Turn on AssistiveTouch to add a floating iPhone Home button that opens the Home action with one tap.
A newer iPhone can put the Home button back on screen through AssistiveTouch, so learning how to enable home button on iPhone means turning on one Accessibility toggle and knowing where Home sits in the menu. The button floats above apps, moves to any screen edge, and stays available until you turn it off.
AssistiveTouch does not restore a physical button or change the swipe bar on Face ID models. AssistiveTouch adds a software button that can go Home, open Control Center, take screenshots, lock the screen, call Siri, and run other button-style actions from one small circle.
Enable The iPhone Home Button From Settings
The iPhone Home button setting is inside Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch. Turning on AssistiveTouch makes the floating menu button appear on the screen.
- Open the gear-shaped Settings app.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Tap Touch.
- Tap AssistiveTouch.
- Turn on AssistiveTouch.
The small gray-and-white floating button appears over the current screen. Drag the button to the left, right, top, or bottom edge if it covers something you need to tap.
Where Is The iPhone Home Button Setting?
The iPhone Home button setting is named AssistiveTouch, not “Home Button,” because Apple uses the same feature for several touch and button actions. The Home action is one item inside the AssistiveTouch menu.
Tap the floating button once, then tap Home. Your iPhone returns to the Home Screen just like a physical Home button would on older models.
Siri can turn the feature on too. Say, “Turn on AssistiveTouch,” then look for the floating button on the screen.
Use The Floating Button After It Appears
The floating AssistiveTouch button works anywhere iOS allows it, including the Home Screen, apps, and many full-screen views. One tap opens the menu, and tapping outside the menu closes it.
| What You Want To Do | Tap In AssistiveTouch | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Go back to the Home Screen | Home | The current app minimizes and the Home Screen opens. |
| Open recent apps | Device > More > App Switcher | The app cards appear so you can switch apps. |
| Take a screenshot | Device > More > Screenshot | The screen flashes and the screenshot thumbnail appears. |
| Lock the screen | Device > Lock Screen | The display locks without pressing the side button. |
| Adjust volume | Device > Volume Up or Volume Down | The volume level changes onscreen. |
| Open Control Center | Control Center | Control Center opens without a corner swipe. |
| Restart the iPhone | Device > More > Restart | The restart confirmation appears before the phone restarts. |
Apple’s AssistiveTouch setup steps list the Settings path, Siri command, and Accessibility Shortcut method for turning the floating button on.
Make The Button Act More Like A Home Button
AssistiveTouch can work as a one-tap Home button if you change the custom action for the floating button. The lowest-friction setup for most people is setting Single-Tap to Home, then using the menu only when you need extra controls.
- Open Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch.
- Turn on AssistiveTouch if it is off.
- Under Custom Actions, tap Single-Tap.
- Choose Home.
After that change, tapping the floating button once sends you to the Home Screen. To keep the full AssistiveTouch menu on a tap, leave Single-Tap as Open Menu and choose Home from inside the menu instead.
The button can also react to Double-Tap and Long Press. A practical setup is Single-Tap for Home, Double-Tap for App Switcher, and Long Press for Lock Screen.
What If The Home Button Does Not Show?
AssistiveTouch usually fails to appear because the toggle is off, the button is hidden against a screen edge, or the wrong action was assigned to a tap. Check the setting first, then reset the custom action if tapping the button opens something other than Home.
| Problem | Fix To Try | Likely Result |
|---|---|---|
| No floating button appears | Turn on AssistiveTouch again in Settings > Accessibility > Touch. | The button appears on the current screen. |
| The button is hard to see | Open AssistiveTouch and raise Idle Opacity. | The button stays more visible when unused. |
| A tap opens the menu instead of Home | Set Single-Tap to Home. | One tap goes straight to the Home Screen. |
| The button blocks app controls | Drag the floating button to a different screen edge. | The button stays there until you move it again. |
| Triple-click does nothing | Go to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut, then select AssistiveTouch. | The side button or Home button can toggle AssistiveTouch with three clicks. |
Set Up A Faster Toggle
The Accessibility Shortcut lets you turn AssistiveTouch on and off without digging through Settings every time. On iPhones with Face ID, triple-click the side button; on iPhones with a physical Home button, triple-click the Home button.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Scroll down and tap Accessibility Shortcut.
- Select AssistiveTouch.
Three clicks now show or hide the floating button. If several features are selected in Accessibility Shortcut, triple-clicking opens a small list so you can pick AssistiveTouch.
One-Tap Home Setup For Daily Use
The most direct daily setup is a floating button that goes Home with one tap and stays out of your thumb’s way. Use these settings after AssistiveTouch is on.
- Set Single-Tap to Home.
- Set Double-Tap to App Switcher if you switch apps often.
- Set Long Press to Lock Screen if your side button is stiff or covered by a case.
- Raise or lower Idle Opacity until the button is visible but not distracting.
- Drag the floating button to the screen edge where your thumb naturally rests.
The finished setup gives you a software Home button on every screen, a faster app switcher action, and a side-button replacement without changing your normal iPhone gestures.
References & Sources
- Apple.“Use AssistiveTouch on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.”Verifies the AssistiveTouch Settings path, Siri command, onscreen button behavior, and shortcut option.