One of the trademark design elements and features of the iPhone is the mute switch. Since the original 2007 iPhone, the mute switch has been an integral part of the iPhone with every release having the feature.
It is a useful feature which unfortunately no other smartphone manufacturers seem to appreciate except maybe for OnePlus with its own approach and some other players. However, it’s unclear as to whether the mute switch will continue to live on the future iPhones as well.
Apple is known for being courageous when it comes to killing useful features in favour of simplifying things or making its products thinner. The company has already killed the 3.5mm headphone jack and fast forwarded the wireless audio process. Apple started the trend of removing 3.5mm headphone jacks.
Rumours regarding the upcoming 2020 and 2021 iPhones suggest that Apple could potentially also remove the lightning port in favour of a completely portless phone. The company is already pushing for wireless charging, having begun supporting wireless charging since the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 in 2017.
In 2016, Apple ditched the physical home button in favour of a haptic feedback system home button (with the help of the taptic engine). The company prefers to have less moving parts in its products and that is an absolutely good thing to do, as less moving parts means less failures and more longevity.
Well, the mute switch is also a moving part and it takes some space. Apple could be working on a radical design refresh of the iPhone with major changes to the outer shell and also the operating system. If the company is to do such a thing, we expect that the mute switch will go away.
The mute switch is extremely useful but Apple could find a much more intuitive way of triggering “mute” mode.
