Most people grab their iPhone, press the side button to wake it up, and never think twice about it, which is totally fine.
But that little button is quietly sitting on the edge of your phone, capable of doing a lot more than locking your screen or powering the device down.
There are a handful of lesser-known features built into it, small shortcuts and hidden options that can make everyday use faster, easier, and a lot more efficient.
Lock Yourself Into One App on Purpose
If you have a habit of opening Safari for research and somehow ending up on Instagram twenty minutes later, Guided Access was practically built for you.
Set it up through Settings, then Accessibility, then Guided Access, and turn on the Accessibility Shortcut.
Once that’s done, open whatever app you need, triple-press the side button, and tap Start. You’ll be locked inside that app until you triple-press again, enter your passcode or use Face ID, and hit End.
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Temporarily Freeze Face ID When You Need To
There are moments when you’d rather your phone not unlock with your face. Maybe someone nearby might hold it up to your face, or you just want to double-check that you still know your passcode.
Hold the side button and one of the volume buttons together until the power slider appears, then release both buttons and press the side button once.
Your phone will now ask for a passcode instead of scanning your face. Face ID kicks back in automatically the next time you unlock normally.
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Shut Down That Spam Call Without Anyone Noticing
There’s nothing more frustrating than when you’re meeting or in a quiet library, and your phone starts buzzing with yet another call claiming you owe back taxes. Reaching over and tapping Decline feels awkward and obvious.
Instead, you can just press the side button once to silence the call without rejecting it, or press it twice in quick succession to send it straight to voicemail. You don’t need to even glance at the screen.
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Let Your iPhone Speak for You
Live Speech is one of those features that flies completely under the radar. It converts whatever you type into spoken words, making it genuinely useful for anyone dealing with a voice issue, temporary or otherwise.
Head into Settings, go to Accessibility, find Live Speech under Speech, and toggle it on. You can even download a preferred voice to customize its sound.
After adding Live Speech to your Accessibility Shortcut, a triple-press of the side button brings up a text field. Type your message, hit Enter, and your phone says it for you. It even works during a FaceTime call.
Turn On Background Sounds With a Triple Press
Your iPhone has built-in ambient sounds, including rain, ocean waves, and nighttime insects, tucked inside Accessibility under Audio and Visual.
Once you enable Background Sounds there and set it as your Accessibility Shortcut, a triple-press of the side button starts playing your chosen sound instantly, even from a locked screen.
Press three times again to stop it. If you pair it with a sleep timer inside the settings, the audio cuts off on its own without any extra steps.
