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Stuck Power Button on IPhone 12 Pro

The Power button gets stuck on my new IPhone 12 Pro. I have had it for 3 weeks and when I use guided access the power button fails to respond to my presses. Also there is no click like when I press the volume buttons. I should have sent it back when I first noticed it on day 3. Today was the first day that it went completely unresponsive. I kept messing with it and 1/2 hour later I must have successfully double clicked and was able to get out of that mode. Is this an issue with these phones?

iPhone 12 Pro, iOS 14

Posted on Nov 18, 2020 12:24 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 26, 2020 12:42 AM

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.

69 replies

Jan 18, 2021 10:46 AM in response to pcladie

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.

Dec 7, 2020 6:40 PM in response to hartnski

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.

Apr 3, 2021 11:31 PM in response to lobsterghost1

Obviously you are not familiar with Apples lineup. Even iPhone SE 2020 version was IP67 and actually has been since iPhone 7 and up which means it is entirely dust proof and able to withstand one meter of water (3.3 feet) for up to 30 minutes. The iPhone 12 mini is no exception coming with a rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529. This means the mini is splash, water, and dust resistant at a maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207043


Obviously resistance will be damaged if your phone is repaired by unknown techs. Recommendation not to go to swim with is just good practice because chlorine or salt water will do magic called chemistry and that might also loosen your water tight seals.


Have a potato :)

Nov 23, 2020 6:55 AM in response to pcladie

I too have that same problem. Haven’t even had the phone for a week and it’s getting jammed. Called apple, took about 10 minutes for the representative on the phone to understand what a lock button is.... they want me to ship my phone to them. I want them to ship me a brand new one. I’m not having a non water proof phone when I paid for this. Very poor apple very poor

Dec 22, 2020 6:50 PM in response to pcladie

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.

Jan 5, 2021 1:55 AM in response to LeyLaR

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.

Jan 12, 2021 4:18 PM in response to pcladie

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.


Stuck Power Button on IPhone 12 Pro

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