How to Turn Off an iPhone 5 Without the Lock Button

Buttons on electronics are prone to breaking, and the iPhone 5 is not immune to that potential malady.

But the small number of buttons on the device, and the inability to change what each button does, could leave you in a tough spot if your Power or Lock button stops working.

A broken Lock button makes it impossible to lock your screen or turn off your iPhone, so you might be wondering what you can do.

Fortunately there is a feature on the iPhone that will allow you to power down your iPhone, even with a broken Power/Lock button.

Our guide below will show you where to find and enable this setting, then show you how to use it in order to turn off your device.

Shutting Off an iPhone 5 With a Broken Power Button

The steps in this article will show you how to use a feature called AssistiveTouch. This creates a floating circle in a black box that you can tap to gain additional functionality on your iPhone.

For example, this guide shows you how to take a screenshot if your Home or Power button isn’t working. The steps below focus on using AssistiveTouch to turn off the iPhone.

Please note, you are going to need a charging cable in order to turn your iPhone back on! If your Power/Lock button does not work, then you will be unable to turn your iPhone back on. However, an iPhone will turn back on when it is charging.

Step 1: Tap the Settings icon.

Tap the Settings icon
Tap the Settings icon

Step 2: Scroll down and select the General option.

Tap the General button
Tap the General button

Step 3: Scroll down and select the Accessibility option.

Open the Accessibility menu
Open the Accessibility menu

Step 4: Scroll down and select the AssistiveTouch option.

Select the AssistiveTouch option
Select the AssistiveTouch option

Step 5: Tap the button to the right of AssistiveTouch to turn it on.

Turn On AssistiveTouch
Turn On AssistiveTouch

Step 6: Tap the floating AssistiveTouch button to open the menu.

Tap the floating gray circle in the black box
Tap the floating gray circle in the black box

Step 7: Tap the Device option.

Select the Device option
Select the Device option

Step 8: Tap and hold the Lock Screen button until the Slide to power off graphic appears.

Tap and hold on the Lock Screen button
Tap and hold on the Lock Screen button

Step 9: Move the Slide to power off slider to the right to turn off the iPhone.

Slide to power off the iPhone 5 without using the Lock button
Slide to power off the iPhone 5 without using the Lock button

Now that you know how to turn off an iPhone 5 without the lock button, you can use this option when you are troubleshooting the device.

Have you already been using the AssistiveTouch menu, but have made a lot of changes to it? Learn how to reset it to the original icons that appear.

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