iOS 10 How-To: Hate pressing the home button to unlock? Change this setting on Touch ID iPhones and iPads

iOS 10 includes a lot of new stuff, from a revamped Messages app to a redesigned Apple Music experience. While most of it is superior to iOS 9, there are some choices that are more questionable. iOS 10 updates the lock screen with a new widgets view, but it also removes the iconic Slide to Unlock feature.

Unlocking an iPhone now requires a physical press on the Home Button by default. However, there is a nifty setting to make the iPhone act more like iOS 9 if you have Touch ID, called “Rest Finger to Open”. This trick works with any iPhone or iPad that has a Touch ID Home button …

Rest Finger to Open means that the phone will unlock itself without any physical button presses as long as the screen is on and it can authenticate the owner using your registered Touch ID fingerprints. As Apple describes it, the setting lets you “Open iPhone with Touch ID, without having to press the Home button”.

With iPhone 6s or iPhone 7, the iPhone will wake up the screen automatically thanks to Raise to Wake. In combination with Rest Finger to Open, this means you can unlock your device without pressing any buttons at all.

Rest Finger to Open is disabled by default but it is easy to turn it on. Here’s what to do:

• Open Settings.
• Navigate to the General -> Accessibility menu.
• Choose Home Button.
• Flick the toggle next to “Rest Finger to Open” so it is enabled.

Now, when your iPhone is on the lock screen you can just place your finger onto the Touch ID sensor. The iPhone or iPad will then authenticate using Touch ID and unlock the phone. Without Raise to Wake, it’s one button press to make the screen light up then the device unlocks near instantaneously.

With Slide to Unlock removed, this is incredibly convenient and means you don’t have to repeatedly hammer your Home Button on iOS 10. With Rest Finger to Open enabled and Raise to Wake, iPhone 6s or iPhone 7 owners can unlock without having to press anything at all.

The reason Rest Finger to Open is not enabled by default is because Apple wants you to use the lock screen experience to view notifications and check out your widgets. If you are like me, though, you just want to get to your Home screen as quickly as possible. Enabling Rest Finger to Open is the quickest way to do that.

If you don’t like the behavior, repeat the steps above and flick the switch again to disable it. Stay tuned for more iOS 10 tips and feature walkthroughs.