How to Use Your Phone With a Broken Power Button

Published 2026-10-16 · Marion Phone Repair

A broken power button makes your phone feel unusable — you cannot turn it on, lock the screen, restart it, or take a screenshot using the normal button press. But the power button is just a shortcut. Every function it performs can be done through software or alternative hardware, letting you use your phone normally while you decide whether to repair or replace the button.

Turning on the phone without the power button

If your phone is completely off and the power button does not work, you need to trigger a boot without pressing it:

• Plug in the charger. Most phones automatically boot when connected to power while the battery is completely dead. If the phone has some charge but is off, plugging in the charger usually triggers the charging animation. On many Android phones, this is enough to start the boot process. On some models, you may need to hold the volume up button while plugging in the charger
• Wireless charging: Place the phone on a wireless charging pad. Like wired charging, this can trigger the phone to boot or at least wake to the charging screen, where you may be able to interact with it
• USB to computer: Connect the phone to a computer with a USB cable. Some phones boot when they detect a USB data connection
• Scheduled power on (Android): Some Android phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus) have a scheduled power on feature. If you set this up before the button broke, the phone will turn itself on at the scheduled time. If the phone is currently on, set this up now in case you need it later: Settings, Battery (or General management), Auto restart (or Scheduled power on/off)

Waking and locking the screen without the power button

Once the phone is on, you need a way to wake the screen and lock it without the power button. These methods work on most phones:

Double-tap to wake and sleep

• iPhone: Tap to Wake is on by default on iPhone X and later — tap anywhere on the screen to wake it. To lock the screen without the power button, go to Settings, Accessibility, Touch, AssistiveTouch, turn it on. A floating button appears on screen. Tap it, then tap Lock Screen
• Android: Most Android phones support double-tap to wake. Go to Settings, Display (or Lock screen), and enable Double tap to turn on screen. For locking: enable Double tap to turn off screen on the home screen (available on Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, and most brands under Display or Lock screen settings)

Raise to wake

Both iPhone (Raise to Wake, enabled by default) and most modern Android phones (Lift to wake, in Display settings) turn on the screen when you pick up the phone. This eliminates the need for the power button to check notifications and unlock.

Fingerprint sensor

If your phone has a fingerprint sensor — whether it is on the back, the side, or under the screen — it wakes and unlocks the phone in one touch. On phones where the fingerprint sensor is built into the power button (Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, Pixel 5a, etc.), a broken button mechanism may also disable the fingerprint sensor. But on phones with a separate sensor location, it is an independent wake method.

Always-on display

Enable Always-on Display (AOD) in Settings, Display (or Lock screen). This keeps the time, date, and notifications visible on screen without waking the phone fully. You can then tap a notification or double-tap to fully wake the phone.

AssistiveTouch and Accessibility Menu (on-screen power button)

iPhone AssistiveTouch

1. Go to Settings, Accessibility, Touch, AssistiveTouch
2. Turn on AssistiveTouch. A floating circular button appears on screen that you can drag to any edge
3. Tap the button to access: Lock Screen (replaces the power button press), Restart, Screenshot, Volume Up/Down, and more
4. You can customize what a single tap, double tap, and long press on the AssistiveTouch button does. Set one of them to Lock Screen for quick access

Android Accessibility Menu

1. Go to Settings, Accessibility, Accessibility Menu (or Interaction and dexterity on Samsung)
2. Turn on Accessibility Menu. A small icon appears in the navigation bar or as a floating button
3. Tap it to access: Power off, Restart, Lock screen, Screenshot, Volume controls, and more
4. On Samsung: The Assistant Menu (Settings, Accessibility, Interaction and dexterity, Assistant menu) provides a floating button with Power off, Lock screen, Screenshot, and other functions

Restarting without the power button

Restarting is the trickiest function to replace because the standard method is a long press on the power button. Here are alternatives:

• iPhone AssistiveTouch: Tap the AssistiveTouch button, Device, More, Restart
• Android Accessibility Menu: Tap the accessibility button, then Power off or Restart
• Android scheduled restart: Samsung phones can auto-restart weekly: Settings, General management, Reset, Auto restart. Set it to a time when you are not using the phone
• ADB restart (advanced): Connect the phone to a computer with USB debugging enabled, open a command prompt, and run adb reboot. This works even if the screen is off, as long as USB debugging was previously enabled
• Let the battery drain completely: As a last resort, let the phone die, then plug it in to boot fresh. This is slow and not practical for regular use, but it works if you are truly stuck

Taking screenshots without the power button

• iPhone: AssistiveTouch button, Device, More, Screenshot. Or on iPhone X and later, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center and use the screenshot shortcut if you added it
• Android: Accessibility menu has a Screenshot option. On Samsung, swipe your palm across the screen (Settings, Advanced features, Motions and gestures, Palm swipe to capture). On most Android phones, you can also ask Google Assistant to take a screenshot

Third-party apps (Android)

Several free apps on the Google Play Store can replace the power button entirely:

• Gravity Screen: Turns the screen on when you pick up the phone and off when you put it down or put it in your pocket. Uses the proximity and accelerometer sensors
• Volume Button to Power: Remaps the volume button to act as a power button — press it to wake or sleep the screen
• Button Mapper: Lets you remap any physical button to perform different functions including power button actions

These apps require accessibility service permissions to control screen state. Grant only the permissions the app actually needs.

Should you repair the power button

The software workarounds above make the phone fully usable, but they add extra steps to basic actions. A power button repair is worth considering if:

• The phone is less than 2 to 3 years old and otherwise works well
• You find the workarounds inconvenient for daily use
• The button is physically stuck rather than completely broken — a stuck button can sometimes cause ghost presses (the phone thinks you are holding the power button) which can trigger emergency calls or power-off menus unexpectedly

Power button repairs typically involve replacing the flex cable that connects the button to the motherboard. The button itself rarely breaks — it is usually the ribbon cable or the contact point underneath.

Power button repair in Marion

If your power button is broken, stuck, or unresponsive and you want it physically repaired rather than working around it, Marion Phone Repair can diagnose whether the issue is the button, the flex cable, or the connection to the board and replace the faulty component.