Whether the power button is not working on your Android phone or you are simply tired of constantly having to press it, there are numerous alternative ways to unlock and lock an Android device.

You can automate the whole process, double-tap to lock and unlock your Android, wake it up by hovering your hand over the screen, and more. Here are several ways to unlock and wake up your screen without a power button.

1. Enable Always On Display

A growing number of Android phones support Always On Display (AOD). This means your phone's screen never actually turns off, but instead continually shows things like the clock, your notifications, and a few other select pieces of information.

It's usually available on devices with OLED displays, where the power consumption can be low if the screen only shows minimal information on a pure black background. One of the added benefits is that it makes your phone quick to wake up and doesn't need you to hit the power button. Just tap the screen, and you can unlock it.

Search in Settings for Always On Display or Always show time and info to see if your phone offers the feature.

2. Take Advantage of Your Phone's Biometric Sensors

On phones with physical fingerprint sensors or facial recognition features, you need neither a power button nor a third-party app to unlock your phone. All you have to do is swipe your finger or show your face. Not only do these options wake your phone, they bypass the lock screen too.

So if they're available on your phone, go ahead and set them up. You should be able to locate them under Settings > Security.

In addition, some versions of Android have a software-based face unlock authentication mode. It doesn't require any special sensors and instead relies solely on the front-facing camera to scan your face. Before you learn how to employ it, do keep in mind that this is not nearly as secure as a PIN/fingerprint lock.

Android's face unlock feature is usually present at Settings > Security > Smart lock > Trusted face or Settings > Security > Face recognition.

Biometric authentication covers the unlocking process. But what about when you want to manually lock your phone and don't wait for the screen timer to kick in? To lock your phone without a power button, try double-tapping your screen. Many modern Android devices have a secret double-tap to unlock and lock feature available.

3. Double-Tap to Lock and Unlock Android

To see whether the double-tap to turn on the screen and double-tap to turn off the screen features are enabled on your Android device, head into your Settings to take a look.

On a Samsung phone, you should go to Advanced Features > Motions and Gestures. Within the motions and gestures section, you will be able to find a number of handy settings, including double-tap to turn on and off your screen. This feature can also be used to lock your phone—double-tap to lock, double-tap to unlock.

On Pixel phones you can find it at Settings > Display > Lock screen > Tap to check phone. You can't configure it to turn off your display, though.

4. Explore Your Phone's Other Built-In Gestures

While the double-tap-to-wake gesture is one of the most popular ways to wake up your phone, other devices have different features you can use.

A common one is lift-to-wake, which automatically turns on your screen whenever you pick up your device. To see if your phone has a lift-to-wake feature, try searching for it in the search bar situated at the top of Settings.

It might have a different name, depending on your device. On a Pixel, for example, you can go to Settings > Display > Lock screen > Lift to check phone to enable the feature.

While lift-to-wake won't unlock your phone without the power button, it will allow you to put your passcode in once the screen wakes up, or access an in-screen fingerprint scanner. If you want your phone to unlock when you use the lift-to-wake feature, then consider turning on the Smart Lock features.

You'll find your phone's Smart Lock features within your Lock Screen settings. Under Lock Screen, select Smart Lock, and then activate any features you want to use.

On-body detection will keep your device unlocked while it's on your person. Trusted places will keep your device unlocked in certain locations, and Trusted devices will keep your device unlocked all the time it is near a trusted device.

5. Automatically Have Your Phone Wake Up or Sleep

While most modern Android phones already have a lift-to-wake feature built-in, if you are using an older phone model, then you can still enjoy this cool feature thanks to an app called Gravity Screen.

Gravity Screen takes all the manual work out of turning your phone's screen on or off without the power button. It not only makes the power key obsolete but doesn't require any interaction from your end either.

Gravity Screen is a clever app that can detect your phone's motions. Based on sensor data, it can unlock the phone as soon as you pick it up or pull it out of your pocket. The app can function in the opposite way as well. So when you place your phone on a table or in your pocket, Gravity Screen will automatically switch it off.

Download: Gravity Screen (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Wave to Unlock and Lock Your Phone

If you're trying to wake up your screen without a power button, then you can replace the power key with your hands as well. An app called WaveUp lets you wake up or lock the phone by hovering your hand over the proximity sensors. Similar to Gravity Screen, WaveUp can turn on the screen when you pull the phone out of your pocket.

In addition, you can customize the wave combinations. So, for instance, to avoid accidentally triggering the service, you can ask WaveUp to wake up the phone only when you cover and uncover the sensor twice in succession.

WaveUp has a quick setup process. By default, it comes enabled with the unlock gesture. To use it for locking the phone, activate the Lock Screen option and grant the Accessibility permission.

There are a handful of other settings you can customize to ensure WakeUp doesn't interrupt you when you're, for instance, playing a game. You can exclude specific apps, add a buffer before locking so you have the option to pause it, specify whether it should work in landscape mode, and more.

Download: WaveUp (Free)

How to Install Apps When the Power Button Isn't Working

You might be wondering how you'd open your phone without the power button and how would you set up these alternative methods if your power button is not working and you can't turn on the display. Fortunately, there is a way to unlock your screen without a power button.

The easiest solution is to put your phone on charge. Once you plug in the cable, the screen will switch on to confirm the battery is charging. At this stage, you can manually enter your PIN or passcode on the lock screen and access your phone's settings or the Google Play Store as usual.

How to Uninstall These Apps

To take over your phone's core functions like waking up the screen, some of these third-party apps may have asked you for the Device Administrator permission. This means you might not be able to directly uninstall them if you wish to in the future.

Instead, first, you will have to revoke their Device Administrator permission. To do that, go to Settings > Apps & notifications or Apps > Advanced > Special app access > Device admin apps. Disable the permission for the app you'd like to remove and then continue with the standard uninstallation steps.

Open Your Phone Without the Power Button

Using your phone when something isn't working as it should is highly frustrating, especially if you can't get your screen to unlock. These apps and tips offer nifty replacements for your phone's power button if you're trying to lock or unlock your phone.

In recent years, manufacturers and app developers have become much more conscious of accessibility, and so there are now plenty of alternative ways to use your device if your screen, buttons, or microphone may have packed up.