IOS – Ways to unlock iPhone 5 with iOS 10 to reduce Home button presses

Press and hold the sleep-wake button to shut down the iPhone.

When you restart it, the notification center should be freed, but you will clearly have issues using the device if you lose control over the assistive touch, so be sure to set up backups the first chance you can.

Are you using raise to wake? There is a timing that is difficult to duplicate, but can be repeated, where you can press the home button and raise to wake at the same time. The Touch ID unlocks the phone, but the wake seems to register from the raise instead of the home button press and so you stay on the lock screen instead of opening to the last app/home screen.

If you want the behavior of the phone being unlocked, but staying on the lock screen so you can look at your notifications, then just raise to wake, rest your finger on the home button, but don’t press until you’re ready to leave the lock screen.