The breakdown of the Home button is not a common occurrence, however, when this happens, the user is practically deprived of the opportunity to fully use his iPhone. After all, without this button it is impossible to return to main screen, close applications, switch between running applications and perform many other operations.
The best decision in such a situation is to contact service center. But you don’t always have the time and money to repair your favorite gadget. Sometimes you need your phone right now, but it doesn't actually work. In such a case, there is a temporary solution. You can display the Home button on iPhone screen and press it using the touch screen.
You can use this method on any iPhone models, which has been updated to iOS 5 or higher. And these are models such as iPhone 4, 4s, 5, 5s, 6, 6s, 7, 8 and iPhone X.
How to Enable the Home Button on the iPhone Screen
If you want to display the “Home” button on the screen of your iPhone, then to do this you will need to go to the settings and enable the “ Assistive Touch" To do this, open the Settings app and go to the General section.
And go to the “Assistive Touch” function settings.
Here, at the very top of the screen, you need to activate the switch, which is responsible for turning off and on the “Assistive Touch” function.
After enabling Assistive Touch, a floating round button should appear on the screen that will look something like the screenshot below.
The appearance of this button means that the Assistive Touch feature is enabled and can now be used to control the iPhone without using hardware buttons, such as the Home button.
How to Press the Home Button on the iPhone Screen
Now a few words about how to press the Home button using the iPhone screen. To do this, click on the floating button for the “Assistive Touch” function. As a result, a menu with several items should appear on the screen. Among other things, there will be a “Home” button here. Press it and your iPhone will respond as if you pressed a hardware button on the device.
If suddenly there is no “Home” button in your menu, then return to iPhone Settings and open the section “General - Universal Access - Assistive Touch - Top-Level Menu”.
Here you can configure which options are available in the Assistive Touch menu. To add a Home button, click on any of the available options.
And in the list that opens, select the “Home” button.
You can also reset Assistive Touch settings here or increase the number of available options.
What else can you do with Assistive Touch?
Assistive Touch is a feature designed primarily for people with disabilities. As already mentioned, with its help you can display the Home button on the iPhone screen and press it without using a real hardware button on the case. But besides this, Assistive Touch provides a lot of other possibilities. For example, you can use it:
- Open the notification list or Control Center;
- Emulate the use of gestures and shaking the device;
- Control sound volume;
- Enable screen lock;
- Enable screen rotation or orientation lock;
- Take screenshots;
- Manage multitasking;
- Use the camera as a magnifying glass;
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Unfortunately, Apple devices also break, no matter what boards and cases they are equipped with. This can happen either due to defects or due to the negligence of the user himself. But due to the fact that the “Home” button often appears among breakdowns, users immediately go to the Internet to understand how to continue working with the device? After all, Home is the main, and, in fact, the only control button, thanks to which navigation, closing applications, switching between them and many other operations are carried out.
But Apple, one might say, thought about this point in advance and introduced Assistive Touch technology. It is worth noting that it was introduced as an alternative option for people with disabilities, but has become widely used among users whose Home button does not work correctly.
When is Assistive Touch used?
This list contains the main reasons why users enable this technology on your smartphone:
- People with disabilities. The technology was originally designed for them;
- Users whose Home button is broken. Even if you are already planning to take your device to a service center, you want to do backup copy, save important data, inform your family and friends that you will not be able to communicate with them for some time. That is why you can turn on this technology and perform all actions even with a broken Home button;
- Out of interest. Often people try to display the Home button just to try it out, and many of them simply get used to it because it is really convenient.
In general, whatever the reasons, the principle of activating and working with this option is the same.
How to put the Home button on the screen?
There is another way to enable this mode at Siri help. All you have to do is say “Hey Siri” for the voice assistant, and then say the phrase “Activate Assistive Touch.”
This technology is available on devices with iOS 5 and higher, respectively, it is supported by devices from the iPhone 3GS and subsequent generations.
How to use Assistive Touch technology?
We have displayed the button on the screen, but how to use it, you ask? Press the virtual button once with your finger to display the control menu. By default, there are 6 icons for different actions, namely:
- Notifications – goes to the list of notifications that are displayed on your smartphone (a standard call is made by swiping down);
- User – all control buttons and gestures are collected here, and the ability to create your own gestures is also provided;
- Siri – activation of the voice assistant for further work with it;
- Device – here are the control buttons for your smartphone. For example, you can change the volume, lock the screen, mute the sound. There is also a separate “More” tab, which provides a huge number of possibilities;
- Command centre– call the control point with one touch (a standard call is made by swiping up);
- Home – simulates physically pressing the Home button. That is, by pressing once, you will go to the start menu of your smartphone.
Additional settings for the virtual button
Assistive Touch technology provides a large number of settings and can be used to simulate various actions. To access these features, go to Settings, click on the General tab, then Accessibility and select Assistive Touch.
Setting up actions
This is a separate item where you can configure your own specific actions for each touch. There are 4 touch options in total:
- Single – click once and get the result;
- Double – you need to quickly click 2 times on the virtual button;
- Long press – press and hold your finger on the button until the result of your actions appears;
- 3D-Touch – press hard to trigger an action associated with 3D-Touch.
For each of the listed touches, you can assign your own specific operations that will be performed. For example, you can call up a menu with one click, launch a specific application, make purchases in Apple Pay, restart the device and much more.
You can also set your own duration for a long press. By default, this parameter is 0.75 seconds. Double tapping has a timeout option, which is also time configurable and defaults to 0.30 seconds. Both parameters, despite having their own time settings, are deactivated.
Another important setting item is the top-level menu. This is exactly the list of icons that appears when you press a virtual key once. By default in iOS 12 there are 6 icons here, but their number can be increased to 8, as a result of which they will be arranged in a square. You can reduce it down to 1 icon. If you accidentally configured the icons not the way you wanted, just click the "Reset" button, and the screen will show starter kit of 6 icons.
Here you can configure and appearance buttons, or rather, its contrast. In the “Opacity at rest” item, you can select how much percentage the button will be opaque at rest. Default this parameter is 40%.
How to disable the Home button from the screen?
If you need to remove virtual Home button on your device, just use one of the following methods:
- Go to “Settings”, go to “General” and find the “Accessibility” item. Here, click on Assistive Touch and turn it off;
- Call voice Siri assistant and dictate the phrase “Remove or disable Assistive Touch.”
Conclusion
This technology has a very wide range of applications, thanks to which it is possible to assign various actions to different types clicks. Moreover, you can create your own individual gestures, which will be recognized by the device and provide you with even more control options. At any time, the specified combinations can be changed in the Assistive Touch control menu or reset to factory settings.
Remember that this option is useful not only in case of breakdown, but also when you work the device extensively. But for those who are accustomed to physically pressing the Home button, this option is not entirely suitable, since it does not create the same tactile sensations.
Home button on tablets and Apple phones has two forms: physical and virtual. If the owner cannot have any influence on the mechanical element, then the graphic analogue can be displayed and removed from the screen at any time.
Simple and clear step by step instructions in our article will allow you to quickly remove the home button from the iPhone screen, and she will also teach you how to activate the “Home” function again.
For removing virtual button“Home” you will need to go to the settings and follow a simple path:
- “Settings”/“Settings”.
- "Basic"/"General".
- Deactivating the AssistiveTouch function.
The fact that the Home button is disabled will be indicated by a change in color indication: green ON will turn to gray OFF.
Need remove home button More often than not, users of Apple products, on the contrary, strive to display virtual control on the screen.
Many people consider it necessary to activate the graphical option “Home” as a preventive measure. After all, the less often you press the standard version of the Home button, the longer the iPhone lives without repairing or replacing the physical button.
Displaying the multitasking button on the iPhone screen is as easy as removing it.
The sequence is identical and differs only in the last point:
- “Settings”/“Settings”.
- "Basic"/"General".
- "Universal access"/"Accessibility".
- Activating the AssistiveTouch function.
Accordingly, the button changes color from gray to green, indicating that virtual control is displayed on the iPhone screen.
You can make returning the home button even easier. Triple clicking on the built-in control activates a special menu.
It also has an AssistiveTouch function, which takes the user to the desired settings location and allows you to turn on Home with a single press.
Additional functions of the Home button
“Home” is a multitasking key. Essentially, this is another menu for quickly managing iPhone services.
Everyone knows its standard use cases:
- Single press – return to the main menu.
- Double tap to open multitasking.
- Triple click – call up additional features.
Additional features can also be turned on or off in “Universal Access” in Settings by checking the desired options in “Keyboard Shortcuts”.
What can you install or deactivate in this miniature special menu?
The functions are as follows:
- "Color Inversion". Changing all screen shades to the opposite ones, which is convenient for adapting the device for reading at night.
- "Increase". An excellent magnifier for visually impaired users as well as convenient way looking at small pictures on the Internet.
- "AssistiveTouch". Quickly call the “home” button and instantly disable it.
- "SwitchControl". Adapting iPhone controls to suit the limited capabilities of some users. At correct setting“switches” you can adjust the operation of phone services with head movements, a single touch, or via Bluetooth.
- "Shades of Gray". Switching the product to black and white mode to save energy or just because.
Any of the named functions can be enabled or disabled, but adding new tasks to this list will not work. And why? iPhones are the ideal consumer technology that gives the most to everyone.
The only thing the owner needs to do is master all the capabilities of an ultra-modern smartphone and use them 100%.
New iPhone models have a capacitive Home button instead of the traditional physical one. Just like the trackpad on a MacBook, it can detect pressure and notify the user using a tactile response. Apple engineers have provided a feature that will change how this response is felt. You can easily adjust the strength feedback in the operating system settings.
In many cases, the default settings appear too soft to users, making it difficult to notice when the Home button is pressed. Therefore, Cupertino residents offer the possibility of changing them according to their preferences.
It's easy to customize the Home button feedback settings, but it's best to do it under normal conditions. using iPhone, meaning whether it comes with or without a case, and whether the phone is on a hard or soft surface.
How to Customize Touch Home Button Response on iPhone 7
Our instructions are suitable for both iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, since both of these flagships have new capacitive buttons with vibration feedback:
Remember, these settings affect all Home button uses and responsiveness, including the “Press the Home button to unlock screen” option, taking screenshots, returning to home screen devices, access to multitasking and more.
On iPhone, iPad and others iOS devices There's a feature called AssistiveTouch. This feature allows you to control your device using gestures and buttons on the device screen. For example, you can use AssistiveTouch to replace the hardware Home button if you don't feel comfortable pressing it or if it's simply broken.
Enable the Home button on the iPhone screen
In order to enable the display of the Home button on the iPhone screen, you must first open the settings and go to the General section.
And then to the “AssistiveTouch” subsection.
And enable the “AssistiveTouch” function there. After this, a round floating button will appear on the iPhone screen. This button can be dragged anywhere on the screen so that it does not obscure the icons of other applications.
When you press this floating button, a menu with six functions will appear: Notification Center, User, Device, Siri, Control Center and Home. At the same time, the “Home” function is analogous to a hardware home button. If you click on it once, you will see the desktop, and if you double-click, a list of running applications will appear.
If you only need the Home button on the iPhone screen, then you can remove the remaining functions. To do this, open the iPhone Settings again and go to the “General – Accessibility – AssistiveTouch” section. And then go to the “Top Level Menu” section.
After this, the floating menu settings will appear in front of you. In order to leave only one Home button on the iPhone screen, you need to reduce the number of functions in the floating menu to one.
After only one function remains, click on it and select the “Home” option in the menu that opens.
This way you will have a button with one function.
After these manipulations, the floating button on the screen will perform only one function - the function of the “Home” button.