• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechGlobal 500

Apple’s iPhone 7 Has a Hidden Home Button

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 17, 2016, 11:35 AM ET

Apple’s iPhone 7 Home Button has a virtual alternative that turns on automatically if something goes wrong with the physical button.

A poster on the forums at Apple-tracking site MacRumors published an image of a virtual Home Button sitting at the bottom of the the iPhone 7’s screen. Above it, iOS displays a warning reading the “Home Button may need service,” adding that the “onscreen Home Button” could be used in the meantime.

“So plugged in my iPhone 7 to charge and it turned itself off,” a person using the pseudonym “iwayne” said on the forums site with the aforementioned image. “When I powered it back up this appeared on screen. Really Apple?”

Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 7 Home Button was redesigned in 2016. Rather than actually functioning as a button that can be pressed in, this year’s option is more of a sensor that can’t be pressed in, but it can recognize a fingerprint and additional pressure signifying the user wants to get to the home screen. It also vibrates when a user presses the button, so he or she know its features have been activated.

The virtual home button that “iwayne” discovered is not new and has been available through Apple’s Accessibility functions for several years. The virtual button, called Assistive Touch, is designed to help those who might have trouble pressing the Home Button to more easily access its functions with a virtual alternative.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

However, when Apple’s Home Button failed in the past, a user would need to go into the iOS settings and turn on the virtual button. For the first time, with iOS 10, when the Home Button fails or needs service, Apple displays the virtual button, taking an important step out of the equation.

So, while the feature is technically hidden from use most of the time, it can be turned on and is set to activate whenever the physical Home Button malfunctions on the iPhone 7.

For more about Apple’s iPhone, watch:

The feature could give users a glimpse at what the future of iPhone Home Buttons might look like. Speculation abounds that Apple will move its Home Button into the glass on its next iPhone, eliminating physical buttons once and for all. The virtual button isn’t an exact replica of what a new feature would offer, but might offer users some clues at what the future holds.

Those interested in trying out the virtual Home Button can turn it on by getting into the iOS settings and choosing “Assistive Touch.” The feature will then turn on and let owners use it as any other Home Button. However, it doesn’t come with fingerprint recognition for Touch ID support.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

CryptoCryptocurrency
Exclusive: Venture giant a16z crypto targeting around $2 billion for its fifth fund amid blockchain market downturn, sources say
By Ben Weiss and Leo SchwartzMarch 4, 2026
8 minutes ago
AIU.S. workers
Viral deepfake ad casts Musk, Bezos, and Altman as corpulent overlords powering AI on human sweat. Its creator says the best jokes tell the truth
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 4, 2026
1 hour ago
OpenAI logo
AIOpenAI
OpenAI sees Codex users spike to 1 million, positions coding tool as gateway to AI agents for business
By Jeremy KahnMarch 4, 2026
4 hours ago
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
Lenovo’s CIO says patience is a virtue in AI investing, but the clock is ticking
By John KellMarch 4, 2026
5 hours ago
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive officer of Uber Technologies
Successwork-life balance
Uber CEO says his ‘really demanding’ work culture includes expecting employees to answer his emails over the weekend: ‘Don’t come here if you want to coast’
By Emma BurleighMarch 4, 2026
5 hours ago
man poses with arms crossed over legs
CryptoCryptocurrency
Exclusive: Cyclops raises $8 million to build stablecoin infrastructure for payments companies
By Carlos GarciaMarch 4, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Interest on the $38.8 trillion national debt has tripled since 2020, and it already costs taxpayers more than defense and Medicaid
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Cybersecurity
Cities join Amazon in cutting ties with license-plate reader Flock following Ring's Super Bowl ad—that Flock 'didn't have anything to do with'
By Catherina GioinoMarch 3, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
Meet a burned out 28-year-old who pays $168 a month in China's faux Venice to retire early from her Shanghai finance gig
By Albee Zhang and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Palantir and other tech companies are stocking offices with tobacco products to increase worker productivity
By Catherina GioinoMarch 4, 2026
14 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 3, 2026
By Danny BakstMarch 3, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard controls a sprawling business empire that dominates the economy
By Jason MaMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.