Apple completely removed the physical home button with the 2017 iPhone X. It has since relied on Face ID and a gesture-based iOS system. There are still millions of people with older iPhones, and many have a damaged, cracked or dysfunctional home button. Here is how you can use iPhone without home button.
Enable and Use AssistiveTouch
AssistiveTouch is part of the Accessibility feature in iOS that allows you to use your iPhone whenever you have difficulty touching the screen or accessing certain functions of the operating system.
This, as you might imagine, was not designed with regular consumers in mind. Ideal for those who need an adaptive accessory to touch the screen.
Using the same option, you can easily replace most iOS functions you perform with a physical home button. You need to enable the AssistiveTouch toggle from the settings menu. Here’s how.
Stage 1: Open Settings on iPhone.
Step 2: Proceed to the Accessibility menu.
Stage 3: Select Touch from the Physical and Engine menu.
Step 4: Go to the AssistiveTouch menu and enable the toggle from the menu below.
You will see a circular AssistiveTouch button appear on your iPhone. This will help you take screenshots, return home button, reveal control center and much more. Let’s check out the default functions.
Back to iPhone Home: Tap AssistiveTouch and select Home to return to the home screen. This is extremely useful when you’re working on an iPhone with a faulty or damaged home button and are frustrated that you haven’t returned to the home screen.
Screenshot: iPhones with a physical home button require using a combination of home button and volume down to take a screenshot. The functionality is built right into the AssistiveTouch button. Tap on it and select Screenshot to capture the screen.
You may have corrupted the bottom of the iPhone home screen during physical damage and this may prevent Control Center access.
Control Center: Select AssistiveTouch and tap Control Center to open the menu.
Customize AssistiveTouch
The iPhone home button is also useful for opening the app switcher menu and instantly switching between apps and games. You may need to access the multitasking menu and close some apps to free up RAM on the phone.
Normally, you can double-click the iPhone home button and open the app switcher menu to make changes. Since the home button is not working, we will use AssistiveTouch to access the multitasking menu.
By default AssistiveTouch does not come with App Switcher functionality. However, you can easily customize the layout from the Settings menu.
Stage 1: Open Settings on iPhone.
Step 2: Proceed to the Accessibility menu.
Stage 3: Select Touch and go to the AssistiveTouch menu.
Step 4: Tap on Customize Top Level Menu.
Step 5: Tap on + and add another icon to AssistiveTouch.
Step 6: Select the empty icon and find the Application Switcher option from the menu below.
Hit Done at the top and you’re ready to access the App Switcher menu from AssistiveTouch.
Tap AssistiveTouch and select App Switcher. iOS will take you to the multitasking menu to make changes.
Once you get used to using AssistiveTouch on iPhone, you will want to use the same for every function. Most functions are hidden under the Device menu.
Tap AssistiveTouch and select Device. You can rotate the screen, mute the iPhone, use the volume up/down function and even lock the screen from the menu below.
It comes in handy when you damage volume buttons or power key and home button on iPhone.
Enable Tap on Wake
Since your damaged iPhone home button won’t help you unlock the screen, it’s time to enable tap-to-wake from Settings.
Stage 1: Open the iPhone Settings menu.
Step 2: Go to Accessibility and select Touch.
Stage 3: Enable Tap to Wake from the menu below.
Now you can wake the screen when you touch it – no need to use the broken home button again.
Use Back Tap Gestures
If AssistiveTouch is full of other functions, you can use back tap gestures and lock the screen or use the app switcher menu without the home button. Here’s how.
Stage 1: Open iPhone Settings and go to Accessibility.
Step 2: Open Touch and go to Back Tap.
You can use double tap or triple tap gestures. With each gesture, you have the option to customize the gesture.
Note that back tap gestures may not work as expected with a thick iPhone case.
Leave the iPhone Home Button As It Is
You don’t need to upgrade to the latest iPhone model to avoid the demanded physical home button. You can continue to use your iPhone comfortably without the home button.
