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How to Disable 'Press Home to Open' in iOS 10

iOS 10 makes you touch and press to unlock via Touch ID. Here's how to ditch that extra step.

By Chandra Steele
September 20, 2016
How to Disable Press to Unlock

There's a lot to love about iOS 10. Messages now have some Snapchat-inspired stickers, animations, and emoji. Your iPhone's lock screen can be filled with widgets. And Apple Music ($10.99 Per Month at Apple Music) got a makeover.

But as with every iOS update, there is a learning curve and a few surprises.

iPhone 7 Haptic FeedbackOne thing you might not like is a change to how your phone unlocks. Previously, those with a Touch ID-enabled iPhone simply held their finger over the home button to unlock. With iOS 10, the default setting requires you to hold a finger over the home button and then press down on it to unlock.

Another option is to press the home button and then either use Touch ID or enter your passcode.

Why the extra step? You can blame the new haptic feedback home button on the iPhone 7 ($288.00 at Visible) . As Apple describes it, "The Home button on your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus ($769.99 at Verizon) is an advanced solid-state button that Apple designed to be durable, responsive, and pressure sensitive. Working with the new Taptic Engine, the Home button gives you haptic feedback when you press it." If you have a new iPhone 7, you can customize your feedback via Settings > General > Home Button.

But for those of us with an older iPhone, the extra step to unlock a device might be annoying. Thankfully, you can turn it off.

Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Home Button. You'll see the option Rest Finger to Open. Move the slider over so that it's green and your iPhone will open with simply a press, as it did before. This also works on iPad.

Change iOS 10 Lock Screen

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About Chandra Steele

Senior Features Writer

My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can connect it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the surveillance state, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You might have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on your commute home on the radio or a podcast. Or maybe you’ve just seen my Bernie meme

I strive to explain topics that you might come across in the news but not fully understand, such as NFTs and meme stocks. I’ve had the pleasure of talking tech with Jeff Goldblum, Ang Lee, and other celebrities who have brought a different perspective to it. I put great care into writing gift guides and am always touched by the notes I get from people who’ve used them to choose presents that have been well-received. Though I love that I get to write about the tech industry every day, it’s touched by gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality and I try to bring these topics to light. 

Outside of PCMag, I write fiction, poetry, humor, and essays on culture.

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