Stuck Power Button on IPhone 12 Pro

I have had the same problem with the iPhone 12.

iPhone 12s are water resistant to 6m.

I turned mine off, ran the side button under hot water for literally 1-2 seconds and immediately had return of the “click.”

It is almost definitely a sticky residue in the tight space between the button and case.

In my case I’m almost certain it has to do with hand sanitizer and sani-wipes.

The sani-wipes start to leave a sticky residue on everything after awhile.

Just clean it and be done with it! You’ll be glad you did.

so nice to have that “click” back.

The problem with the stuck power button on brand new iPhone 12 Pro's (and Max's) is common for Apple customers and even Apple employees - with 500 people reporting this persistent quality control problem of brand new iPhone 12s from Nov 2020 to June 2021 in this forum alone.

Spoiler Alert: Don't hesitate, immediately return your iPhone for a new iPhone. Do this before Apple wants to replace your brand new iPhone with a used refurbished phone. My previous experience with Apple's Genius replacing my iPhone with a refurbished iPhone is that the battery didn't work for as long as expected, and the transfer of data was not done completely.

I called Apple support, since I paid $299 for AppleCare+, and I was told that the earliest appointment to try to exchange my broken brand new iPhone 12 Pro for a working brand new iPhone 12 Pro is 2 days out. Worse, the Apple representative said that he had the same problem. Still worse, I was told that they couldn't guarantee that the replacement would be a new iPhone 12 Pro.

I found the article "Cleaning your iPhone" at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207123 generally useful but not helpful for this problem. It says: "Use a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth—for example, a lens cloth."

I read all of this thread, which includes suggestions on how the power button can sometimes be unstuck, but I didn't want to do any of the questionable solutions for cleaning by splashing with water or brushing with a q-tip damp with alcohol.

Following the instruction on the Apple support page, I tried to "exercise" the stuck power button on my brand new iPhone 12 Pro by sliding my thumb back and forth across the power button with a slightly damp cloth .. it didn't work .. and worse .. my phone called for emergency help before I realized what was happening. I stopped the outgoing call but it was too late and the helpful 911 service called me back to make sure everything was ok, which I assured the operator that everything was fine. I asked the operator how often emergency services got false alarms from iPhones .. and the operator said: "it happens every day". I asked how many times a day this happens, and the emergency services operator said: "I don't know, I'm only one operator and we have many operators."

Summary: The problem gets worse; un-sticking takes customer cleaning methods that aren't recommended; and if you notice that the power button doesn't click (like mine didn't on my brand new phone) that isn't a haptic feature, it's a broken phone.

hartnski wrote:

Probably stuck because of dust, just run some water to the stuck button and it will back to normal, IPhone 12 series has IP68 rating so it’ll be fine.

Noooooooo.......Do NOT run water on any part of an iPhone. iPhone is NOT waterproof. It is water resistant. And if water gets inside the phone it can and often destroys it, which will NOT be covered under warranty and could be a HUGELY EXPENSIVE mistake.

If anyone's power button seems off, the phone is under a 1 year new phone warranty. Take it to your Apple Store Genus Bar for evaluation and if Apple determines their phone is defective, it will be replaced.

Using alcohol is not the best way to handle this problem.

I’m sure we all have a same problem and that is the power button on the iPhone 12 series kind of stuck and doesn’t have that “click” feedback.

FYI IPhone 12 series has even better IP68 water & dust rating (up to 6m for 30 minutes) rather than the iPhone 11 series (up to 4m for 30 minutes).

If you feel there is no “click” feedback, mostly that cause by some dust or some material from your wipe stuck in side the button, DON’T use alcohol cause some alcohol could cause some damage.

“Splash some water to the button and wipe it with Microfiber Cloth is the best and safest way.”

Again don’t worry about water gonna ruin your iPhone, it won’t.

there is a rubber around the whole outside edge that helps seal it from water intrusion or dust, and also helps with structure and rigidity overall.

Update: I have AppleCare+ so I just ended up using the express replacement option. The biggest issue is that this is not easily accessible for all as Apple places a hold on your credit card or debit card for the amount of money your phone is worth. This means you have to have $800-$1200 in your bank account or a credit line that large. If you do though, this is a perfect option. I was able to get the replacement phone, and ship my old one back in less than a week and it ended up costing nothing. If you do not have AppleCare+ there is a $29 fee for this service I’m pretty sure.

I got the iPhone 12 pro max yesterday and I had the same issue it takes forever to turn on the only way is to plug the charger in 🤔 I contacted o2 and they are sending me a replacement not a great way to start

I soaked a piece of paper towel in 70% isopropyl alcohol & pressed it on the buttons for a second and then wiped them & they came unstuck quick

In had the same exact issue today. Day 3 of ownership. I was able to fix it by trying a razor blade and running it in the space between the buttons and the body. I expect this to be a major problem for iPhone 12 users

I am having this issue too. Except the side button has not been completely stuck. However, I feel that its only a matter of time since the button is needing a little bit more effort to respond. I chatted with Apple support and was offered a mail in replacement or a carry in. However when I opted to visit an apple store- I was advised that the phone needs to be shipped out to their repair center and a swap is not doable. I am going to swap my sim card, activate my back up phone and send my new 12 for repair. I have a feeling that the issue we are all having is a start of a possible recall and they are not wanting for a swap to take place so they can manage inventory and continue sales. Great business practice to earn money for stock holders, however it is tarnishing my perception of the company’s integrity.

I was an earlier poster in this thread, encountering this issue within about 2 weeks of purchase. For a few weeks I tried unsuccessfully to get a time at an Apple store to take it in, and at some point it automagically started working again. It's been working fine for at least 3 weeks with zero sticking issues while it was a persistent issue 2 weeks after purchase.

The only thing I can think of is I grabbed it once with a lot of hand sanitizer on my hands...and I feel like that's around the time it stopped sticking. I'm thinking these posts about using alcohol to clean it out may be on to something... Obviously not what we expect from Apple, but if you're living with it and can't take it in to a store, may be worth a try.

If you're in the US, call Apple at 800-MY-APPLE or use the Contact Support button at the top of this page.

Swapped my first one for this reason after a week. Didn’t stop working, but it became sluggish and soft (not “clicky”) and I’ve dealt with smartphones long enough to know that unresponsiveness is what comes next. This one I’ve had now for a month or more and just noticed this morning that it is starting to feel a bit soft again. =\ Will probably wait until it completely fails before exchanging again due to the hassle of the backup/swap/reload process.

I have 12 pro max, buttons were stiff, sometimes a lot sometimes less, i think its from dust, maybe some sweat or some dirty or how someone wrote from hand sanitizer, I just taped both speakers, lighting port and microphone + microphone next to lens on the back and I put iPhone into hot water (not so hot) pressing buttons amd then in cold water (not max cold) i took tape off, I dried phone in towel, pressing buttons with towel and it seems it help (but how long it will be like that) I think this is better than used alcohol on it, if it will be here again, I will return it, we have 2 years warranty and I have insurance, hope that I won’t use this, I don’t want :) its my second 12 pro max, cuz first wrote me that iPhone can’t proof original battery (immediately after unpacking and after the first turn on) :D I love apple but sometimes the quality isnt like how i thought its.

Same thing happen to my new iPhone 12 pro max. I’ve notice when it is exposed to heat it get stuck or it’s hard to press. After a few hours when it cools down it backs to normal. I’m not sure if others experience the same issue also.

Iphone 12 is IP68 and this means waterproof. Washing it couple of seconds with hot running water fixed stuck power button, thanks!