Home button - design flaw?

[batting1000]

Just use Assistive Touch.

http://techc0re.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/ios-tip-never-use-your-buttons-again/

 

[sclawis300]

Thanks, never knew that.
I guess it's not viewed as an actual "issue" which I could walk into an apple shop (not that I'm near one) and demand a switch with my 2 year old phone though, right???

They will just tell you that you have too many apps open. I tried to get it fixed while under warranty and they did not do anything. Go figure, now my warranty is done and the home button is worse than ever.

 

[Mic'sBook]

For those of you whose iPhone's Home Button doesn't work, if you go to Google and enter 'iPhone (or iPod touch) home button not working', 'home button stuck', you can see that you're not alone.

While there are various methods of trying to solve the problem, say doing a calibration, reactivation of home button or whatever, they all seem to work at first but after a period of time they won't and they are just more or less a placebo effect. What's more, there shouldn't be a need to 'reactivate' or 'recalibrate' the home button. Just like there's no need for us to 'reactivate' or 'recalibrate' the keys on the keyboard.

Home button not working is basically a hardwere problem. Usually there is some dirt between the button and the contact. You may try pressing the home button firmly and try to turn it clockwise and anticlockwise with your fingertip. Do this several times and probably your problem is solved.

If your device is still under warranty (AppleCare), go to get a replacement unit.

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PS

I hope Apple will improve the next generation iPhone/iPod touch/iPad's home button and make it better as it's the key button on those iOS devices.

And it seems Apple has refined the home button since iPhone 4S. If you go to iFixit and take a look at the teardown of iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, you'll notice there's a design change of the home button:

iPhone 4 (http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone-4-Teardown/3130/3):

iPhone 4S (http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone-4S-Teardown/6610/3):

iPhone 4 vs iPhone 4s home button - iPhone 4S - iFixit
http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/68306/iPhone+4+vs+iPhone+4s+home+button

'The ifixit teardown pic shows the home button now attached to the front lcd assembly by some kind of mounting unit. On the iPhone 4, the plastic button was stuck to the flex cable with adhesive, which was plugged into the chassis. The front screen assembly just had a hole in it where the home button protruded through. Now it appears that the cable is on the chassis and the button is on the front panel, and they just press together in the middle when the front assembly is attached to the chassis.'

 

[StuLax18]

People who I've seen take care of their iPhones never had a problem with the home button, in fact, the only people I know who had problems with any home buttons were the people who got the very first iPhone 4's with the Phillip screw. Even then, I was given another iPhone 4 for free at the Genius Bar with the home button still in great shape.

They don't do that anymore. In fact, they wanted to charge me $150 for a new phone, I assume a 4. I said no thanks I'll, wait for the next one to come out.

And anyone who says those of us with this problem need to take better care, mine has always been in a case, and screen protectors on both sides. It looks brand new.

 

[Geckotek]

I've never had a problem with a home button

^^THIS^^

I've had every iPhone since the 3G and I've not had a single home button issue. Not a design flaw in the least.

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I bought an iPhone 4 on launch day and my home button fails miserably. I have taken great care of my phone, but when I hit the button sometimes it will go home, sometimes it will bring up multitasking, and sometimes it will do nothing. It is rather frustrating.

Have you tried taking it to the Genius bar or do you just like complaining?

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Learn to think. The fact that you had every iphone indicates that you changed them every year. Most people do not do that. Many of them do experience problems with home button (just check this very forum).

I don't think people are saying there are no issues. But the issues probably aren't widespread enough to call it a design flaw. I have tons of friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc... with iPhones and I've seen maybe 2 broken home buttons in my life.

 

[lordofthereef]

If I was a conspiracist, I'd believe that apple had built-in / planned for people to break these devices' home buttons after a certain amount of time, compelling expensive repairs or complete upgrades.

Thank God you're not a "conspiracist" then...

 

[roxxette]

My old iphone 4 sometimes have problem with double tap but that was after looong time of heavy use of the little button

 

[transphasic]

Thank God you're not a "conspiracist" then...

I've never seen another device that require so many functions go through a single button. Spare us your sarcastic nonsense, that some many people have posted that their home button has broken is proof enough of a bad design.

 

[jgc]

I have an iPhone 4 which has a dodgey home button. It is fine most of the the time but every few weeks it starts to stop working (feels the same, but nothing happens).

This is a fix: You need to put the USB cable in and bend it away from the home button (so the bit inside goes up towards the home button) whilst pushing the home button down.

Isn't too good for the cable or iPhone4 dock I'm sure, but it does solve it... for another few weeks.

This flaw in the iPhone is probably the main reason I'll end up getting an iPhone5, would rather reduce my monthly bill as iPhone4 is still fantastic to use and doesn't feel old or outdated asides from this issue.

Thought I was the only one. Every once in a while my home button acts up quite seriously and I can't use it for minutes/up to an hour on occasion. Most of the time it works fine. Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason as to why it does this. I'll try what you suggested.

 

[marc11]

Yep my home button on my 4 went bad at 10 months after purchase. Intermittent problems at first and then some days I would have to press it ten times to get it to work. Apple gave me a new phone but clearly said I should buy AppleCare or the next time it will cost $150 to fix.

I am not alone either; I know two other people who have to use assistive touch because their home brooms went bad outside of warranty.

Clearly there are issues with the longevity of some 4 home button longevity.

 

[Geckotek]

I've never seen another device that require so many functions go through a single button. Spare us your sarcastic nonsense, that some many people have posted that their home button has broken is proof enough of a bad design.

Wrong, any mechanical or electronic part can break at some point. To prove bad design, you must prove a higher than normal failure when compared to other similar parts/designs in similar devices.

 

[MattInOz]

Wrong, any mechanical or electronic part can break at some point. To prove bad design, you must prove a higher than normal failure when compared to other similar parts/designs in similar devices.

Ok so the home button has a fairly consistent fail time of 30 months. Getting on the dodgy side from 22 months. Enough that a two year contract ends most are looking to replace an otherwise useful device that could be handed down.

So 22-30 month life span how does that compare.
It's also a design failure if you can show the part was fit for design life of the product.

It many markets two contract is common so minimum design life for iPhone is in that range. Much longer for iPod touch

 

[Geckotek]

Ok so the home button has a fairly consistent fail time of 30 months. Getting on the dodgy side from 22 months.

And where did you get these statistics? Making up numbers based on what you read in a forum is pointless.

 

[MattInOz]

And where did you get these statistics? Making up numbers based on what you read in a forum is pointless.

Friends, family, people I work with, many random people at the pub who over heard me telling friend how to fix, cute friend of random person in pub. And personnel experience.

Hardly scientific* but the answer to the
"how long have you had the phone" is always the same 22-30months.
This forum is full of "random IT guys" I'm sure they all will tell you a similar time range.

*especially with the influence of alcohol.

 

[Geckotek]

Friends, family, people I work with, many random people at the pub who over heard me telling friend how to fix, cute friend of random person in pub. And personnel experience.

Hardly scientific* but the answer to the
"how long have you had the phone" is always the same 22-30months.
This forum is full of "random IT guys" I'm sure they all will tell you a similar time range.

*especially with the influence of alcohol.

I'm one of those "random IT guys" and with most of my friends, co-workers, and acquaintances carrying iPhones, I'm going to have to call you out on your estimate. In fact, being an Exchange admin for a large enterprise, I deal with iPhone's all day long (assisting users in connecting to our Exchange servers). I've seen 2 failed home buttons in my lifetime. So, if we are going to just pull numbers out of our ###, then I'd say less than 1% fail and the rest don't fail at all. Far from your estimate that all home buttons fail after 22-30 months. But then again, I don't believe in using numbers out of thin air, so I'm not going to put much stock in my number our yours. Ask the same question in a forum, where people having the same issue all congregate in the same thread and you'll get a more skewed answer.

Let me know when you come up with something real, like a failure rate from Apple or one of those parts companies.

 

[MattInOz]

I'm one of those "random IT guys" and with most of my friends, co-workers, and acquaintances carrying iPhones, I'm going to have to call you out on your estimate. In fact, being an Exchange admin for a large enterprise, I deal with iPhone's all day long (assisting users in connecting to our Exchange servers). I've seen 2 failed home buttons in my lifetime. So, if we are going to just pull numbers out of our ###, then I'd say less than 1% fail and the rest don't fail at all. Far from your estimate that all home buttons fail after 22-30 months. But then again, I don't believe in using numbers out of thin air, so I'm not going to put much stock in my number our yours. Ask the same question in a forum, where people having the same issue all congregate in the same thread and you'll get a more skewed answer.

Let me know when you come up with something real, like a failure rate from Apple or one of those parts companies.

Given your corp background wouldn't most of the devices you deal with get turned over fairly often?

 

[CyBeRino]

I bought an iPhone 4 on launch day and my home button fails miserably. I have taken great care of my phone, but when I hit the button sometimes it will go home, sometimes it will bring up multitasking, and sometimes it will do nothing. It is rather frustrating.

Exactly the same here. Just last week I had mine replaced for this exact reason. (For free under EU consumer laws, too.)

 

[knimetimmy]

When I purchased an ipod touch a few years back, I remember having an issue with so much functionality being put through a single button, a sure design flaw I felt at the time since pressing one button repeatedly would lead to it breaking quickly.

When I got the ipad, i was pleased that they had added "gestures," so that between that and a smart cover, you could use the ipad for years and never even touch the home button.

Now that i just got an iphone 4s this week, it appears that only the home button can bring you back to the main screen, so it seems like apple has not moved past this basic flaw.

If I was a conspiracist, I'd believe that apple had built-in / planned for people to break these devices' home buttons after a certain amount of time, compelling expensive repairs or complete upgrades.

On the iphone, is there an alternative method to using the home button?

Jailbreak it. Then install a tweak called zephyr.
Problem solved

 

[BrightCanon]

Exactly the same here. Just last week I had mine replaced for this exact reason. (For free under EU consumer laws, too.)

luckily mine was under warranty...I just had mine replaced friday and I baby my phone as much as my children.

 

[Geckotek]

Given your corp background wouldn't most of the devices you deal with get turned over fairly often?

No, they were personal devices that users wanted to utilize on our network. In a money saving measure the company refused to supply any device except the free BB offered by the carrier. User's brought their own iPhones to connect. We have several users with iPhone 3G.

 

[kfergiez]

If this truly was a design flaw... I think that hordes of people would be having problems, which there clearly aren't. Sure their are outliers, but nothing substantial.

Don't worry about it, this guy is just a troll.

 

[roxxette]

I dont think is a flaw, its like wear out of your shoes from use

 

[transphasic]

If this truly was a design flaw... I think that hordes of people would be having problems, which there clearly aren't. Sure their are outliers, but nothing substantial. Don't worry about it, this guy is just a troll.

Dude, don't get into name-calling, because that's a fight you'll lose, and quickly. I've purchased and still own more apple products than you ever will.

Geckotek, the flaw I am suggesting is the makeup of the usage path flow of the device; all actions must go through the home button. Open an app, have to hit the button to go back to the home screen. Turning on the accessibility option solved it for me (thanks to the poster who mentioned that), but I still see it as a design flaw.

Keep in mind the phone is only one-two years old for most people, do you realistically think that people will get 5 years out of the phone if they have to press the home button 50-100 times per day?

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I dont think is a flaw, its like wear out of your shoes from use

Interesting analogy, but I'd guess to make it more accurate you'd have to walk all day on only one part of the shoe until it completely wore out...

 

[JAT]

Friends, family, people I work with, many random people at the pub who over heard me telling friend how to fix, cute friend of random person in pub. And personnel experience.

Hardly scientific* but the answer to the
"how long have you had the phone" is always the same 22-30months.
This forum is full of "random IT guys" I'm sure they all will tell you a similar time range.

*especially with the influence of alcohol.

If you like anecdotes, my 1G iPod is now at 53 months owned. And has been beat up a couple times by the kids, thrown across driveways, stuff like that. The edge casing has gouges in it, the metal back is scratched to where it almost looks like brushed metal, now. There is a 1cm crack in the screen. No problems with home button.

Given your corp background wouldn't most of the devices you deal with get turned over fairly often?

Actually, most company owned phones have more problems IME, not fewer. They may turn over more often, but that just means they are given to a new user. People are simply less cautious with company owned products. Laptops, phones, etc.

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Interesting analogy, but I'd guess to make it more accurate you'd have to walk all day on only one part of the shoe until it completely wore out...

Technically, that's what you do, so it is a pretty good analogy. Right under the balls of your feet wear out fastest, esp with leather soles. Some people have issues with turning their feet in or out as they walk, and their shoes wear out on those sides faster, kinda like tires that aren't rotated often.

 

[iEnvy]

They don't do that anymore. In fact, they wanted to charge me $150 for a new phone, I assume a 4. I said no thanks I'll, wait for the next one to come out.

And anyone who says those of us with this problem need to take better care, mine has always been in a case, and screen protectors on both sides. It looks brand new.

It's a disappointment on the Genius Bar to charge you $150 when they have an entire drawer filled with those things.