Apple, Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images
- The new iPhone 15 Pro has a customizable "action button" in place of the ring/silent switch.
- Tesla owners are using the button as a customizable key fob for their cars.
- The button can be programmed to unlock the car, open the trunk, and start the AC or heating.
Tesla owners with the new iPhone 15 Pro have quickly begun taking advantage of the phone's new customizable "action button."
Instead of the ring/silent switch that's been on all iPhone models since Apple first launched the iPhone in 2007, the new iPhone 15 Pro now has an "action button" that can be programmed to perform a shortcut of the user's choice.
While the button can be used to do things like open the camera app, start a voice memo, or turn your flashlight on or off, Tesla owners are using it as a key fob. With just a press of the one button, you can unlock your Tesla, open the trunk, crack the windows, or even get the AC going without turning on your phone's display or even taking it out of your pocket.
Teslas don't come with a physical key fob and are instead typically controlled through an app or unlocked with a key card (though one Tesla owner had a chip implanted in the back of his hand to unlock his car).
Apple users already had the option of creating specific shortcuts for a variety of actions to control their car in their iPhones, available as virtual shortcuts through a widget or homescreen icon, but the new action button on the iPhone 15 Pro allows owners to trigger one of these shortcuts more conveniently and in a more tactile way, without even having to worry about waking up their iPhone or navigating the homescreen.
People have started publishing videos on TikTok and YouTube Shorts highlighting the different Tesla-specific shortcuts they're assigning to their iPhone's action button.
There's plenty to choose from. The button can be set to turn your Tesla on, start the AC, turn on the heated seats and steering wheel, enable the car's sentry mode, crack open the windows, start and stop charging, open or close — but not both — the Tesla's frunk or trunk, and also any combination of those actions.
To set this up, users can go to their iPhone's settings, navigate to "Action Button," swipe over to "Shortcuts," and select the Tesla shortcut that performs their desired action or actions.