Taking Control of the Camera Control! A Guide for Running Any Shortcut with the Camera Control on iPhone 16

Intro

If, like me, you have wanted to turn this new extra button into something non-camera related, such as the option to open Be My AI, or a 3rd party voice recording app, there is an easy way to do this.

Requirements:

• In order for this to work, you will have to select an app for the camera control to open before running your custom shortcut.
• This also has the added downside of not allowing you to use said app (except if your device is locked) unless you disable the automation.
• If you really need to use the app you have selected, lock your device and activate the camera control. Activating the camera control button while your device is locked does not activate the custom shortcut, and will instead open the app selected in settings.
• If you choose the magnifier app, you can still use detection mode (Live Recognition) through the roater, and it will work without activating the custom shortcut.

Set Up

• Choose an app found in Settings>Camera>camera Control>Camera app.
• Open shortcuts.
  • Navigate to the automations tab and press the add button.
  • For the trigger, select App.
  • Select Is Opened.
  • Select Run Immediately if you don't want to receive a notification asking you to confirm that you want to run your custom shortcut.
  • Choose the app you selected in settings as above.
  • Press the next button, and then select New Blank Automation (note: a VoiceOver issue may prevent you from activating the new blank automation button. If this is the case, try double-tapping and holding the button, or use explore by touch to find where the button is located, and then turn off VO, tap where the button is and then re-enable VO).
• If you wish to open an app with the camera control button, search for the action Open App.
• Navigate to the open app action, it might be labeled as "Open , App", and use the actions roater to find the edit app option.
  • Choose the new app you want to open, and then press done.
  • Press done to exit the shortcut editor.
• Activate the camera control to open your new app of choice!

Use cases

There are several ways you could use this.

1. If you wanted to immediately open Be My AI, you could have the Be My Eyes app opened on the Be My AI tab, and then press the camera control button again to take a picture.
2. You could also have the camera control button open an app like Farrite for quick recording.

Notes

• If you find yourself accidentally activating the camera control, you can select the option for the camera control to be activated with a double press in Settings>Camera>Camera Control.
• In settings>Accessability>Camera Control, or Settings>Camera>Camera Control>Accessability, you can control the double click speed, as well as other options to disable gestures like light presses or swipes..

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can do a lot more with your camera control and enable it to perform a wide range of functions beyond its primary camera functions with the power of shortcuts.