Here’s an easy tip to make Camera Control on your iPhone 16 and 16 Pro even better

Note: This article was first published on 20 March 2025.

Earlier this year, I wrote that I was wrong about the iPhone 16 series’ Camera Control button. In my review, I called it a bit of a gimmick, but a recent winter vacation and the introduction of Visual Intelligence changed my mind. You can read about my change of heart here.

Recently, I discovered a feature buried within the Settings app that makes Camera Control better. It’s called “Require Screen On” and it’s hidden at the bottom of the “Display & Brightness” panel.

Turn it off and the Camera Control will now launch the Camera app instantly even if your display is sleeping and the phone is locked. It’s a small change, but it makes launching the Camera app even faster and more consistent, which can be handy if you need the camera quickly to capture something.

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