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The iPhone lets you press the volume up or down button to take a photo. Is there any benefit to using this over the on-screen button?

On a standalone camera, you can half-press to focus, but not on an iPhone, so I'm trying to understand if there's any benefit.

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2 Answers 2

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  1. You can get a more stable picture with the volume button as you can continue to hold the phone with two hands while taking the photo.
  2. Cheap selfie sticks can activate the physical button but not the on-screen button. Doesn't matter if you like it or not, this is an important feature for a significant number of users.
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  • \$\begingroup\$ Most selfie sticks use Bluetooth, they are not actually pressing a button on the phone. \$\endgroup\$
    – vclaw
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 7:29
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    \$\begingroup\$ I fully agree with point #1. I don't recall the last time I touched the screen of my iPhone to take a picture. It is easier to keep the phone stable with both hands and I enjoy the feel of a physical button. It also allows me to see the whole frame as I take the picture - my hand doesn't cover any of it up by trying to press the button \$\endgroup\$
    – NoahL
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 7:49
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    \$\begingroup\$ I'd either remove 2, or demote it in some way. 1 is the significant benefit that outweighs all others, imo. Putting them both together like that appears to give them equal weight. 2 isn't in itself a benefit, it's merely a convenience which avoids an electronic solution. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 19:59
  • \$\begingroup\$ Cheap selfie sticks plug into the headphone socket. I've never seen one that presses the physical button on the phone. \$\endgroup\$
    – vclaw
    Commented Apr 13, 2017 at 10:41
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One of the benefits of using the volume rocker is that you do not have to be looking at the screen to take a picture. As there is not haptic (vibrational) feedback when you press the on screen button, you don't always know if you took a picture. The rear facing camera is way better than the front facing camera, so a selfie would look much better with the rear facing camera.

As a general rule, I try to avoid using the rocker because I can touch the screen much lighter than I can press down the volume button. A DSLR lets you get a full grip on the camera to stabilize it, but it can be difficult to use both hands to steady a phone camera so that it doesn't shake when you press the rocker.

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