On an iPhone with an Action Button, go to Settings > Action Button, swipe to Shortcut, and pick a push-to-talk shortcut from an intercom app. After that, pressing the button starts recording and pressing it again sends your voice to the speakers in your house, with no wake word and no hunting for an app. You need an intercom app that offers a shortcut and speakers it can play to, such as Google Nest or Chromecast.
Why the Action Button is a good intercom button
The best house intercom is the one you can use with a bag of groceries in one hand. Talking to a smart speaker needs a wake word and a quiet room. Opening an app needs the phone unlocked, the app found and the right screen open. The Action Button cuts all of that down to a press on the side of the phone you already carry.
It is also the right button for the job because it is physical. You can find it in a pocket without looking, and the only thing it replaces is the silent switch, which is what the button does by default.
Which iPhones have an Action Button
Apple's own list of models with an Action Button, as of iOS 26:
- iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 16e
- iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max
- iPhone Air
The regular iPhone 15 and 15 Plus still have the older Ring/Silent switch. If you are not sure, look at the left side of the phone above the volume buttons: a small flat button is the Action Button, a sliding switch is not.
Set it up in five steps
These steps follow Apple's Shortcuts guide. The example uses Holler, which adds a "Push to Talk" shortcut to iOS when you install it. Any intercom app that offers a shortcut works the same way.
- Install the intercom app and open it once. Allow Microphone and Local Network access when asked, then make sure it finds your speakers.
- Open the Settings app and tap Action Button.
- Swipe through the options until you reach Shortcut.
- Tap Choose a Shortcut and pick Push to Talk (Holler).
- Back in the app, choose who should hear you: one room, one floor, or Everywhere.
Apple's guide points out that if you pick Shortcut but never choose a specific shortcut, the button does nothing. That is the most common reason people think the setup did not work.
What a press actually does
Apple's guide says you press and hold the Action Button briefly to run whatever it is set to. That runs the shortcut once; it does not keep recording for as long as your finger stays down. So push-to-talk on the Action Button works as a toggle:
- Press the Action Button. The app opens and starts recording to your current target.
- Say your message: "Dinner in five minutes, wash your hands."
- Press it again. The message is sent and plays on the speakers a moment later, typically 2 to 5 seconds.
If you prefer true hold-to-talk, use the big button inside the app. Hold it, talk, let go. Both paths end in the same place.
It helps to know what this is not. It is not a live phone call into every room. Your message is recorded on the phone and then played on the speakers. Nobody can listen in, and nobody hears you mid-sentence. For a family this is usually a feature: you can say "never mind" by not pressing the button again.
Make it work for a whole household
A single Action Button only has a single target at a time, so think about who presses it and where they usually want to reach.
- Parents' phones: target Everywhere. Most announcements from a parent are for the whole house.
- A teenager's phone: target the kitchen, so "can someone bring me a charger" stays out of the baby's room.
- Split-level or two-floor homes: group speakers by floor and send to "Upstairs" or "Downstairs".
In Holler, rooms and floors are set up inside the app. Holler Pro (a one-time $4.99 USD purchase, not a subscription) adds multiple Action Button presets, unlimited rooms, floors and groups, and saved announcements. The free download includes 3 broadcasts so you can test it with your own speakers first.
For more ideas on what families actually announce, see 25 everyday announcements that end yelling up the stairs.
Which speakers will hear you
The button is only half of the intercom; the other half is the speakers. On iPhone, Holler plays to Chromecast and Google Nest speakers and to anything with Chromecast built in, which includes many soundbars and TVs. Sonos works in the Mac app today, and Sonos on iPhone is coming soon.
HomePod, AirPlay and Bluetooth speakers are not supported, and no third-party app can fix that: Apple provides no public way for apps to broadcast to several AirPlay devices at once. If your house is all HomePods, Apple's own Intercom feature in the Home app is the better fit. We explain why in Why apps can't broadcast to HomePod and AirPlay.
Your phone also has to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the speakers. If the app cannot find them, the cause is usually a guest network, client isolation, or a separate smart home network on the router. Speakers not showing up in an app? walks through the fixes.
Trade-offs to know before you switch
| Action Button set to | What you gain | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| Silent mode (default) | A physical mute button | Nothing; this is the starting point |
| Another built-in action | Fast access to one tool you use daily | Silent mode on the button |
| Push-to-talk shortcut | Two-press announcements to any room | Silent mode on the button; announcements need the home Wi-Fi |
If you use the Action Button for something you cannot live without, keep it there. Push-to-talk inside the app still works; it just takes a few more seconds.
When something goes wrong
- Nothing happens when you press: go back to Settings > Action Button and confirm a specific shortcut is chosen under Shortcut.
- It records but nothing plays: check that your phone is on the home Wi-Fi, not cellular or a guest network.
- It plays in the wrong room: change the current target inside the app; the Action Button always sends to it.
- The app asks you to upgrade: the free download includes 3 broadcasts. After that, Holler Pro unlocks unlimited broadcasts.
More answers are on the Support page and in the FAQ. For the bigger picture of Google speakers as an intercom, read How to use your Nest and Chromecast speakers as a home intercom.