Broken iphone 4 power/sleep button!!

Little Endian · Nov 4, 2010, 02:35 AM

My 4 month old iPhone 4 has a broken power/sleep button. The button was fine one moment then when I pushed the button to put the phone to sleep 5 seconds later I noticed that it had sunken in. There is no "spring" or "snap" when I push the button anymore. If I push really hard it will activate but I am afraid it will worsen to the point where it is no longer functional. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I searched Apple's support forums and found only a couple of incidents of a failed power/ sleep button on an iphone 4 though the problem seems rather prevalent on older 3G(S) phones.

I plan on going to an Apple Store to have it checked out. Hopefully they will replace or fix it. My 4 month old iphone 4 is pristine with no scratches or nicks, has been in a case or protective skin since day one and has never been dropped. This leads me to believe that there perhaps is a flaw or at least a bad batch of power/sleep buttons on iPhone 4. I still have a 2.5 year old iphone 3G that has been dropped over a dozen times, looks like crap cosmetically but still works perfectly fine.

I must say my faith in the Fit and Finish of Apple products has been shaken recently. My MBP bottom housing got warped and bent at the ethernet connector due to the weakness of the unibody frame in that area. This happened from a 1 foot drop while the MBP was in a neoprene case. This of course was my fault, but with my now broken iPhone 4 button I am beginning to wonder if Apple should do better stress testing or perhaps engineering their products to take a little more real world abuse.

cirial · Nov 4, 2010, 06:37 AM

Cool story bra

Apple will take care of u

Thomasso · Nov 4, 2010, 06:40 AM

I have kind of the same problem on my 3gs, but only one part of the button has slightly sunk in...

Givmeabrek · Nov 4, 2010, 07:42 AM

Cool

One bad button and you think there is a bad batch?

Why not just get it replaced under warranty?????

vp719 · Nov 4, 2010, 08:00 AM

Exact same thing happened to me. About three days ago the hold button was working fine, woke up the next morning and it had sunk in and is essentially useless now. Unfortunately I don't live close to a store so it will be at least a week before I can get to one - hopefully I don't need to turn it off or reset it til then. My speakerphone mic is also dead. I treat this phone like a child, there's no reason for things to be breaking on it so hopefully warranty will cover this and they'll swap it out no problem.

Dumbledorelives · Nov 6, 2010, 09:19 PM

Don't expect it to be perfect, because virtually no phones are. Apple's stress testing is at least up to par with any other company out there. Anything made by human hands (I KNOW they were manufactured by machines, but what were machines made by? In the end, it comes back to humans) is going to have a few imperfections.

-MRB · Dec 8, 2010, 09:48 AM

Sorry to bump an old thread, but this has happened to me today.

It has lost it's "click"

I now have to press quite hard for my screen to unlock

Has anybody else had this issue?

jacollins · Dec 8, 2010, 10:18 AM

Mine's working fine, and I'm pressing it multiple times each day.

Pink∆Floyd · Dec 8, 2010, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -MRB

Sorry to bump an old thread, but this has happened to me today.

It has lost it's "click"

I now have to press quite hard for my screen to unlock

Has anybody else had this issue?

Nobody has, but you should go to your nearest Apple store and get it checked out

-MRB · Dec 8, 2010, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacollins

Mine's working fine, and I'm pressing it multiple times each day.

There is always one, I don't care for your input.

But I have set up a Genius appointment for the weekend, hopefully they can help me out

Little Endian · Dec 8, 2010, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -MRB

Sorry to bump an old thread, but this has happened to me today.

It has lost it's "click"

I now have to press quite hard for my screen to unlock

Has anybody else had this issue?

Apple replaced my iphone 4 when I brought it in for the same problem. The Genius told me it was a rare problem and the first time he personally seen an iphone 4 with a dead power/sleep button. You should have no problem as long as your iphone 4 is in decent cosmetic condition and your water sensors are good. If they ask if you dropped it just say no.

I was given what I assume was a refurb iphone as it came out of brown box. The replacement phone is in new condition but has a slightly warmer tinge in comparison to my original iphone 4 that was otherwise perfect beyond the faulty button. Good luck and be sure to inspect your replacement phone carefully.

-MRB · Dec 9, 2010, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little Endian

Apple replaced my iphone 4 when I brought it in for the same problem. The Genius told me it was a rare problem and the first time he personally seen an iphone 4 with a dead power/sleep button. You should have no problem as long as your iphone 4 is in decent cosmetic condition and your water sensors are good. If they ask if you dropped it just say no.

I was given what I assume was a refurb iphone as it came out of brown box. The replacement phone is in new condition but has a slightly warmer tinge in comparison to my original iphone 4 that was otherwise perfect beyond the faulty button. Good luck and be sure to inspect your replacement phone carefully.

Thanks for the reply, my phone is in pristine condition, and the water sensors are good. Hopefully they will replace my phone as I do not want to be without a phone while it's out for repair.

The sleep button is now completely broke, and I've resorted to an app called "QuickLock" which locks the phone upon opening

-MRB · Dec 11, 2010, 10:04 AM

Took my phone into the Apple store today, and they replaced it straight away

ulbador · Dec 17, 2010, 11:01 AM

This must be wider spread than I thought.

Mine started this the other night. I would get it replaced, but I'm not living without a jailbreak. Hopefully the untethered comes soon.

zman2100 · Dec 29, 2010, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ulbador

This must be wider spread than I thought.

Mine started this the other night. I would get it replaced, but I'm not living without a jailbreak. Hopefully the untethered comes soon.

Had this happen to me today as well. Sleep/wake button sunk in and stopped working so I had to restore everything to get rid of the jailbreak and will be getting it replaced tomorrow. Life without jailbreak sucks BAD. You never realize how many nice little enhancements you use everyday until they are all removed entirely. Fortunately for us it looks like we won't have to go to long without a new JB.

neil1980 · Dec 29, 2010, 06:08 PM

Mine broke round about the 20th Dec. Nothing out the usual really... took it to Apple on the 27th and they swapped it no issue.

The only PITA is its on 4.2.1 which doesn't work with my car stereo. I had my SHSH saved for the last phone which is no real help so guess im waiting till 4.3 and hoping!

shanew21 · Dec 29, 2010, 10:55 PM

This happened to me today. Didn't drop it or anything. Taking it to apple tomorrow. Goodbye Jailbreak

madshackle · Jan 6, 2011, 12:11 PM

My four day old iphone 4 had the same thing happen, with the reset button suddenly fail and I had the hardest time just turning it back on. I will take it in on Saturday to see if something can be done.

frankwhite217 · Jan 10, 2011, 07:33 AM

The same thing has happend to me, however I am a little reluctant to get a replacement because how will I be able to get my music, photos, apps, etc. Onto the replacement?

NYR99 · Jan 30, 2011, 07:50 PM

Ugh. This happened to me like 3 minutes a go. Time to make an appointment for the ol' genius bar.

macingman · Jan 30, 2011, 11:04 PM

It's likely that a piece of dirt caught caught in the button jamming it down. Take it into Apple and it will definatly be repaired/replaced.

I have had an iPad replaced due to one dead pixel with no questions asked.

CK1Czar · Feb 21, 2011, 07:29 PM

I just had this happen to my phone. Hope I'm not given any issues tomorrow

ozred · Feb 21, 2011, 07:32 PM

This is nothing more than a reflection of the declining quality of Apple products. The good news is Apple Care will take care of it. The bad news it the time you will have wasted dealing with it. I have a brand new, very well cared for iPhone 4, and already the home button is going south. Every one of the previous models had better quality and quality control.

CK1Czar · Feb 21, 2011, 07:48 PM

Considering that they produce millions of these things, I understand that a few will have issues. Luckily I live with in 30 minutes of about 3 apple stores

elie.fares · Mar 14, 2011, 01:27 PM

This happened to me on Saturday. I've never dropped the phone and there are no Apple Stores in my country. So I shipped it to my friend in Canada to get it fixed/replaced.
I have no idea if my water sensors are triggered but I've never dropped it in water.
Hopefully it all turns well.

Nov 4, 2010, 02:35 AM	#1
Little Endian macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Honolulu	Broken iphone 4 power/sleep button!! My 4 month old iPhone 4 has a broken power/sleep button. The button was fine one moment then when I pushed the button to put the phone to sleep 5 seconds later I noticed that it had sunken in. There is no "spring" or "snap" when I push the button anymore. If I push really hard it will activate but I am afraid it will worsen to the point where it is no longer functional. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I searched Apple's support forums and found only a couple of incidents of a failed power/ sleep button on an iphone 4 though the problem seems rather prevalent on older 3G(S) phones. I plan on going to an Apple Store to have it checked out. Hopefully they will replace or fix it. My 4 month old iphone 4 is pristine with no scratches or nicks, has been in a case or protective skin since day one and has never been dropped. This leads me to believe that there perhaps is a flaw or at least a bad batch of power/sleep buttons on iPhone 4. I still have a 2.5 year old iphone 3G that has been dropped over a dozen times, looks like crap cosmetically but still works perfectly fine. I must say my faith in the Fit and Finish of Apple products has been shaken recently. My MBP bottom housing got warped and bent at the ethernet connector due to the weakness of the unibody frame in that area. This happened from a 1 foot drop while the MBP was in a neoprene case. This of course was my fault, but with my now broken iPhone 4 button I am beginning to wonder if Apple should do better stress testing or perhaps engineering their products to take a little more real world abuse.
	0

Dec 17, 2010, 11:01 AM	#14
ulbador macrumors 68000 Join Date: Feb 2010	This must be wider spread than I thought. Mine started this the other night. I would get it replaced, but I'm not living without a jailbreak. Hopefully the untethered comes soon. __________________ Mooooooooooooo
	0

Jan 30, 2011, 07:50 PM	#20
NYR99 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2007	Ugh. This happened to me like 3 minutes a go. Time to make an appointment for the ol' genius bar. __________________ 27" iMac, Late 2012 • 15" MacBook Pro, Mid 2010 • iPhone 5 • iPad 3rd Gen • (3) Apple TVs • AirPort Extreme • iPod Classic
	0

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Nov 4, 2010, 06:37 AM	#2
cirial macrumors regular Join Date: May 2010 Location: Pompano Beach, FL	Cool story bra Apple will take care of u
	1

Nov 4, 2010, 06:40 AM	#3
Thomasso macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2010	I have kind of the same problem on my 3gs, but only one part of the button has slightly sunk in...
	0

Nov 4, 2010, 07:42 AM	#4
Givmeabrek macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: NY	Cool One bad button and you think there is a bad batch? Why not just get it replaced under warranty?????
	0

Nov 4, 2010, 08:00 AM	#5
vp719 macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2007	Exact same thing happened to me. About three days ago the hold button was working fine, woke up the next morning and it had sunk in and is essentially useless now. Unfortunately I don't live close to a store so it will be at least a week before I can get to one - hopefully I don't need to turn it off or reset it til then. My speakerphone mic is also dead. I treat this phone like a child, there's no reason for things to be breaking on it so hopefully warranty will cover this and they'll swap it out no problem.
	0

Nov 6, 2010, 09:19 PM	#6
Dumbledorelives macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2010	Don't expect it to be perfect, because virtually no phones are. Apple's stress testing is at least up to par with any other company out there. Anything made by human hands (I KNOW they were manufactured by machines, but what were machines made by? In the end, it comes back to humans) is going to have a few imperfections.
	0

Dec 8, 2010, 09:48 AM	#7
-MRB macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: UK	Sorry to bump an old thread, but this has happened to me today. It has lost it's "click" I now have to press quite hard for my screen to unlock Has anybody else had this issue?
	0

Dec 8, 2010, 10:18 AM	#8
jacollins macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2010	Mine's working fine, and I'm pressing it multiple times each day.
	0

Dec 11, 2010, 10:04 AM	#13
-MRB macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: UK	Took my phone into the Apple store today, and they replaced it straight away
	0

Dec 29, 2010, 06:08 PM	#16
neil1980 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2008	Mine broke round about the 20th Dec. Nothing out the usual really... took it to Apple on the 27th and they swapped it no issue. The only PITA is its on 4.2.1 which doesn't work with my car stereo. I had my SHSH saved for the last phone which is no real help so guess im waiting till 4.3 and hoping!
	0

Dec 29, 2010, 10:55 PM	#17
shanew21 macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2008	This happened to me today. Didn't drop it or anything. Taking it to apple tomorrow. Goodbye Jailbreak
	0

Jan 6, 2011, 12:11 PM	#18
madshackle macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2011	My four day old iphone 4 had the same thing happen, with the reset button suddenly fail and I had the hardest time just turning it back on. I will take it in on Saturday to see if something can be done.
	0

Jan 10, 2011, 07:33 AM	#19
frankwhite217 macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: DMV	The same thing has happend to me, however I am a little reluctant to get a replacement because how will I be able to get my music, photos, apps, etc. Onto the replacement?
	0

Jan 30, 2011, 11:04 PM	#21
macingman macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jan 2011	It's likely that a piece of dirt caught caught in the button jamming it down. Take it into Apple and it will definatly be repaired/replaced. I have had an iPad replaced due to one dead pixel with no questions asked.
	0

Feb 21, 2011, 07:29 PM	#22
CK1Czar macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2010	I just had this happen to my phone. Hope I'm not given any issues tomorrow
	0

Feb 21, 2011, 07:32 PM	#23
ozred macrumors 6502 Join Date: Feb 2011	This is nothing more than a reflection of the declining quality of Apple products. The good news is Apple Care will take care of it. The bad news it the time you will have wasted dealing with it. I have a brand new, very well cared for iPhone 4, and already the home button is going south. Every one of the previous models had better quality and quality control.
	0

Feb 21, 2011, 07:48 PM	#24
CK1Czar macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2010	Considering that they produce millions of these things, I understand that a few will have issues. Luckily I live with in 30 minutes of about 3 apple stores
	0

Mar 14, 2011, 01:27 PM	#25
elie.fares macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2008	This happened to me on Saturday. I've never dropped the phone and there are no Apple Stores in my country. So I shipped it to my friend in Canada to get it fixed/replaced. I have no idea if my water sensors are triggered but I've never dropped it in water. Hopefully it all turns well.
	0