If you’ve ever noticed a grey Home Bar at the bottom of your iPhone screen, you’re not alone. This subtle yet sometimes annoying feature was introduced with the release of the iPhone X and has persisted in subsequent models. The Home Bar serves as a replacement for the physical Home button found on earlier iPhone models, allowing users to navigate through their device with gestures. However, for some users, it can be distracting or aesthetically displeasing, prompting the desire to remove or hide it altogether. While Apple doesn’t offer a built-in option to disable the Home Bar, there are a few methods you can try to minimize its presence or make it less noticeable.
Why does my iPhone have a grey bar at the bottom?
The grey bar at the bottom of the iPhone is a visual indicator of where you can swipe up to return to the home screen. But if you have used an iPhone for a long time, you might find it annoying. Sadly, there is no way to remove the grey Home Bar at the bottom of the iPhone, as it is a fundamental part of its UI.
Thankfully, I have found a workaround to temporarily hide the grey home bar on iPhones. And before I show you the steps to do that, let me explain what purpose the grey bar actually serves.
The grey bar found at the bottom of newer iPhones works as a substitute for the home button found on older iPhones. Older iPhones had a physical home button that was used to return to the home screen and unlock your iPhone. But, with the latest iPhones, you get a virtual home bar that functions similarly. You can also swipe right or left on it to switch between the active apps.
Despite its usefulness, you may want to remove the grey home bar at the bottom of your iPhone to avoid distraction. Sadly, there is no native way to turn it off. However, the Guided Access accessibility feature can help you temporarily hide it from your screen.
Let’s learn how to perform this quick workaround and enjoy an actual full-screen experience!
How to remove the grey bar on iPhone
Apple offers a multitude of accessibility features that facilitate the customization of the user experience. While there is no explicit setting to eliminate the Home Bar, there may be alternatives that reduce its visibility.
Guided Access is an accessibility feature that restricts access to specific iPhone functions and confines the user to a single application. To prevent the user from leaving the application, the grey Home Bar is hidden from the screen when it is activated.
Enter this mode whenever you desire to become completely engrossed in an application. In order to configure Guided Access on your iPhone, proceed as follows:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility.
- Scroll down and tap “Guided Access”
- Toggle on Guided Access and Tap Continue.
4. Now, tap on Passcode Settings.
5. Next tap on Set Guided Access Passcode and Enter a passcode.
6. Also, toggle on Face ID to end a Guided Access session if you want with Double-Clicking the side button to Activate or if you have set something else with Double Click then you can triple click the side button when opening an App.
7. Now Open the app where you wish to remove the grey bar.
8. Next Triple Press the Side button to activate Guided Access.
9. Tap the Start button to start the Guided Access session.
You can now see that the app is in full-screen mode and there is no longer a gray home bar in the middle of the bottom. However, you can only use one app at a time.
To get out of Guided Access, triple press the Side button and enter the passcode you have entered to activate earlier and then tap the end button.
