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How to use an iphone with a broken home button

By William Rodriguez

If you have an iPhone 6 or older with a hardware Home button you will likely have experienced it not working at least once since you got it. While iPhones are usually bulletproof in their reliability, this issue seems to have plagued users across the world. We here at TechJunkie have heard from quite a few iPhone owners with this very problem. So here is what to do if your iPhone Home button stops working.

There are two main reasons for a iPhone Home button not working, software or hardware issues. If it is software, we can work around it or fix it. If it is hardware, there are two workarounds but one includes a bit of work by replacing the button. There are guides that help you replace the Home button but having never done it myself, I will list a source for instructions rather than talk you through it.

One piece of good news, or not so good depending on your preference is that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7S don’t have a Home button. Instead, they utilize the screen which seems to be working quite well.

How to tell a software issue from hardware

There is one useful trick to tell whether your Home button problem is hardware or software. Press the button in all different positions to see what happens. To press it at the very top, the far left, far right and very bottom. Then press it in the center. If the button works in some positions and not others, it is likely a hardware issue.

The second way to tell if the problem is hardware or software is to fully reboot your phone. This resets the app, iOS and the Home button sensor. Test the Home button as soon as the phone boots. If the symptoms are exactly the same, it is likely hardware.

If the button works intermittently, or won’t work at all regardless of where you press, it could be software.

Fix software issues with the iPhone Home button

If it is a software problem causing your iPhone Home button to stop working, there are a few things we can do to address it.

A buddy of mine suggested that calibrating the iPhone can fix a faulty Home button. As it takes only a couple of seconds, it is definitely worth a try.

  1. Open the Apple clock app.
  2. Hold down the sleep button until you see the power off slider then release.
  3. Hold down the Home button until it returns to the home screen.

This may work for you, it may not. As it only takes a few seconds and the alternative is a restore, it is definitely worth trying.

Backup and restore is the other way to fix a faulty Home button caused by a software issue. It takes a little longer but is more effective more often so is definitely one to consider. We will use DFU mode to do a full restore. DFU mode forces an update of all firmware and iOS.

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer and back up through iTunes. Leave it connected.
  2. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and Home button together for 10 seconds.
  3. Release the Sleep/Wake button but continue holding the Home button. You should see a message in iTunes that says something like ‘iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode’.
  4. Release the Home button. The iPhone screen should be completely black. If not, repeat the entire process again.
  5. Restore your iPhone through iTunes.
  6. Reboot and retest.

Using DFU mode has risks so should be regarded as a last resort. It reloads all firmware and has the potential to brick your iPhone if it has hardware issues, damage or minor problems. Perform it at your own risk!

Software workaround. There is a simple workaround that emulates a Home button on the screen if you cannot get yours working again. If your iPhone is out of warranty or you are just waiting for a good deal on the iPhone 7, this might get you through.

  1. Navigate to Settings and General on your iPhone.
  2. Navigate to Accessibility and Assistive Touch.
  3. Toggle Assistive Touch to on and software controls should appear on your screen. One of which will be the Home button.

Fix hardware issues with the iPhone Home button

There are a couple of ways to see if your Home button can be fixed it if is a hardware issue. The first is simple and checks to see if the charging port underneath the Home button has dislodged it while the second is a complete replacement of the Home button.

First, let us check that the charging port hasn’t knocked the Home button.

  1. Plug your charger into the port on your iPhone.
  2. Hold the iPhone in one hand or lay it flat on a surface.
  3. Press down gently on the edge of the connector where it meets the cable. The intent is to push the other end of the connector upwards inside the phone.
  4. Press the Home button while pushing on the connector to see if it works.

This is a simple but very effective test. If you have owned your iPhone for a while, the connector port will have gone through a lot. It may have become loose, or ever so slightly dislodged. This test will prove or disprove that. If your Home button begins working again, repeat this process every time it begins not responding. It isn’t a permanent fix but it can keep you going for a while.

The only other way I know to fix a hardware fault with the iPhone Home button is to replace it. If your phone is still under warranty, get Apple to do it. If it isn’t, you can either do it yourself or take it to a phone store and have them do it.

If you want to replace your own Home button, this guide is supposed to be very good. A level of confidence is definitely needed to replace it yourself but would be immensely satisfying to do if you have the skills. It would be much cheaper too!

So now you have a few options if your iPhone Home button stops working. Got any other solutions? Tell us about them below if you do!

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

James Davis

Apr 29, 2021 • Filed to: Frequently Used Phone Tips • Proven solutions

A broken Home button can be problematic considering that there is a lot of processes that require the Home button. The good news is, a broken Home Button can be easily replaced. But you may want to access the device you can get it fixed or replaced. Which begs the question; how do you use an iPhone with a broken Home Button. In this guide, we are going to be looking at some of the options you have when the Home Button on the device is broken or damaged.

Part 1. How to Use iPhone with Broken Home Button using Assistive Touch

The most effective way to use an iPhone with a broken Home button is to turn on Assistive Touch. This will basically place a virtual Home button on the Home screen. This small button will function as the device’s Home button, allowing you to easily trigger some of the actions the physical Home button was designed for.

You can enable Assistive Touch in the Settings. Just follow these simple steps to do it;

Step 1: Open the iPhone’s Settings app

Step 2: Tap “General” and then select “Accessibility”

Step 3: Locate “Assistive Touch” in the “Accessibility” settings and turn it on.

Here, you should be able to customize Assistive Touch in numerous ways. Simply tap on an icon to change its function and a window will open a number of alternatives.

You can also tap on the “+” icon next to the number to add new buttons or tap the “-“ to remove some buttons from Assistive Touch.

Once Assistive Touch has been enabled, you will be able to see the small button on the edge of the screen. You can tap on the small button and drag it anywhere on the screen. When you tap on the button, the Assistive Touch as you customized will appear on the Home Screen.

Part 2. How to Set up iPhone with Broken Home Button

If the iPhone without the Home Button is not activated, you can use 3uTools to access and activate the iPhone. 3uToils is a third-party program that offers a number of features for the device. You can use it to transfer data from the computer to the device, install applications on the iPhone, and even jailbreak the iPhone. It is also one of the best ways to optimize the performance of the device.

To use 3uTools to activate the device follow these simple steps;

Step 1: Download and install 3uTools on to your computer. Connect the iPhone to the computer and then open 3uTools.

Step 2: 3uTools should detect the device and display information about the device. Click on the “Toolbar” option on the main menu.

Step 3: In the options that appear, tap on “Accessibility” and then turn on “Assistive Touch”.

This will give you the virtual home button that we talked about above, allowing you to finish the set-up process and activate the iPhone.

Part 3. How to Force Restart iPhone if Home Button is Broken

Force Restarting your iPhone can be very difficult if the Home Button is broken. While there are a lot of options for restarting the device, you don’t have a lot of options when it comes to forcing restart an iPhone without a home button.

The only thing you can do is to allow the device’s battery to run out and then plug the device into a charger to force it to restart.

But when you want to restart the device, you have a number of options including the following;

1. Reset Your Network Settings

One of the easiest ways to restart a device without the home button is to reset the network settings. To reset the network settings, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings

Once the settings have been reset, the device will reboot. But keep in mind that this process will remove all your saved Wi-Fi passwords and settings.

2. Use the Shut Down Feature in the Settings (iOS 11 and above)

If your device is running iOS 11 and above, you can shut down the device in the Settings App.

To use this feature, go to Settings > General and then scroll down to tap “Shut Down.”

3. Use Assistive Touch

You may also be able to use Assistive Touch to restart the device. To use it, follow the steps above to set up Assistive Touch as described in the section above.

Once the virtual Home button appears on the screen, tap on it, and then select the “Device” button.

Press and hold the “Lock Screen” icon and then wait for the “Slide to Power” and swipe it to power off the device.

4. Restart the iPhone or iOS Device without Home or Power buttons

If the Home and the power buttons are both not working, you can restart the device by turning on the “Bold Text” option. Here’s how to use it;

Step 1: Open the Settings on your device and then tap on “Accessibility”

Step 2: Scroll down to tap on “Bold Text” and turn it on.

Step 3: The device will ask if you would like to restart it. Tap “Continue” and the device will restart.

It is a good idea to get a broken Home button fixed as you will find it very difficult to use the device without it. But while you are finding ways to get the device repaired, the solutions above should help you continue using the device without the Home button. One of the first things you should do once you are able to use the device is to create a backup of all the data on it. Data loss often always follows hardware damage. So, take a moment to backup all the data on your device to iTunes or iCloud. You can even use a tool like 3uTools to backup the device.

As usual, we love to hear from you. Let us know in the comments section if the above solutions worked for you. We welcome all questions on this topic and we’ll do our best to help.

Part 4. Recommend: Control iPhone on your Computer with MirrorGo

A broken screen of an iPhone could prevent you from fully utilizing its functions. Moreover, replacing the screen of the iPhone is an expensive endeavor. It is better to use the phone by connecting it with the PC using Wondershare MirrorGo. The software effortlessly mirrors the iPhone, and you can manage its contents and other apps on a clear screen.

Wondershare MirrorGo

Mirror your iPhone to a big-screen PC

  • Compatible with the latest iOS version for mirroring.
  • Mirror and reverse control your iPhone from a PC while working.
  • Take screenshots and save directly on the PC

Download the application on the Windows PC and follow the instructions listed below to mirror the iPhone with a broken screen:

Step 1: Ensure the broken screen iPhone and the PC are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Step 2: Under the iPhone’s Screen Mirroring option, tap on MirrorGo.

Step 3: Check the interface of MirrorGo. You will see the iPhone screen, which you will be able to control via the mouse on the PC.

By the broken home button, iPhone 8/7/6/5/4 users are unable to open or unlock iPhone via fingerprint. So, the users get worried and find ways to get the solution to the problem of how to unlock iPhone with broken home button. Following are the solutions to such problems. And guide for users who are facing problems in operating and accessing their iPhone just because of either a damaged screen or broken home button.

Part 1. Use Assistive Touch to Unlock iPhone with Broken Home Button

Those users who are facing troubles in accessing the iDevices, just because of a damaged home button can get access to these devices. Following are the given commands and guidelines, enabling them to unlock such devices. An iPad or iPhone with a broken home button or damaged screen is no more a big deal.

If the user has an iPhone with a broken home button, then he may unlock his iPhone by using assistive touch. To let it be able:

  • Settings > Accccessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch
  • When he turns on assistive touch, he will get a button to appear on the screen.
  • Then he needs to drag it at any edge of his device’s screen, and it will stay there until it remains untouched.
  • By default, the assistive touch menu will be open, just by tapping the button for once.
  • It will be closed when the user will tap once anywhere outside.

This feature will grant the user access to the device, although it will not be as it was previously but somehow it will be much helpful. Also, the users using iPhone 6 unlock phone with broken home button by doing this.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

Part 2. Use VoiceOver to Unlock iPhone with Broken Home Button

A voice-over is an option, or you may say it as an accessibility feature that enables iPhone users to operate iPhone or iPad more easily for the blind and sight impaired. Those who have Visual impairment, can read their iPhone or iPad screens and also including buttons, link icons, and all other sources of interface elements.

Also, get ingress to the gestures navigate or even the selection of the options. And can also unlock iphone with broken screen and home button. But in the case of those users, who need to unlock iPhone 7 with a broken home button can surely make use of this voice-over accessibility feature too.

  • To enable this feature users first need to start the setting App.
  • Then tap on general. Select accessibility, at this accessibility page, tap voice over and the voice-over feature will be turned on.
  • Just by swapping the button at the right and a pop up will be there with the warning that in this way the working of gestures will get changed if this voice-over function is turned on.
  • And a user who has asking “cant unlock my iphone with iOS 10 because my home button is broken” can also be benefited.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

Part 3. Repair Home Button via AppleCare Then Unlock It

Nowadays millionsof users are using iPhones and find them so much reliable and comfortable. But using the iPhone is somehow different and technical as compared to an ordinary Android phone. Similarly, the home button of the iPhone is the main center for the users to operate the iPhone. Any damage to this button can lead to trouble for the users. They may lose their control over operations performed by that button in the iPhone.

If to a mishap the home button gets broken the users may have a failure to access the iPhone. Even they can’t unlock their iPhone by fingerprint. So, besides other options, they need to repair that damaged button. In case to have accessibility, they have to look for the repairing of the home button by AppleCare Centre. Here that button or any damage to the screen can be repaired or changed.

This will let the user operate that device as normal. Users with affected iDevices have worries like, how to unlock iPhone with broken touch screen, home button, must have to look for such AppleCare center.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

Part 4: Turning off Touch ID Until Your Broken Home Button is Fixed

All the devices and technical gadgets have made the life of a man so easy and global. But all these are highly sensitive and much more specific. Any minor damage can cause a big deal of worry to the users and operators. As if the home button of iPhone gets broken, or its screen gets damaged, the users will face major troubles in having access to these devices and to operate them. In such cases where they have iPhone with damaged home button then need to look for its repairment.

Fixing of the damaged home button on the screen is very necessary to have complete access to the device. But until then the users get accessibility to the device by turning off the touch ID. To help the user asking for, how to unlock iphone with broken home button ios can also make use of this temporary feature. Following are the steps by which the users will turn off or turn on the touch ID.

  • From the home screen, go to settings, choose “Touch ID & Passcode”.
  • Enter your passcode if prompted, and by unticking the four boxes that touch id will be turned off. This will let them access the device.

Bonus Tips: How to Unlock iPhone Lock Screen Passcode

Users can also unlock iPhone screen passcodes by making use of PassFab iPhone Unlocker. This is a versatile software enabling the users to have an access to their iDevices by removing the passcodes. Just by a single click, they can unlock their disabled or broken screen iPhone.

It also removes Apple ID, bypass MDM even without a password, so they need to make use of this finest software. And within minutes their iPhone will be under their control. This tool is much easy to operate even in case of a forgotten ID password the users can also be benefited from this PassFab iPhone Unlocker. Here are the steps to use this tool.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

iPhone is known as the first smartphone that has a minimalist hardware button. Right from the start, there were 4 hardware buttons, and that didn’t change until now.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

Every refreshment, especially in the terms of design is always a good idea. When we use our devices, we develop certain habits, and the new design will make us change such habits, which is the case with the minimalist button as well. This not only influences the way we use the iPhone, minimalist button influences troubleshooting as well. It is often used for Recovery Mode.

To put your device into Recovery Mode, follow these steps:

Turn off your iPhone, then hold down the home button and plug it into your computer. Keep holding the home button until you see this pic for iOS 7 or later.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

Of course, this thing cannot be done if the home button of the iPhone / iPad is not working.

How to enter Recovery Mode with the broken home button on iPhone or iPad? There are several options, but this time, we will use a third-party application that you can install on Mac/PC named Reiboot.

Download the Reiboot application for Mac at this link and PC at this link, then install on Mac/PC. I will give you an example how this application runs on Mac and how the iPhone or iPad can enter Recovery Mode, you just plug your device then after it is detected by Reiboot click Enter Recovery Mode (1)

Jun 7, 2017
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iOS devices, despite the strongest of builds are susceptible to damage. We have already discussed what could be done in case of a broken power button on an Android phone. Now if the same were to happen on an iOS device, we might run into more difficulty as the power button on iOS serves additional functions. If you have an iPhone with a broken power button, there are two things you can do; Immediately get it repaired, or find a workaround to turning it On/Off, and going about your daily use.

1. Power On

If your iOS device is powered off with a malfunctioning power button, then you will need to power it back on. Unlike, Android, you cannot reassign the power function to volume keys, as iOS is very closed off that way. However, in order to power up your iOS device, simply plug it into a charger and it will automatically turn on after a few minutes.

2. Assistive Touch

The Assistive Touch feature exists for scenarios where the power button is unreachable or malfunctions. It is an overlay that lets you regain all the functionality you would have with a power button. This includes screen lock/unlock, powering down and taking screenshots. This also comes with the added advantage of replacing the volume buttons, if the need arises.

In order to access Assistive Touch,

Go to Settings > General > Accessibility (scroll down) > Assistive Touch (scroll down)

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

Tap on the button next to Assistive Touch to access the Assistive Touch menu and turn it on. You will know it is powered on when a new button starts hovering over your screen. A gray square with a white circle inside. This icon can be placed anywhere on the screen where you are comfortable.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

You can customize what other options can appear on this menu. You can also save custom gestures that can trigger apps/actions based on those gestures. e.g. you can draw a circle on the screen to launch the power off menu.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

3. Lock/Unlock

Once you have configured the above. Tap on the hovering Assistive Touch icon to bring up the menu.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

Once there, tap on the ‘Device’ icon and here you will see ‘Lock Screen’, tapping on which will lock your screen. You can unlock your screen by tapping the menu button.

4. Screenshots

Tap the Assistive Touch button and tap on ‘Device’, ‘More’, and then tap on ‘Screenshot’

This should let you retain normal functionality with your iOS device despite a broken power button. Though we recommend getting it repaired.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

While you cannot reassign keys on an iPhone unless you jailnbreak it, the Assistive Touc feature makes for a reasonable alternative. This feature has long been popular on older iPhone models with unresponsive Home buttons. It’s reasonably good solution if you have an iPhone with a broken power button.

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Troubleshooting an unresponsive home button

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

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What to Know

  • If you can access Settings, set up and use Assistive Touch, which adds a virtual Home button to the iPhone screen.
  • If the Home button is completely non-functional, take your phone to an Apple Store if it’s under warranty or if you have AppleCare.
  • If your phone isn’t under warranty and you don’t have Apple Care, take it to a skilled, reputable independent repair shop.

This article explains what to do when your iPhone Home button is broken or in the process of breaking. Tips apply to any iOS device with a Home button, including the iPod touch and iPad.

AssistiveTouch on the iPhone

If your Home button is broken or breaking, there’s a feature built into the iOS that can help: AssistiveTouch. Apple didn’t put that feature there as a workaround to broken buttons. It’s actually designed to make the iPhone accessible to people who may have trouble pressing the physical Home button due to disabilities.

AssistiveTouch works by adding a virtual Home button to your iPhone’s screen that is overlaid on every app and screen throughout your phone. With AssistiveTouch enabled, you don’t have to click the Home button—everything that requires the Home button to do can be done by tapping the button onscreen.

To learn how to turn on AssistiveTouch, and how to configure and use it, read our step-by-step instructions in How to Use AssistiveTouch on Your iPhone.

If Your Home Button Is Completely Non-Functional

If your Home button is already totally broken, you may not be able to get to your Settings app (you could be stuck in another app, for instance). If that’s the case, you’re out of luck.

There are a number of accessibility features that can be enabled using a computer when your iPhone is synced to iTunes, but AssistiveTouch is not one of them. Using that requires getting into the Settings app. If your Home button is already completely non-functional, consider your repair options

iPhone Home Button Repair: AppleCare

If your Home button is breaking or broken, AssistiveTouch is a good temporary fix, but you probably don’t want to be stuck with a non-functional Home button for good. You need to get the button fixed.

Before deciding where to get it fixed, check to see if your iPhone is still under warranty. If it is, either due to the original warranty or because you bought an AppleCare extended warranty, take your phone to an Apple Store. There, you’ll get an expert repair that maintains your warranty coverage. If your phone is under warranty and you get it repaired somewhere else, you may forfeit your warranty.

iPhone Home Button Repair: Third Parties

If your phone is out of warranty, and especially if you’re planning to upgrade to a new model soon, then getting your Home button fixed at the Apple Store isn’t crucial. In that case, you can consider getting it fixed by an independent repair shop. There are lots of companies that offer iPhone repair, and not all of them are skilled or reliable, so make sure to do some research before picking one.

The iPhone X and newer models don’t have a home button at all. Learn how to perform common tasks on those models in iPhone X Home Button Basics.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

iPhone or iPad with iOS operating system are known for the stability and regular updates provided by Apple to fix the bugs or add features to iOS. Not only that, Applications on the iPhone tend to be better in terms of features because Apple requires developers to update their apps to be compatible with the latest iOS.

The apps you just updated won’t always run smoothly. Sometimes, they may crash out, and not behaving as they should. You need to keep in mind that if the apps isn’t working properly, it may affect the iPhone performance. There is a simple troubleshoot for this issue, and what you need to do here is to reset the iPhone. Simple as that.

To reset / restart iPhone, press and hold the power button and the home button together, at the same time, for about 10-15 seconds, until the Apple logo appears on the screen of the iPhone.

What to do if your power button and/or home button is broken? How to reset your device in such situation? There are some solutions for this issue. We are going to share one of those.

You can reset the iPhone by activating certain feature, such as Bold Text feature, or do something that requires the iPhone to be restarted, such as Reset Network Settings.

To activate Bold Text feature on the iPhone, you can go to

Settings >> General >> Accessibility then Swipe on the Bold Text feature and your iPhone will restart. It can be done on iOS 7 or later.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

The other option is to Reset Network Settings without loosing your data nor other settings (you will lose network settings). To do this you can go to Settings >> General >> Reset >> Reset Network Settings

Are you unable to put your iOS device in DFU mode because the Home or Power button is broken? Or simply having trouble putting your iOS device in DFU mode? No worries, few weeks back iPhone Dev team released a new version of Redsn0w that allows you to put your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch in DFU mode without the need of the Home or Power button.

In this article, we will take you through the step-by-step procedure to put your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch in DFU mode using Redsn0w on Mac or Windows.

Step 1: Download the latest version of Redsn0w from this link and save it in a folder named “Redsn0w” on your desktop.

Step 2: Download the latest iOS firmware file (.ipsw) for your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch from here: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

Step 3: Double click the Redsn0w zip file and extract the application to the Redsn0w folder and then launch the Redsn0w application.

Windows users should run Redsn0w as ‘Administrator’ (right-click on the Redsn0w exe and select ‘Run as an Administrator’).

Step 4: After launching Redsn0w, click on the Extras button.

Step 5: Then click on the Even more button.

Step 6: Now click on the DFU IPSW button.

Step 7: You will be prompted to select an IPSW. Use the file browser to select the .ipsw file that you had downloaded in Step 2.

Step 8: Redsn0w will start creating a DFU mode IPSW file.

Step 9: After the IPSW file has been created, you will be notified. Click on the Ok button. Please note that the IPSW file will be created with prefix ENTER_DFU_.

Step 10: Now launch iTunes (please ensure that it has been updated to the latest version).

Step 11: Select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch when it appears in iTunes under Devices. (If you haven’t backed up your iOS device, then back it up by right clicking (or Control-clicking) on the device and clicking on the Back Up menu option.)

Step 12: Select the Summary tab. Then hold down the Option key (Windows users hold down on the Alt key) and click Restore.

Step 13: Select the DFU mode IPSW file (.ipsw file with prefix ENTER_DFU_)

Step 14: After your iOS device has been restored it will be automatically put in DFU mode (the screen should be completely black). You can now use our step-by-step guides to jailbreak your iOS device or restore it with the appropriate iOS firmware file.

When you disconnect or connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer, it will play a sound effect, to notify you a device has been connected.

You can use these sound effects to help you get into DFU Mode. After 10 seconds of pressing Home + Power, you should hear the first sound (disconnected sound effect). Then after another 10 seconds of holding the Home button, you will hear the second sound (connected sound effect).

Hope this helped. Please don’t forget to let us know how it goes in the comments and drop us a line if you hit any issues.

If you thought an unresponsive home button is the worst thing to happen to your iPhone, you should ask the guy whose power button just went kaput.

It’s very uncommon that the power button of the iPhone/iPad breaks. But when it does, it’s almost as much crippling as losing the home button. Thankfully, there is always an alternative that comes in very handy. That’s precisely what we’re looking at.

How to Use iPhone or iPad When Power Button Cannot Work/Broken

As a start, here are some of the functions for which we need the power button (usually):

#1. Lock Screen your iPhone or iPad Screen

Obviously, the power button’s main feature is to lock the screen. That’s why Steve Jobs called it the sleep button (rather than “power” button). As catastrophic it seems at first when you’ve got a broken/non-working power button, locking the screen is pretty easy without touching the same. Here’s how:

Step #1. Launch Settings app on your iOS device.

Step #2. Now tap on General.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

Step #3. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.

If your device is running iOS 13, you can skip the second step and jump directly on Accessibility under Display & Brightness.

Step #4. On the Accessibility screen, tap on AssistiveTouch.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

Step #5. Turn on AssistiveTouch.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

This will enable that virtual button, which floats on your iOS device screen.

Step #6. Tap on that virtual AssistiveTouch button and a menu will open up with a few options.

Step #7. Tap on Device and then tap on Lock Screen icon to lock your iOS device screen.

Note that AssistiveTouch is packed with multiple useful features. You can explore its full functionality by reading our complete guide.

#2. Switching off

To switch off the device, we hold the power button for a long time. With an AssistiveTouch button, you can turn off your device.

As mentioned above, enable AssistiveTouch. If you have fallen in love with this virtual button, you wouldn’t have removed it.

Step #1. Tap on AssistiveTouch button.

Step #2. From the pop-up menu, tap Device icon.

Step #3. Now tap and hold that Lock Screen icon for long.

After a few seconds, you will see ‘slide to power off’ slider on your device screen. Now you can turn off your device by dragging that slider from left to right.

How to use an iphone with a broken home button

With iOS 11, Apple introduced a software-based shut down option. Instead of using a physical power button, you can use this soft button to switch off your iPhone or iPad.

Step #1. Open Settings and then General.

Step #2. Scroll down to the bottom and tap on Shut Down.

This will bring up ‘slide to power off’ slider. Drag that slider from left to right.

#3. Switching On

When you connect your iPhone/iPad to a Mac or Windows computer, you may need to enter your passcode to unlock the device.

Also, note that your iOS device shows you a pop-up asking you to trust the computer. Simply tap on Trust button and go ahead.

#4. Screenshots

Once you enable AssistiveTouch (Method has shown above), follow the steps given below.

Step #1. Wake up your iPhone/iPad and unlock the device.

You can use that virtual button on the locked screen as well. But what is the use of taking screenshots on a locked screen?

Step #2. Next, open the screen of which you want to take screenshots.

Step #3. Now tap on AssistiveTouch button.

Step #4. Then tap on Device icon.

Step #5. Tap on More (…) icon.

Step #6. Finally, tap on Screenshot icon.

Listen to that camera shutter sound as your device takes the screenshot.

Users, who frequently take screenshots on their iOS devices, can change the position of Screenshot icon in AssistiveTouch menu. Moreover, it is recommended to use AssistiveTouch button instead of Home and Power button to take screenshots.

That’s all folks!

Signing off…

Although Apple’s hardware are powerful enough to endure your taps and touches for a long time, when they fail to work correctly, the replacements can be too costly. I prefer to use AssistiveTouch button every day as I don’t want to use power and home buttons on my iPhone and iPad.

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Do you operate your iOS device with physical buttons? Would you like to switch to AssistiveTouch to interact with your phone or tablet? Share your feedback with us in the comment box.