capability to carry out nearly all of your phone’s operations.
Similar to the Action Button on more recent iPhone models, the Back Tap function allows you to interact with your smartphone in another way without touching the screen. Tapping anyplace on the back of your phone, including the camera module, will activate it. The nicest feature is that it still functions even if your iPhone cover is really thick.
As long as they are running iOS 14 or later, iPhones as ancient as the iPhone 8 may use Back Tap. We’ll walk you through turning it on and using it with your Shortcuts app to access almost limitless options.
See also: Every Way the iPhone 16’s
Camera Control Button Will Change Your iPhone Photography
What is the iPhone Back Tap feature?
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The iPhone’s Back Tap feature was first available in iOS 14. It lets you perform shortcuts on your iPhone by double or triple tapping on the back of the device.
You can customize Back Tap on your iPhone to easily perform common actions like pulling up the Control Center or Notification Center, especially useful if you have a larger phone and can’t swipe down from the top of the screen without some complex finger gymnastics. You may even simultaneously have two distinct functions activated: Back Tap is able to differentiate between a triple tap and a double tap.
Depending on the amount of times you tap the rear of your iPhone, you may configure Double Tap to open your Notification Center and Triple Tap to capture a screenshot. Alternatively, you may triple tap to access the Magnifier app then double tap to open the Control Center. Try out different Back Tap combinations to determine which tap and function combinations work best for you.
Additionally, you are not restricted to the default Back Tap options. Thanks to the Shortcuts app, you can set up Back Tap to perform specific functions or launch any app. For example, you can create a fast Double Tap or Triple Tap to activate a straightforward shortcut that launches Shazam or begins a voice recording. Additionally, you may utilize Back Tap to initiate a more complex shortcut, such automatically uploading images and videos to particular picture albums.
How can I configure my iPhone to use back tap?
Open the Settings app and turn on Back Tap. Accessibility > Touch → Back Tap is the next step. A list of configuration options for Double Tap and Triple Tap may be found there.
The complete list of functions that may be mapped to a double or triple tap is as follows:
Not one
Shortcut to Accessibility
System
- Switching Apps
- The camera
- Center of Control
- A flashlight
- House
- Rotation Lock
- Lock Screen
- Mute
- Notification Center
- Reachability
- A screenshot
- Give a shake
- Spotlight
- Turn down the volume.
- Turn Up the Volume
Accessibility
- The Assistive Touch
- Ambient Noises
- Traditional Invert
- Filters for Color
- Manage Close by Devices
- Lights that flash dimly
- Real-time captioning
- Live Speech
- A magnifying glass
- Intelligent Invert
- The Speak Screen
- Voice-over
- Zoom
- Controller for Zoom
Scroll Motions
- Scroll Down
- Scroll Up
A list of shortcuts may also be found at the bottom of the menu. Depending on what is accessible in your Shortcuts app, these selections will change.
Back Tap’s only possible drawback is that it doesn’t provide tactile feedback, so you may inadvertently press it at the incorrect moment and be unaware of it until later. For example, you may unintentionally double tap and accidentally turn on your flashlight. If so, you may wish to remap your Double Tap buttons to a less obvious purpose. Alternatively, you can only use Triple Tap, which you probably won’t use as frequently, and leave Double Tap off.
How do I use Back Tap to take a quick photo?
One option to set up Back Tap is to assign Double Tap to the Camera and Triple Tap to Volume Up or Volume Down. Because you can press any of the volume buttons to immediately take a photo, you can obtain the same result if your volume buttons are assigned to Back Tap. You can use this combination to take a picture with five rapid taps on the back of your iPhone, but you’ll need to take a moment to stop between the Double Tap and Triple Tap so that your phone can tell the difference.between the two activities).
Even if your phone is locked, this Back Tap combination will still function. Once more, take your time experimenting with various tap and feature combinations to see which ones work best for you.