5 Ways to Unlock Your iPhone 5/6/7/8 Without a Home Button

November 07, 2025Maya Bennett

How to unlock an iPhone without a Home button?

The Home button was the iconic design of the iPhone for over a decade. It offers a quick gateway to the home screen, Touch ID, multitasking, and more. Even though the physical button was replaced by the advanced Face ID technology and intuitive gestures since the iPhone X, many iOS users still have an old iPhone with the button. Do you know how to access a locked iPhone without the Home button?

Unlock iPhone Without Home Button

Part 1. How to Unlock an iPhone Without the Home Button

If you have an iPhone 6 or later with Touch ID, you can press the Home button and use your fingerprint to unlock it. If you use an earlier iPhone 5 or 4S without the biometric authority function, you need to press the button and then enter the device passcode. What if the Home button becomes unresponsive or you have forgotten your passcode? This part shares five effective methods to unlock your iPhone without a Home button.

Easy Way to Unlock an iPhone Without the Home Button

If you need a password removal tool or a dedicated device unlocker to unlock your iPhone safely, Aiseesoft iPhone Unlocker is a strong contender. It supports all commonly used iPhone models like iPhone 4/5/6/7/8, iPhone X/11/12/13/14/15, and newer devices. When you fail to unlock an iPhone through the Home button, download the software to regain access with ease.

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Step 1.
Launch iPhone Unlocker and choose the first Unlock iOS Screen feature. Click the Start Unlocking button to move on. As you can see, it also lets you remove your Apple ID and passcode, bypass iCloud Activation Lock, unlock Screen Time, and more.
iPhone Unlocker New Interface
Step 2.
Connect your phone to the computer and help it be detected by the iPhone Unlocker. When the specific device model appears on the screen, click the Start Now button. This feature will wipe the current lock screen password and related Touch ID or Face ID.
Start to Wipe Passcode
Step 3.
The software will download the correct firmware package to unlock your iPhone. Once downloaded, it will start erasing your lock screen passcode. Before that, you are required to read the warnings carefully and then proceed.
Unlock Confirmation
Step 4.
Click Confirm Again to confirm your action and let iPhone Unlocker verify the downloaded firmware package. When the software prompts that your iPhone is unlocked successfully, click the Finish button. You can now easily enter your phone without a Home button or passcode.
Unlocked Successfully

You may also need:
7 Easy Solutions to Fix iPhone Home Button Not Working.
[100% Done] 7 Ways to Unlock an iPhone without Passcode.

Unlock an iPhone Without Pressing the Home Button

If your phone has a Touch ID sensor and can read your fingerprint, you can turn on Rest Finger to Open to unlock the device without pressing the Home button.

Step 1.
Open the Settings app of your old iPhone and go to General.
Step 2.
Tap Accessibility and then scroll down to choose the Home Button.
Step 3.
In the main interface of the Home Button, you can find the Rest Finger to Open option at the bottom. After enabling it, you don't need to press the Home button to unlock your iPhone.
Turn on Rest Finger to Open iPhone 6

Unlock an iPhone via AssistiveTouch

AssistiveTouch is a default feature in iOS that can create a virtual, on-screen button that replicates physical functions. If the physical button is broken or you simply prefer a software-based solution, you can rely on AssistiveTouch to unlock an iPhone.

You typically need to enable AssistiveTouch in Settings first. However, if it wasn't enabled and you are locked out, you need to use the first method to unlock the device and then set it up. If the accessibility feature is already enabled, you can use it from your phone's lock screen.

Press the side button to turn on your iPhone screen. You can see a grey translucent square on the screen. That is the AssistiveTouch button. Tap it and then choose Device. Tap Home and then enter your passcode to access the phone.

Unlock iPhone without Home Button Via Assistivetouch

You can easily access and enable AssistiveTouch from General > Accessibility in the Settings app. Customize the top-level menu and create custom actions based on your needs.

Unlock an iPhone Without a Home Button Through the Erase iPhone Feature

After you entered the wrong passcode too many times, you may see an Erase iPhone option. Tap to choose it and then follow the prompts to proceed with the erasing process. This operation will completely wipe the phone and its passcode. You can then set it up as new or restore from a backup.

Remote Wipe Your iPhone Using Find My

When your iPhone is locked and you can't unlock it with the Home button, try removing the iOS device from iCloud Find My remotely. This solution requires your Apple ID and passcode to proceed. Moreover, the Find My iPhone should be enabled in your iCloud settings before you are locked out.

On your computer or another Apple device, go to icloud/find site and sign in with your Apple ID. Click All Devices to display all your linked devices. Find and select the iPhone you want to erase. Click Erase This Device and confirm your choice.

Erase iPhone to Remove Passcode Using iCloud

Once erased, you can unlock your iPhone without pressing the Home button or entering a digital passcode.

Besides the methods above, you can also use the traditional iTunes restoring way to unlock a locked or disabled iPhone. Put your device into Recovery Mode, connect to a computer, and then use iTunes or Finder to restore it.

Remove Passcode from iPhone Finder Restore

Part 2. FAQs on How to Unlock iPhone Without Home Button

Is there an alternative to the iPhone Home button?

AssistiveTouch is the built-in alternative to the Home button. It can be a software solution if your physical Home button does not work correctly. You can access and enable it from Accessibility in the Settings app. You can also use Siri for certain basic functions. If you use a modern iPhone model without the Home button, the physical button is replaced by a gesture-based system. You can simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen to return to the Home Screen.

Is it possible to unlock an iPhone with a fingerprint without pressing the Home button?

No, you cannot unlock an iPhone with your fingerprint without pressing the Home button. The Touch ID sensor is physically embedded into the button. When it is activated, you cannot just hover your finger above or near it to unlock the device. For iPhone 7, 8, and SE models that have a solid-state Home button, you don’t necessarily need to press the button down.

How do you get the iPhone Home button on the screen?

As mentioned, you can turn on AssistiveTouch to display the Home button on your iPhone screen. After switching to a newer iPhone without a physical Home button, you can use AssistiveTouch to create a virtual, on-screen button that performs a similar function to the Home button. Go to Accessibility in the Settings app, tap Touch, choose AssistiveTouch, and then toggle the switch at the top to On.
If the Home button doesn’t work well to unlock your iPad, you can read this guide:How to Fix iPad Unavailable Press Home to Unlock Issue.

Conclusion

You can learn five solutions to unlock an iPhone without a Home button from this post. You should ensure you have a recent backup before using the erasing or restoring method. Sometimes, a faulty iPhone screen may seem like an unlock issue. You can perform a forced restart or connect it to a computer to see if it is recognized. When you are locked out of your phone, you can also contact Apple Support or visit a local Apple Store for assistance.

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iPhone Unlocker box

To fix iPhone screen locked, wiping password function can help you a lot. And you also can clear Apple ID or Screen Time password easily.

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Free DownloadFor macOS

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