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iPhone Home Button Sometimes Unresponsive - Will Apple Replace?

edwinx said:
hey I know this is an old thread but I recently found a "fix" for the home button and it worked for me, it might work for you too. give it a shot before throwing the phone away or buying a new one.

Read the 1st comment on this blog.

http://www.tipb.com/2011/01/04/tipb-bug-home-button-working-iphone/

"1.) Open any application

2.) Press and hold the power button until the slide to shutdown swipe bar appears.

3.) Release Power button

4.) Press and hold Home button Lightly
until screen returns to icon screen

5.) Enjoy your functioning home button!!!

This procedure recalibrates the home button after normal wear or heavy use."
Click to expand...

Wow, this is total bullcrap and I can't believe all those people on TIPB fell for this.

Step 4, how exactly do you press and hold the home button "lightly"? You either press and hold it or you don't, there's no "lightly" way. Or at least the phone has no way to register if the press&hold is light or hard.

Next, to prove this is total BS, you don't even have to do anything during step4 and you'll see the phone eventually returns to home screen by itself, after about 20 seconds. That's some serious home button recalibration right there!

Gotta love placebo!
 
Last edited:
Got my 4 replaced today. They didn't even check it out and just started the replacement procedures after I mentioned how much the home button sucked lol.
 
Don't waste your time returning it. As posted elsewhere in this forum, there is a proceedure to clear out the gunk that is stuck between the button and pcb board.

1) Tap the iPhone against book on either side of the home button. You will need to tap with a little force, but not too much.

2) Do the same now while pushing the home button.

3) Using the small crevice attachment and your vacume, apply suction to the dock connector while repeatedly pushing the home button.

I followed the proceedures and the home button works as good as new.
 
I wish apple would figure this problem out. I was thinking of replacing my phone but I keep hearing that it is a software problem which is why people with new phones have the same problem occur. Plus my phone is jailbroken.

Kind of interesting for Apple to have this problem since they pride themselves on software and hardware. Due to the fact this keeps happening to my phone the simple thing I did was to download Activator from Cydia. Now when my home button is tempermental I just use my volume buttons, which I have set as a secondary home button. That works great.
 
It's this issue that makes me wish iOS5 had some kind of swipe up gesture to replicate the home button.

I'm on my 3rd IV since launch day and I can't be bothered returning it because I know the issue will return. I'm not exaggerating when I say EVERYONE I know with an iPhone IV, probably about 8 people, has the same issue.

I'll investigate bit_buckets suggestion though.
 
This is one of the major reasons I want an updated design. Maybe the 4S will fix it; maybe not.
 
If your iPhone 4 is under warranty, I would suggest replacing it with Apple for free at a Genius Bar. The AT&T 16GB iPhone 4, I had replaced four times before I sold it. Every other iPhone I owned, including the new 4S, have been nothing but stellar and bulletproof.
 
yegon said:
It's this issue that makes me wish iOS5 had some kind of swipe up gesture to replicate the home button.

I'm on my 3rd IV since launch day and I can't be bothered returning it because I know the issue will return. I'm not exaggerating when I say EVERYONE I know with an iPhone IV, probably about 8 people, has the same issue.

I'll investigate bit_buckets suggestion though.
Click to expand...

My second one has been good about not having the issue honestly (and I've had it almost a year. My last phone at this point was so bad I was starting to worry what I was going to do if the home button stopped working and thought maybe I hsould take it into the genius cause it was bad enough it would show itself. Which of course it didn't but he took me at my word and did note the home button did feel different than the home button on the replacement he gave me).

As for software fixes, go into the settings, under general, and then under accessability.

Then go to assistivetouch and turn it on. You'll get a button that you can place various places on the screen (where ever you want) and if you press that button it gives you some options, including an on screen home button.

It's a bit clunky but not too bad if you have a bad home button and your iphone isn't under warranty (worst thing about it is the phone is a bit slower to acknowledge your press than the actual home button).

Hell, I've been using it to keep wear and tear off my home button (just discovered this a week ago myself) so when I sell the phone it still will have a good home button. I don't think it should be a problem cause the home button on this one has stayed good honestly. And it's really not that clunky to use (a little more clunky) and the button can be moved if it ends up in the way of something (and goes opaque when you haven't used it in a few seconds).

But I will say I do think a little of the problem is software as I do think the iphone can be slow to respond to the home button and sometimes makes it seem like it may be broken. BUt I definitely think the actual problem is a hardware problem (mine kept getting worse).
 
I had a genius appt for my home button. It worked when it wanted to work, otherwise I had to press it 2 or 3 times to get a response and well on the day I had my appt when I go to the apple store...of course it worked. So since the Genius couldn't recreate the issue he couldn't replace it. But he told me if it is still an issue later, bring it down and they'll gladly replace it. Well a week later I got fed up, made an appt and the genius replaced it this time without looking at it. :confused:
 
My girlfriend has the same problem with my old, and when I say old I mean just 4 month old, iPhone 4.

I had Apple ring me today after going through the express care section on the website and after I told the woman on the phone about the problem & that I tried troubleshooting she said that Apple would send me out a new phone and I could have the current phone sent back.


This is great except for the fact that I need to have a credit card with which they will use to freeze €450 to guarantee I send the phone back and that it isn't physically damaged. (There is a scratch on the screen, would that count as physical damage?)

I understand this is definitely necessary and don't have a problem with it but I just don't have a credit card. Not sure what I'm going to do about it.



I'm in Ireland so obviously there is no Apple store that I can take it to.
 
MacBookPro13";14289820 said:
My girlfriend has the same problem with my old, and when I say old I mean just 4 month old, iPhone 4.

I had Apple ring me today after going through the express care section on the website and after I told the woman on the phone about the problem & that I tried troubleshooting she said that Apple would send me out a new phone and I could have the current phone sent back.


This is great except for the fact that I need to have a credit card with which they will use to freeze €450 to guarantee I send the phone back and that it isn't physically damaged. (There is a scratch on the screen, would that count as physical damage?)

I understand this is definitely necessary and don't have a problem with it but I just don't have a credit card. Not sure what I'm going to do about it.



I'm in Ireland so obviously there is no Apple store that I can take it to.
Click to expand...

Hi, This worked for me : http://youtu.be/lSqPC1V0PPg

I used Rubbing Alcohol, have a go ... :)
 
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.

Reference:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1379873/
 
i had the iphone 4 for 2 years

one software update it was working fine , the next software update i had home button problems

i found the fix


always restore as new when new software update comes out
 
I had mine replaced for the same problem but they made me restore and wait before I could get a new one. Took two appointments.
 
Me, and the three people I know that have iPhone 4's, have all had them replaced due to the home button getting unresponsive and "squishy" after about 10 months.

I was actually a week out of my 1 year Apple care when I phone Apple, and they agreed to allow a replacement. The manager in the Apple store (Southampton) was a bit put out, but honored the swap anyway!
 
I had mine replaced in the Apple Store in Amsterdam for this nearly a year outside the regular Apple warranty. So they wouldn't replace it then and there but required me to fill out a form for a claim under EU warranty laws and replaced it a week later instead. Still for free.

They didn't require a restore or anything, though the guy did take it with him for a few minutes to clean it.
 
hmm.. im in dubai and have started facing the same problem. defi no apple store here... have to resort to self-help fix.. will try some of the tips posted here and write back on results.
 
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