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Does the Home Button really wear out?
- Thread starter Kalloud
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Yes.
It happens when you need to press it like 100+ times per day and iOS doesn't have a back button. You will start to notice it after a 1 to 1.5 years. You can use 70% rubbing alcohol to clean the home button while you press it, but eventually they will die out. Happens to Android phones too before the double tap to wake era where the power buttons wears out quickly just for waking it up the screen several times during the day. Anything mechanical or with moving parts will wear out with enough usage. Happens in automobiles, disc drives, HDD storage, etc.
It can. But, is it a really common and/or widespread issue, enough to have people avoid using their home button and use something like Assistive Touch? No, not really.
With a lot of use most mechanical buttons will fail sooner or later.
Just use it and enjoy your phone.
Just use it and enjoy your phone.
Almost everyone I've seen using Assistive Touch has more to worry about than a broken home button. It's usually people with heavily damaged phones in my experience. I know several people still using an iPhone 5s and theirs works fine.
I've only ever had the home button fail on one device since my first iPhone in 2008, and it was on my iPhone 4 which was common on this device. It didn't completely fail, but it got worse and worse to the point where I was having to press it down hard multiple times before it would register until I finally sold it.
I've only ever had the home button fail on one device since my first iPhone in 2008, and it was on my iPhone 4 which was common on this device. It didn't completely fail, but it got worse and worse to the point where I was having to press it down hard multiple times before it would register until I finally sold it.
The battery on my iPhone 5 went bad after 2.5 years (swollen, had to be replaced) but the Home Button was fine.
I think Home Buttons on 5 and newer are generally reliable because they have a stainless steel backplate rather than the plastic on in the 4s and older. A lot less chance of flex and resulting mushy/difficulty pressing.
I think Home Buttons on 5 and newer are generally reliable because they have a stainless steel backplate rather than the plastic on in the 4s and older. A lot less chance of flex and resulting mushy/difficulty pressing.
I have an almost 6 year old launch day iPad 2. Home button is fine. No signs of wear and tear.
I have never experienced home buttons wearing out. So I voted no.
I have never experienced home buttons wearing out. So I voted no.
Speaking of home buttons I wonder how the 7's haptic assist button will fare over the long haul.
I had a bit of reserve over this myself. Will it end up being a costly repair outside of warranty? Then I realized, I've never kept any device more than a year. So it quickly passed through my thought process.
It can happen. Within the first year of having my iPhone 5 the home button got "crunchy", so I had it replaced. I've had the phone almost 4 years, and the crunchiness will come back occasionally but seems to go away or is such that I don't notice it.
The 7 will probably suffer from some other issue. Personally I find the haptic button weird. It seems to make the whole screen click which brings back bad memories of my old BlackBerry Storm2 with the button touch screen that clicked.
The 7 will probably suffer from some other issue. Personally I find the haptic button weird. It seems to make the whole screen click which brings back bad memories of my old BlackBerry Storm2 with the button touch screen that clicked.
I thought that I'd contribute by saying that my iPhone 5's home button is still in mint condition as well.
That's interesting. I was not aware Apple switched to a steel backplate over plastic. It makes comolete sense for lasting longer and durability.
Anything will wear out eventually. So will, for example, the doorknob on your front door, or the steering wheel in your car. Does that mean you should stop using them or worry every time you do? I don't think so. People here just tend to be really obsessive about their devices. Under normal usage, the physical buttons on your device should last many years. I've never had the physical buttons on an Apple device simply wear out before I was ready to replace the device anyway. I still have an iPhone 3Gs on which all components are fully functional.
I voted "no" simply because even though it can be worn out, it's unlikely to be a problem, and not something that you should worry about.
I voted "no" simply because even though it can be worn out, it's unlikely to be a problem, and not something that you should worry about.
My iPhone 6 home button definitely wore out.Its not as clicky as it used to be when it was new.Its a bit "softer" now.Super happy Apple resorted to the virtual home button as it will preserve that clickiness for a long time
I'd say that sounds more like it was "worn in" rather than "worn out".
It works but the the feedback is not as good as it once was.I would guess its like the 2nd level of haptic feed back on the iPhone 7 whilst when it was new the feedback was more like the third level on an iPhone 7
Starting with the iPhone 5 apple put in metal brackets which are far more durable.
They will last awhile, even when they wear out you will have gotten a new phone anyway.
They will last awhile, even when they wear out you will have gotten a new phone anyway.