Why does my iPhone 16 Pro Max Action Button require two presses?

I always have to press action button twice to toggle silent mode,

it only happens when the phone is locked and not used for sometime (about 20 seconds)

Exactly.

It's frustrating that I can trust the action button to behave as expected while I'm actively using my phone, but cannot trust it will work on first attempt when I haven't used the phone recently. Attempting to turn the ringer on by holding the action button with the phone still in my pocket—you know, to change the setting without removing the phone—always ends with me needing to take the phone out to try again and confirm the setting actually changed. Of course this defeats the purpose of what I was trying to do, and at that point the setting changes on second attempt because the phone is no longer idle.

Forgive me, but I do not understand what settings I'm supposed to be seeing in Settings > Face ID & Passcode > that are relevant to this Action Button issue. Can you clarify why you are mentioning it here? Is it related to the pro's always on display? (Just in case that is what you're referring to, I have an iPhone 16 which does not have always on display.)

I changed the Action Button settings to Flashlight. I locked the phone and it has set for more than 15 minutes. I turned the phone away from me as I did before so I could see the rear of the phone and without unlocking the phone pressed and held the Action button and the flashlight turned on. Without unlocking the phone I pressed and held and turned the flashlight off. End of test. It seems to have worked as expected for me.

If you scroll down you’ll see specific functions that can be enabled to operate or display when the screen is locked. The Action Button is not listed. So, either it always functions when locked, or it doesn’t.

On my Lock Screen, I have my flashlight and camera buttons in lower corners. Yet they don’t work on my Lock Screen. But Chris posted he can activate flashlight if his Action Button is set to flashlight and screen is locked. I tried flashlight on Action Button and it doesn’t work when screen is locked.

It just seems to me that something is not functioning properly. Why allow flashlight to work with one button and not another?

I understand you can, but I can’t use either on my Lock Screen. I think it’s either a bug that’s possibly affecting the Action Button or a setting or combination of settings that are preventing some functions.

MitoCringo wrote:

Have you tried this without picking up the phone? If you have Raise to Wake on, your test is not capturing the experience some of us are having.

I have. And I don't have to pick up my iPhone, tap the screen or do anything other than long press the Action Button and the programmed function is turned on.

Hi, have you solved this problem? I have this issue too, but I can't solve it through restart the phone or resetting.

Same here

Anyone found solution or tried to contact apple support about this problem?

It hasn’t worked for several months now. And apple is doing nothing about it. They’re more focused on genmoji and ai. It’s been reported by others on feedback and other sources but no response yet.

I didn’t face This problem on 15 pro max,

it occurred only on 16 pro max

I wasn't aware the Action Button could be set to unlock the iPhone. Or do you mean toggle Ringtone in relation to the locked/unlocked status of the phone?

Right. I can use the screen flashlight and camera buttons while my phone is locked, no issue.