When Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro series last September, there was one feature I was excited about more than anything else: the Action button. Gone is the useless ring/silent slider.
In its place was a button that we could customize to our liking.
I’ve been using the Action button on my iPhone 15 Pro Max since I bought it, and for the past few months, it’s been programmed to open the camera app.
It’s convenient, but it’s also nothing particularly exciting. However, I recently found a new and unexpected way to use the Action button on my iPhone, and it’s blowing me away.
iPhone 15 Pro Max: Supercharging the action button
So what happened? It’s all about Arc Search. Earlier this year, the company behind the popular Arc web browser launched Arc Search as a new AI-assisted iPhone browser app.
Arc Search isn’t just another uninspired alternative to Safari or Chrome. You can use it like a “regular” web browser, but its secret ingredient is the Search for Me feature.
Instead of displaying an endless list of Google search results, Browse for Me analyzes your search results and uses artificial intelligence to create a mini website with clear and concise answers.
Last week, Arc Search became even more convenient with the launch of a voice search tool. When you open Arc Search, you can now press and hold the + button to perform a voice search.
When you’re done speaking, the Arc app automatically searches with the Find Me feature, giving you a quick and helpful response without having to type. And it gets even better. Shortly after Arc Search got its voice feature, the developers also added a Siri shortcut that automatically launches the voice search tool with just one tap.
As a reminder, Apple allows you to configure the Action button to launch any shortcut you want. In other words, you can configure the Action button to launch the Arc Search voice tool with the press of a button. That’s precisely what I did to my iPhone 15 Pro Max a few days ago, and it was nothing short of magical.
The easiest way to browse the web.
After downloading Arc Search, setting up your voice search tool with the Action button is very easy. Open the Settings app on your iPhone, select Action Button, anthe d scroll until you find the Shortcut option. Select the action prompt below to open the Shortcuts page, then Arc Search, and finally Voice Search with Arc.
Once this is done, pressing and holding the Action button activates the Arc Search voice feature. You press the Action button, say your question and Arc Search automatically starts searching once you’re done speaking. It’s that easy. Using your voice to navigate the web is not a new concept. However, linking it to Arc Search’s excellent Browse for Me system and making it accessible with the push of a button is incredible.
What makes this so impressive is the quality of Arc Search’s search results. For example, if I ask it to show me good restaurants in my area, I get a list of 10 recommended options with a brief description of each one. Arc also shows me additional lists of great places for takeout and delivery. If I tap a restaurant, a new page appears explaining it in detail, including its location, a summary of user reviews, a preview of its menu, and more.
My partner and I were recently talking about signing up for a YouTube Premium family plan and I forgot how much it cost. I asked Arc Search and they gave me an incredibly clear breakdown of the cost of the subscription, its included features, and some context about a price increase that occurred in 2022.
When I asked Arc Search when Mad Max Furiosa will be released, it showed me the release date at the top of the screen, followed by additional context about the film’s story, setting, cast, and more.
I could search for this information myself in any web browser using Google Search, but the results provided by Arc Search are much better. It gives you exactly the information you’re looking for, as well as additional (and useful) context, and it backs up all of its AI summaries with direct links to the sources it pulls from. And, if you want, there’s always a button to view your search in a standard Google Search format.
Who needs an AI device when you have this?
Adding Arc Search to my iPhone 15 Pro Max on the same day I finished my Rabbit R1 review put into perspective how companies can create good AI experiences versus bad ones.
The Rabbit R1 is an example of the latter. It’s a $200 standalone add-on for my smartphone that’s supposed to make my life easier by using AI to search for me on the web and perform other tasks. As I quickly discovered, it fails miserably at virtually everything it’s supposedly capable of doing.
Arc Search, on the other hand, is a fantastic example of a good AI application. It’s a free app I downloaded on my iPhone and it does a lot of what Rabbit was supposed to do, but infinitely better. It also turned my iPhone 15 Pro Max into the ultimate voice search device.
If I have a question that requires the internet, I press and hold the Action button to use Arc Search. If I want to set a timer, call a contact, send a text or something, I, press and hold the side button to talk to Siri.
I imagine we’ll see Apple and Google try to make their voice assistants a one-stop shop for everything, especially with WWDC and Google I/O right around the corner.
But for now, I love the combined Arc Search/Siri setup on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Arc Search has made my iPhone feel special and exciting in a way I haven’t in a long time, it’s breathed new life into the Action button, and it’s making it easier. All that for the incredible price of free, no $200 orange square required.
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