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    GPS Camera 55. Camera buttons and Bluetooth remotes.

    Version 5.2
    App Store

    Since version 5.2, GPS Camera 55 uses Apple’s standard camera-button support on iOS 17.2 and later — the same mechanism as the built-in Camera app.

    Buttons that trigger the shutter

    With the camera screen open, the following presses take a photo in Photo mode and start or stop recording in Video mode:

    • The volume up and volume down buttons.
    • The Action button, on iPhone models that have one.
    • Camera Control, on iPhone 16 and later.
    • On iOS 26, a stem click on AirPods equipped with the H2 chip. Availability may vary by region.

    The camera screen must be open and in front. Hardware buttons do not capture from other screens or while the app is in the background.

    What changed in version 5.2

    Earlier versions detected volume-button presses by watching the system volume level. That workaround could produce accidental captures and knew nothing about the newer hardware. Version 5.2 switched to the capture support built into iOS: presses are delivered reliably, accidental captures are gone, and the Action button, Camera Control, and AirPods clicks work automatically.

    Hardware-button capture requires iOS 17.2 or later. On earlier iOS versions, use the on-screen shutter.

    Bluetooth shutter remotes

    iOS decides which connected accessories can trigger the camera; an app cannot extend that list. The quick check: if a remote’s button triggers the shutter in Apple’s built-in Camera app, it also works in GPS Camera 55.

    Many inexpensive remotes pair as a Bluetooth keyboard and send a volume keystroke. On current iOS versions such presses only change the volume and no longer reach the camera — in the built-in Camera app as well. This is system behavior, not specific to GPS Camera 55. Remotes using classic Bluetooth that work with the built-in Camera app generally keep working.

    More hands-free options

    • Apple Watch: the GPS Camera 55 app on Apple Watch is a remote for the iPhone camera — take a photo, start and stop video recording, switch between Photo and Video, and mute the microphone, with status right on your wrist. Open the camera screen on the iPhone, then control it from the watch; a watch-face complication opens the remote quickly.
    • Siri and Shortcuts: Siri cannot press the shutter itself, but the app’s shortcuts in the Shortcuts app open GPS Camera 55 directly on the camera screen with the photo title and note fields pre-filled — so a voice command can get everything ready to shoot.
    • Voice Control: with Apple’s Voice Control feature (Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control, when available in your language) you can operate the whole camera screen by voice — show item numbers and speak the number next to the shutter. This works independently of Bluetooth remote support.

    If a button does not capture

    • Confirm the iPhone runs iOS 17.2 or later.
    • Open the camera screen and keep it in front while pressing the button.
    • For a Bluetooth remote, test it in the built-in Camera app first. If it does not trigger the shutter there, it cannot trigger GPS Camera 55 either.