My iPhone 18 Pro's Action Button is not working on the first press when the screen is off/locked

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BaddSai Author

Level 1

4 points

My iPhone 18 Pro's Action Button is not working on the first press when the screen is off/locked

iPhone 18 Pro Action Button – first press doesn’t work when screen is off

I’m experiencing a strange Action Button issue on my iPhone 18 Pro running the latest iOS 27.0.1.

● Action Button is set only to Silent Mode

● When the screen is ON, it works normally every time (tested 20/20)

● When the screen is OFF/locked, the first press does not activate Silent Mode

● Pressing it again immediately usually works

● If I wait a few seconds and press again, the first press can fail again

I already visited an Apple Authorized Service Provider. They ran diagnostics and said everything was normal, but the issue happened again after I returned home. They suggested it could be related to the new iOS.

Has anyone else with an iPhone 18 Pro experienced the same behavior?

I’m trying to determine whether this is a software/iOS issue or a hardware issue with the Action Button.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Action button issue

Posted on Oct 7, 2026 1:46 AM

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Answer 1

Nov 1, 2026 2:55 AM in response to Charniqua

I’m having the same problem. I read on Reddit people were reporting this during the beta process for 27.2. It’s pretty poor form for Apple to have ignored this for the 27.2 release. I use the action button to turn on the torch. Please fix it, Apple!!!

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Answer 2

Nov 1, 2026 4:32 AM in response to alexonline

alexonline wrote:

I’m having the same problem. I read on Reddit people were reporting this during the beta process for 27.2. It’s pretty poor form for Apple to have ignored this for the 27.2 release. I use the action button to turn on the torch. Please fix it, Apple!!!

I can't possibly know why it's not working for you. But I can tell you we have iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max and the action button works just fine on both phones, which are both updated to iOS 27.2. If the update did this, it would likely do it to everyone, but it didn't. This forum would be overflowing with people complaining, but it's not.

At a minimum, did you Force Restart your iPhone after you updated? I do this after EVERY iOS update and honestly, have never had an issue caused by an update --> Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

If that doesn't help, reach out to Apple Support directly for help.

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Answer 3

Nov 1, 2026 4:22 AM in response to alexonline

Not meaning to be argumentative, but the button works flawlessly on my iPhone 18 Pro Max and I’m a beta tester. The Action Button performed flawlessly in 27.2 beta. What you read on Reddit is not necessarily a fact. Apple Engineering may still be looking at the issue. Your best path forward is to report it to Apple Support using the feedback link below.

Product Feedback - Apple

Good luck.

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Answer 4

SravanKrA

Level 10

452,952 points

Oct 7, 2026 1:50 AM in response to BaddSai

If you press and hold the Action button again, it turns off Silent mode. Customize the Action button. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap Action Button. Read more

Use and customize the Action button on iPhone

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Answer 5

Oct 27, 2026 7:42 AM in response to BaddSai

Mine isn’t working either since the 27.2 update. Hopefully they will release another update resolving this issue

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