I'm pasting an article from Applevis that David Goldfield sent to his Tech VI list. I would point out that I can unlock the screen from pretty much anywhere along the bottom of the screen, for me, it does not have to be in the center near the charging port. But, for others, this may vary.
Original Source <https://www.applevis.com/guides/finding-your-way-home-home-buttonless-world -using-ios-device-without-home-button> Finding Your Way Home in a (Home) Buttonless World: Using an iOS Device Without a Home Button By Scott Davert, 28 February, 2025 Introduction With the recent release of the new iPhone 16e, <https://www.applevis.com/blog/hands-iphone-16e-my-first-impressions> this means the end of the Home Button for iPhone users. Those who have been using iPhone SE's for years will now have to face not having a phone on the market which has the Home Button. We can't bring Touch ID back, but we can do something about duplicating the function of the Home Button. While many users have adapted in various ways, including performing the gesture, the fact remains that this gesture isn't as simple to perform until you are used to it as hitting a button. Speaking of buttons, I've sent the feedback several times to Apple that this should be an option for the Action Button. As of iOS 18.3.1, this still isn't one, though you can set up a Siri shortcut to assign the Action Button to the Home gesture (discussed below). Using the new Gesture The way in which one now goes to the Home Screen by default with VoiceOver is to place one finger at the bottom center edge of the screen and slide up quickly until you feel a slight vibration or hear the "pop" sound and then release. There are ways of addressing various challenges associated with this change. For example, I've found that using the Lightning or USB-C port on the iPhone as a placeholder has worked in some cases. Though the gesture doesn't have to be centered exactly, the port can act as a tactile guide of sorts. The advantage of this method, if effective, is that there is no physical modification required and transference of knowledge will apply to any iOS device the user will encounter in the future as long as the iPhone doesn't lose its one port. For those struggling with the initiation of the gesture, if you have a case on your iPhone, it is possible to strategically place a Bump Dot or some other tactile tool on the case which lines up with where one must place their finger to initiate the gesture. But I don't wanna! Sometimes, people can't, for various reasons, or don't want, to learn this gesture. Since it's not something simple like a one-finger double tap, it's understandable that this may be the case. There are ways to address this as well. For example, one can set up a customized gesture to take them to the Home Screen. This is a process I've done many times, but when doing so, I make sure my consumers are aware that this gesture is a modification, and that if they wish to continue using it in the future, they may need to get support with setting it up on new devices. Here are step-by-step instructions for setting this up with VoiceOver, with the 2-finger swipe right being the chosen gesture. 1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Commands > Touch Gestures. 2. Select the gesture desired. For example, swipe right with 2 fingers. 3. Under the System heading, locate Home and select it. 4. iOS may inform you that the gesture you have chosen is already in use for another function. At that point, you can select Cancel or Assign, and the appropriate action will be carried out. Once you have found a gesture that works and press Assign, that is all that is needed. The reason I chose swipe right with 2 fingers is because this gesture is assigned to moving into a group when VoiceOver's Grouped Navigation is enabled. This is a feature I do not use, so I will not miss it. Those who may miss it can also choose another gesture. I don't use VoiceOver, now what? Another way of doing this which doesn't use VoiceOver is to set up one of the Back Tap features to take you Home. For those unaware, Back Tap is a feature on iPhones that lets you do things just by tapping the back of your phone. You can set it up so that when you tap the back two or three times, your phone does something like take a screenshot or go to the Home Screen. It has been my experience that sometimes whatever is set up on the double Back Tap gesture will get activated by accident, but that the Triple Back Tap seems to work best. To set up Back Tap to perform the Home gesture with the Triple Tap, do the following: 1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap. 2. Toggle this to on. 3. Navigate to Triple Tap and then select. 4. Select Home from the list of options and you will be done. I've found that the thicker the iPhone's case, the less often the Back Tap registers. Like any of the other methods above, it's another possibility. Taking the Shortcut Home As noted above, it is possible to create a Siri Shortcut which can utilize the Action Button on supported devices to take you Home. Follow the below steps on the compatible iPhone. 1. Download the shortcut, courtesy of AppleVis' very own AnonyMouse. <https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/51b3da22d8a74d6ea05cfcb487c61b37> on a compatible iPhone. 2. Activate the shortcut if it does not happen automatically. 3. Select Add Shortcut. 4. Now go to Settings > Action Button. 5. IN the adjustable menu, select Shortcut 6. Select Choose a Shortccut. 7. Select "Go to Home Screen". 8. Press and briefly holdthe Action Button to go Home. Welcome home! Tags iOS <https://www.applevis.com/guides/ios> iPhone <https://www.applevis.com/guides/iphone> VoiceOver <https://www.applevis.com/guides/voiceover> Disclaimer The article on this page has generously been submitted by a member of the AppleVis community. As AppleVis is a community-powered website, we make no guarantee, either express or implied, of the accuracy or completeness of the information. David Goldfield, Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist <http://www.davidgoldfield.com/> www.DavidGoldfield.com Director of Marketing, Blazie Technologies <http://www.blazietech.com/> www.BlazieTech.com Am Yisrael Chai The Nation of Israel Lives! <https://www.freedomscientific.com/Training/Certification> <https://certification.nvaccess.org/> NVDA Certified Expert Subscribe to the Tech-VI announcement list to receive blindness technology news, events and information. Email: <mailto:tech-vi+subscr...@groups.io> tech-vi+subscr...@groups.io Richard, USA, "When you come to the edge of all the light you know and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught how to fly." -- Barbara J. Winter. 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