Did you know that the iPhones Home button, the button at the bottom center of the phone, has more uses than just returning you to the phones default screen? It can also be used to control the iPhones phone and iPod features with just a few changed settings.
Home Button for Favorites
The first use of the Home button is as a shortcut to your phones favorites. With this setting, when you double-tap the Home button, your list of favorite people to call will be displayed.
Heres how to set that preference:
- From the home screen, go to Settings
- In Settings, choose General
- In General, choose the second option, Home Button
- In Home Button, tap the option that reads Phone Favorites so that there is a checkmark next to it.
Now, each time you double-tap the iPhones Home button in quick succession, your phone favorites will appear.
Home Button for iPod
You can also use Home button to control the iPod feature of the iPhone. With this preference set, a double tap of the Home button will bring you right to your music saving you clicks if youre not at the home screen.
Heres how to change this setting:
- From the home screen, go to Settings
- In Settings, choose General
- In General, choose the second option, Home Button
- In Home Button, tap the option that reads iPod so that there is a checkmark next to it.
Now, each time you double-tap the iPhones Home button in quick succession, your music list will appear.
Home Button for iPod Controls
In the same Preferences screen, there is also an option called iPod Controls. If you set the slider to On, a double-tap when the iPod is playing displays controls that offer the name of the song and pause/forward/backward buttons in a window overlaid on whatever program youre using.
This gives you control of your iPod even while you are using other programs and allows you to jump to the iPod program.
Home Button for iPod Controls when Locked
Similarly, when your music is playing and the iPhone is locked, a double-tap of the Home button will display the iPod controls without unlocking the phone.

