How to stop your iPhone from ending calls with the side button

There’s a way to stop the iPhone’s Side button from ending a call and I wish I’d known about it earlier.

You see, the way I hold my phone during a call means I regularly hit the Side button. By default, this ends the call you’re on.

I appreciate why this feature is useful, allowing you to end the call without looking at the screen. The thing is, even though I’ve known the lock button ends calls for a long time, I never use it and always bring my phone down to look at the screen, whereupon I tap the red ‘hang up’ button.

This might have something to do with being on my phone all day — so bringing my device down to to view the screen is returning the iPhone to its default position. Whatever the reason, though, that’s just what I do. So I’ve always found using the lock button to end calls pointless and annoying when accidentally pressed during a conversation.

I’m kind of surprised then, given how much I know and write about iPhones, that I didn’t know about this feature sooner — although, to be fair, it is tucked away behind two sub-menus and is easy to miss.

You can actually disable the iPhone’s lock button being used to hang up a phone call. It’s little hacks like this which, in my opinion, make iPhones some of the best phones.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to do this too, so read on to find out how to stop the iPhone lock button ending calls.

Ensure That Your iPhone Supports “Prevent Lock to End Call” Feature

Here are the iPhone models that support this feature:

• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone SE 2
• iPhone SE 3
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max

Prevent iPhone’s Side Button from Ending a Call

Here’s how to stop the iPhone lock button from ending calls prematurely when you accidentally hit it:

1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌.
2. Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
3. Under "Physical and Motor" section, tap Touch.
4. Toggle on the switch next to Prevent Lock to End Call.

See also: 6 Ways to Show iPhone Battery Percentage

That’s all there is to it. In future, if you accidentally press the Side button during a call, it won’t hang up the call. Bear in mind however that with Prevent Lock to End Call enabled, you’ll no longer be able to decline an incoming call by pressing the Side button twice.