iOS / iPhone

Add a ‘Shut Down’ Button to Your iPhone’s Home Screen to Quickly Power Off or Disable Biometrics

Nobody knows about this secret iPhone feature—until now

There are plenty of ways to turn off your iPhone or quickly disable Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication, but this is the only way you’ll be able to do either from a button on your Home Screen.

It’s a hidden feature that’s been available since iOS 13, and nobody knows about it. Some people have gotten close to finding it, but it’s somehow stayed off the radar for as long as it’s been around. At least, according to my googling.

It all comes down to one of my favorite things to toy with on my iPhone — URL schemes. Though the latest software for iPhone, iOS 16.4, has another way to go about it, but it’s just as fast and won’t disable Face ID or Touch ID without powering down. You can skip to Method 2 below if you’re interested in that.

Method 1: Use a URL Scheme to Power Off or Disable Biometrics (iOS 13 and later)

Most URL schemes for Settings preferences won’t do anything but open or highlight menu items. One of the outliers just happens to simulate pressing the “Shut Down” button in…