Using the Side button on an iPhone
This short guide is a reference tool to help refresh your knowledge or practise what you have learned in the Using the Side button on an iPhone online video course. You’ll learn:
- where to find the Side button on your phone
- how to use it to turn your device on or off, and wake the screen
- how to take a screenshot, make an emergency call and access the digital assistant.
The Side button is usually located on the right edge of your iPhone and is sometimes called the Power button. The Side button can perform several functions.
Turn the screen on or off
- If your phone is on, press the Side button once briefly to turn it off and lock the screen.
- If your phone is off or asleep, press the Side button once to wake it and show the Lock screen.
Shut down or restart your phone
- Press and hold the Side button and the Volume Down button at the same time to open the Power menu.
- Drag the slide to power off button to the right to turn the phone off.
- Press and hold the Side button for a few seconds to turn the phone back on.
Take a screenshot
You can use the Side key to capture a screenshot, which is an image of what you see on your phone screen.
- Press and hold the Side button and the Volume Up button together for about one second.
- The screen will flash and a camera sound may play.
- The screenshot is saved to your phone’s Photos app.
Make an emergency call
You can use the Side button to call emergency services at any time, even when the phone is locked.
- Press the Side button five times quickly.
- A countdown will begin and emergency services will be called automatically.
Activate Siri
Siri is your phone’s digital assistant and can help you send messages, set timers and search the web just by speaking into the phone.
If you have set up Siri, you can press and hold the Side key to activate it.
If pressing the Side button does not work as expected, you may be able to change what it does in the Settings app.