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iPod's Hold Button is broken...

J

jvini

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 4, 2003
10
0
Last night, I was walking with my iPod (10 GB, 3rd generation) off (and hold on), and it dropped. Not very far (or hard), but when I picked it up, turned the hold off, it wouldn't turn on. The iPod is still works, since when you sync it, it turns on. But it won't turn on otherwise, since it's stuck on hold...

It is under warranty, I bought it in July. So, I went to the Apple Store, told them what had happened. They said there's nothing they can do. Too tedious to fix, I'll just have to get a new one (for the discounted price of $260! Yay! Considering I got it for $270 with a federal discount...)

So, my question: anyway to fix the hold button? It's basically just stuck on hold...and there's no way to get it off. A restore didn't help.

So, here's my solution: I go to another Apple Store, and say that the hold "just broke." Since it's under warranty, they have to fix it, right?

I rather do this the honest way...but is there anyway to fix the hold button, or do I have to orphan it on eBay?

Please help!

-Joe
 
Try this

Okay the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. The hold button was broken and I couldnt fix. I reset the whole Ipod, wipe the hard drive, tried everything and it was broken. So basically I figured when I had dropped it I had upset something mechanical inside. So I got frustrated and (maybe this wasn't the smartest thing) but I basically took my ipod and hit it lightly against my desk to try to pop something back into place. I hit it on the side of the desk so that there was a good edge. I made sure to hit it right on the side right next to the hold switch (on the right side of the device) I hit lightly but forcelfully enough to do something. After about three times the hold switch worked again. I definatley didn't expect it to work but it did. I can't guarantee that it will work for you. Or that you won't damage your device. But as long as you don't hit it to hard and make sure to hit it at the top (I don't think the hard drive is up there) I don't think anything will get damaged. Hopefully it will work for you. Maybe mine was just a fluke. But who knows it might be an easy fix
 
Re: Try this

Originally posted by DylanJ
Okay the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. The hold button was broken and I couldnt fix. I reset the whole Ipod, wipe the hard drive, tried everything and it was broken. So basically I figured when I had dropped it I had upset something mechanical inside. So I got frustrated and (maybe this wasn't the smartest thing) but I basically took my ipod and hit it lightly against my desk to try to pop something back into place. I hit it on the side of the desk so that there was a good edge. I made sure to hit it right on the side right next to the hold switch (on the right side of the device) I hit lightly but forcelfully enough to do something. After about three times the hold switch worked again. I definatley didn't expect it to work but it did. I can't guarantee that it will work for you. Or that you won't damage your device. But as long as you don't hit it to hard and make sure to hit it at the top (I don't think the hard drive is up there) I don't think anything will get damaged. Hopefully it will work for you. Maybe mine was just a fluke. But who knows it might be an easy fix
Click to expand...
Hey man, thanks a lot!!!

I was thinking the same thing...but I didn't want to hit it too hard...but I figured, what did I have to lose? So I smacked it (not very hard) a couple of times...and now it works!

Thanks again man. I'm definitely going to be more careful with the Hold Button now...will use it sparingly.

Thanks!

-Joe
 
A few weeks ago, I dropped my 15G from about 3 feet onto cement. Cosmetically, it looked fine, but since the hold button was on while I was walking, it wouldn't switch off, meaning that the front keypad wouldn't work; I could only control it from the remote. After a day of using it like that, I was messing around and saw a little mark from where it hit, on the top side, opposite of where the hold button is. I pulled on that side a bit, heard a snap, and lo and behold, the hold button started working again.

Hope my experience can help a little bit.
 
Yeah, my hold button is still a little "iffy"...will use it sparingly.
 
Thanx

I had the same problem, my IPod fell of my desk and stayed on hold. Couldn't do anything and already filled in the form for Apple Care. Read this solution,hits it on my desk, and YES..GREAT... it works! Many thanx!
 
Re: Try this

Originally posted by DylanJ
Okay the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. The hold button was broken and I couldnt fix. I reset the whole Ipod, wipe the hard drive, tried everything and it was broken. So basically I figured when I had dropped it I had upset something mechanical inside. So I got frustrated and (maybe this wasn't the smartest thing) but I basically took my ipod and hit it lightly against my desk to try to pop something back into place. I hit it on the side of the desk so that there was a good edge. I made sure to hit it right on the side right next to the hold switch (on the right side of the device) I hit lightly but forcelfully enough to do something. After about three times the hold switch worked again. I definatley didn't expect it to work but it did. I can't guarantee that it will work for you. Or that you won't damage your device. But as long as you don't hit it to hard and make sure to hit it at the top (I don't think the hard drive is up there) I don't think anything will get damaged. Hopefully it will work for you. Maybe mine was just a fluke. But who knows it might be an easy fix
Click to expand...

Ah, the old VSA, worked wonder in the 80s on PCs.




(vertical slam adjustment)
 
Re: Thanx

Originally posted by essepes
I had the same problem, my IPod fell of my desk and stayed on hold. Couldn't do anything and already filled in the form for Apple Care. Read this solution,hits it on my desk, and YES..GREAT... it works! Many thanx!
Click to expand...

My first iPod would often get smacked while on my desk and it fell twice but never broke. I was lucky.

I came up with a really great solution. My girlfriend bought one of those suction cup shower squeegie things. A separate squeegie with a hook mounted on a suction cup. I took the suction cup and removed the hook, cut off the excess plastic and glued it to my desk, suction cup up. I now place my iPod against the suction cup to make sure it doesn't fall off the desk if hit or jostled.
 
Hmm..I'm guessing your approach to getting a car started are one and the same? ;)
 
Holy crap, there's several of you who have beaten your iPods into working again?? It's so weird that this is so common. Amazing that it doesn't make something else worse. I started reading this thread thinking "oh no, this isn't going to be good, advice to smash electronic devices is ... well risky to give" and then it works, and has worked for a bunch of you!
 
Actually, to give an update: the little "bang on the table" worked fine for awhile...but the hold was still a little jittery. And eventually, it would work "sporadically." At least that's what the guy at the Apple Store wrote when filling out an AppleCare form. :D

So, I got a new one. So banging on the table is worth a shot, but careful...doesn't last forever.
 
haha my first iPod 1gen 5G middle button became permanently depressed so being depressed I punched it and banged it on the table and the button popped back out =)
 
Bahahahaha, i can't belive that works, my hold button was busted, so im like **** it must be out of batteries, so i charge it up, and i notice hold is stuck, i come here boom,

low tech mechanics rules, it worked :)

Thanks :)
 
ipod hold button

I tried for weeks to figure out how to get my i-pod unfrozen in the hold mode. finally I got read this post, smacked my i-pod a few times and miraculously it worked. thanks! :D
 
another 100$ saved...

:)
the same happened to me: hold button does not react anymore, i hit my poddy softly on the table vertically, and there we go.
suggest to do this while your ipod is turned off, by the way...

thanks for the hint, it really works (i hnave the 30g ipod)
 
somehow...i don't know why or how....my hold button works fine now. it was broken like the above posts mention, but it fixed itself. thanks apple!
 
you could just try controlling it using the remote...

becuase the remote overrides the regular iPod Control... only thing is what if you want to do something that involves the scroll wheel... Apple, I suggest you get a remote that has a small scroll wheel on it too.


P.S. I want a Xserve iPod Edition (a Xserve that has the same capabilites as the iPod) woo 3TB of Music enough songs to make the RIAA sue me for $30 Sextillion!!!
 
fix hold button by opeing the ipod

To fix the "stuck on hold" button you need to pry open the ipod.
I first tried bangin the ipod, did not work.. or did not want to hit it too hard.

Best solution is to pry open the ipod, just use a screw driver.
See link below to properly open the ipod with a screw driver

http://www.ipodbattery.com/slimipodinstall.htm

After I opend the ipod I just snapped back in the orange tape to the ipod slot (in upper left corner), Then the hold started to work!! Guess when I dropped it, the little orange tape snapped out. This could be your problem.
 
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