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Tempermental iPhone 4 home button 4.1
- Thread starter applefanDrew
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I blogged about my experience with exchanging the my iPhone 4 with my local telco (maxis). I have no regrets with the swap even if I potentially may have a refurb unit because it just works. No more annoyance!
I'm tempted as well, but my phone is perfect in every other way (no antenna, proximity problem) and I don't want to press my luck.
Funny thing is, I've had my phone since the day before launch and it only seems like this problem surfaced in only the last few months. I can't say I noticed it before that.
I had the same thought before.. until I do the math. Of the 20 people I know who owns iPhone 4.. maybe about 2 have some problems. That's like 10%. And the fact that I have the Home Button issue means I am one of the 10%. What are the chances of getting a better phone if I return it? 90%! So, I am willing to take the chance. I have not looked back since
Also I have been experiencing problems with the home button. It started with the multitask bar popping up when I only pressed the button once. Lately the home button is getting more and more temperamental. Sometimes it won't register a click. This is very annoying. I finally believed apple had produced me a functioning phone after giving me three phones wich all had a faulty proximity sensor. Now my phone is going back to the store to be replaced. I see the iPhone 4 as Apple's Windows Vista.
Ps! The home button was fine until a month after receiving it. Therefor I can say it is getting worse, since I am now experiencing problems on a more frequent basis.
I will urge all who have problems to get it replaced. Only this way Apple will be made aware of the fault and improve future products.
Ps! The home button was fine until a month after receiving it. Therefor I can say it is getting worse, since I am now experiencing problems on a more frequent basis.
I will urge all who have problems to get it replaced. Only this way Apple will be made aware of the fault and improve future products.
You know, I just had a thought. I have a habit of putting my fingers over the port where you plug in the USB cable. Some times I would brush the circuit board. Since I sometimes carry static, do you think I could have pass some of the static into the board, thus short circuiting the Home button chip?
i know its already been asked, but if i get the home button replaced, why will that not fix the issue if it's hardware related as you guys suspect?
On 4.1 jailbroken with 1.59.00 unlockable baseband and lots of custom software. Don't really want a stock phone all because my home button acts weird every once in a while.
I would rather get the home button swapped at a repair shop.
i read on apple support that using compressed air to get rid of the dust in the dock connector fixes the problem. might try that one out.
On 4.1 jailbroken with 1.59.00 unlockable baseband and lots of custom software. Don't really want a stock phone all because my home button acts weird every once in a while.
I would rather get the home button swapped at a repair shop.
i read on apple support that using compressed air to get rid of the dust in the dock connector fixes the problem. might try that one out.
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I'm having this issue too--just started popping up about 2 weeks ago. Sometimes I single click, and nothing happens, but then when I click again it registers both clicks and I end up on the search screen. Other times my multi tasking bar shows up with one click.
So frustrating. This will be my 4th exchange if you don't count the one I broke and had to pay to replace. Also, it's being reported at Apple.com as well:
http://discussions.info.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2595841&start=180&tstart=0
So frustrating. This will be my 4th exchange if you don't count the one I broke and had to pay to replace. Also, it's being reported at Apple.com as well:
http://discussions.info.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2595841&start=180&tstart=0
I tried the can air, thought it fixed it but it didn't.
I dunno what's going on but I think it's software. Why?
Why do certain phones do it and others don't? Can't explain. MAybe over time, there's stuff in the cache or something that leads the home button to start being less responsive.
But I noticed after updating my dad's iPhone from 4.0 to 4.2.1 (first software update since he had the phone) because of the proximity sensor issue, the home button didn't respond a handful of times with me playing with it. Never happened with 4.0 on his phone. He also had tons of apps in the multitasking bar.
Seems to be a 4.1/4.2.1 issue. People who got replacement phones and been playing with them for 5 days, doesn't seem conclusive enough. Give it a few months.
I'm still puzzled but less encouraged to swap out my otherwise perfect 4.1 JB/baseband unlockable version. it's super customized.
I'll hold off for now and keep following. If it stops working all together, I'll either get the home button swapped at a repair shop or replace the phone and suck up losing the unlock (hopefully jb will be out by then).
I dunno what's going on but I think it's software. Why?
Why do certain phones do it and others don't? Can't explain. MAybe over time, there's stuff in the cache or something that leads the home button to start being less responsive.
But I noticed after updating my dad's iPhone from 4.0 to 4.2.1 (first software update since he had the phone) because of the proximity sensor issue, the home button didn't respond a handful of times with me playing with it. Never happened with 4.0 on his phone. He also had tons of apps in the multitasking bar.
Seems to be a 4.1/4.2.1 issue. People who got replacement phones and been playing with them for 5 days, doesn't seem conclusive enough. Give it a few months.
I'm still puzzled but less encouraged to swap out my otherwise perfect 4.1 JB/baseband unlockable version. it's super customized.
I'll hold off for now and keep following. If it stops working all together, I'll either get the home button swapped at a repair shop or replace the phone and suck up losing the unlock (hopefully jb will be out by then).
The more I read about this problem, and the more I think about how often and when it happens on my phone, the more I think it's a software problem. I would think if it were a hardware problem, there would be a lot of different variations on the issue.
That is what starts to make me wonder if i should bother with my Genius Bar appt. or not. I just know I won't be able to get it to happen at the store, and they're going to look at how many exchanges I've had to do and will probably think I'm full of crap. Of the 4 phones I've had, this one works the best. Maybe I'll just live with it or at least wait for the next major firmware update.
That is what starts to make me wonder if i should bother with my Genius Bar appt. or not. I just know I won't be able to get it to happen at the store, and they're going to look at how many exchanges I've had to do and will probably think I'm full of crap. Of the 4 phones I've had, this one works the best. Maybe I'll just live with it or at least wait for the next major firmware update.
Mine has the same problem. I'm on my second replacement. I think it's just how the button is poorly designed. You just have to do quick sharp presses and it work normally.
I am not convinced this is mechanical. It seems an awfully lot like sw
If it was mechanical, that could not explain not having the issue for a while after previously experiencing it on the phone
The button mechanism can be wearing down and acting differently from when it was new.
Is this speculation?
The reason I doubt it is because it is most likely, the exact same design they have used since the first iphone...in other words, there has been many years of user testing and durability findings in real life, etc
Does anyone know if the design has changed from past models?
Guys, this is my 2nd week after I got my phone replaced in my local telco due to the Home button issue - my replacement phone has ZERO problem with the Home button. Never seen a single click registering as double click.
I suggest you get yours replaced! Why be the one out of 20 users who have the issue? Getting your phone replaced could make you be the 19 users who have no problem at all! I struggled with the hardware/software questions but after 3 weeks of facing the uncertainty of the single click, I decided that enough is enough and get my phone replaced .. even if it means I will get a refurb.
I suggest you get yours replaced! Why be the one out of 20 users who have the issue? Getting your phone replaced could make you be the 19 users who have no problem at all! I struggled with the hardware/software questions but after 3 weeks of facing the uncertainty of the single click, I decided that enough is enough and get my phone replaced .. even if it means I will get a refurb.
Not a software issue!
I'm absolutely sure this is not a software issue. I got my first iphone 4 about 5 months ago and noticed over time that pushing the home button would frequently either not register OR register as a double-click. I'd attributed it at the time to 4.1 perhaps. Anyhow, about a month & a half ago I swapped mine out at Apple Store for a new one; the Genius gave me no problems at all once I explained the problem.
So up until the last week or so, I'd not had any problems at all with my home button but it's starting to do it again - single push either doesn't register or registers as a double-click and the multi-tasking tray comes up at the bottom of the screen.
I've read in quite a few forums (including both here & Apple's own community forum) of users with the same problems suggesting that it has something to do with either dust and/or debris getting under the button or that it may have something to do with the home button not being centered correctly and I would have to think one of those two issues is causing the problems. Having said that, along with my own experience, I really don't see it being a software issue otherwise I'm sure the problems would have started immediately with my new iphone. Going to schedule ANOTHER genius bar appointment unfortunately.
I'm absolutely sure this is not a software issue. I got my first iphone 4 about 5 months ago and noticed over time that pushing the home button would frequently either not register OR register as a double-click. I'd attributed it at the time to 4.1 perhaps. Anyhow, about a month & a half ago I swapped mine out at Apple Store for a new one; the Genius gave me no problems at all once I explained the problem.
So up until the last week or so, I'd not had any problems at all with my home button but it's starting to do it again - single push either doesn't register or registers as a double-click and the multi-tasking tray comes up at the bottom of the screen.
I've read in quite a few forums (including both here & Apple's own community forum) of users with the same problems suggesting that it has something to do with either dust and/or debris getting under the button or that it may have something to do with the home button not being centered correctly and I would have to think one of those two issues is causing the problems. Having said that, along with my own experience, I really don't see it being a software issue otherwise I'm sure the problems would have started immediately with my new iphone. Going to schedule ANOTHER genius bar appointment unfortunately.
I seriously doubt its a mechanical issue, but here's a way you can test it out...factory reset your iPhone, such that it wipes the phone clean of all data and apps that you've installed. Make sure its in the same state when you first got the phone. See if you still have problems with home button then... post back your results.
I have to agree with ringgit. I too replaced my otherwise perfect IP4 because of the nagging home button issue described in this thread. The straw that broke the camels back came when I used my sister's IP4 over the xmas holiday. Her home button was flawless....and it's click was decidely crisper and "clicky-er", if that makes sense. I was convinced at that point that my phone had a hardware defect. For those of you thinking a factory reset may fix the issue, it didn't in my case. So I returned mine beloved for a replacement. My new IP4 is clicky as hell and has NEVER registered/not registered a click incorrectly. So happy I made the switch.
On another note, the Genius mentioned that all replacements come in black boxes but none are refurbs. All new. Not sure if this is accurate...but my replacement is flawless...