iPhone 4 Home button issue...

I guess I'm a little confused why the release of 4.2 is being push back. For starters, 4.1 is plagued with problems, I wish Apple would have released a 4.12 to at least fix the home screen button issue (mine only works about 60% of the time) and the calendar not showing up right away problem. These, in my opinion would be simple fixes. Personally, I think a day light savings issue is minimal to the issues that have nagged me with 4.1 software 😟 A Windows phone never looked so good 😟

Tested the 4.2 GM version... 😟 sad to say.. the problem occur more than 4.1 for me.

When i press 1 time, the taskbar appear... strange enuf when few try it works again.. off the phone and it came back. Makes me wonder is it a hardware problem now.

4.2 did not fix the problem !

Even though my issue has been resolved (at least so far), I still subscribe to this thread and read all of the messages. This is a reply of sorts to several comments/questions. A brief background: I had the home button problem with my iPhone 4 (iOS 4.1), called AppleCare, and did the $29 advance replacement, where I got a brand new iPhone 4 and sent my old one back to Apple. It is my belief that you will pay the $29 even if you are under AppleCare (which those of us with an iPhone 4 should be until at least June 2011). This is for the overnight FedEx shipping both ways and the privilege of being able to do an advance exchange. I have set up my new iPhone 4 from a backup of my old iPhone, and I have not run into the home button problem once. Since then, I have added a handful of new apps, songs, and videos, and still no problem. To me, it made no difference if it was a software or hardware problem (the jury's still out on that). The bottom line was my iPhone was not working as advertised, and since it is still under warranty, I felt I was owed a replacement, if for no other reason than to rule out a software issue, which I feel I have in my case. My strong recommendation to all facing this problem: get a replacement! When we look back at this years from now, we will most certainly view the iPhone 4 as a blunder in an otherwise excellent series of phones. As another person mentioned earlier, it almost makes you consider switching to another platform. I don't want to do that, though, because I like the simplicity of the Apple ecosystem when everything works!

To be honest, I find it unreasonable for us to fork out an additional $29 for a replacement of faulty device. If we're under the warranty, we should not even have to pay a single penny for it.

My iPhone 4 is two weeks old. It came preload with iOS 4.1. This issue cropped up in the 2nd week. I didn't notice it in the first week. I honestly do not think it is a software issue.

On the other hand, I live in Asia. We do not have an Apple Store nor Genius Bar here. It is difficult to do an exchange as I will be without a phone for weeks. And I am not even sure if I will get a new iPhone 4 or some refurb ones. At the moment, there iPhone 4 is out of stock due to strong demand here. It's very likely that if I were to exchange it, I will not get a new one.

So, I have to live with this issue. It doesn't happen often.. but it gets annoying. Pressing the button once sometimes register as two clicks and the multi task tray appear. Sometimes it is not registering the click at all. But I think the problem will occur more often the more I use it. I'm beginning to agree that it's probably the quality of the material.

I am surprise that there was no official response to this issue. It looks like the problem is growing. Check out this thread as well in Macrumors forum: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1015300

I have noticed that if the home button does not register the clicks right, the button of the earphones also does not work fine, so I am starting to think that it is software. It seems that iOS is not registering the clicks, in the home button and in the earphones button.

Honestly, I'm not sure if mine is a problem as it doesn't do this all the time. Normally my home button works just fine. there are few occasion that, say I'm on the home screen but on a 2nd or 3rd page of it, I would click the home button once to get me to the 1st screen(or to the search screen if it was on the 1st screen for that matter), but that it would open up the recently used bar, like the home button was clicked twice, but only one click.

Now when I'm on an app and need to close out, mostly it closes out, but sometimes the home button registers like I clicked it twice, where I only click it once, and it would open up the recently used app.

for now it does not bother me, probably because I click the home button fast, but I am going to keep an eye for it. Honestly, I don't feel like replacing because this is my 2nd replacement, I do have the SPG ultra-oleophobic screen protector on it and that is my only piece left, as the first one was messed up. And I don't want to lose that perfectly installed screen protector. But i may eventually have to get it checked out.

I just came across this thread and thought I'd share an anecdote.

My iPhone 4 had this issue where the home button would intermittenly fail to respond. I did a full restore and went without any apps for a few days--it worked flawlessly, no issues.

I started to add apps back onto the phone, then the problem started again. I went into the Multitask Bar (or "Task Bar", whatever Apple calls it) and removed all apps, restarted the iP4, and the problem didn't surface until I started using the Camera application. Again, another full restore....set up as new phone (as before) and until I started using the Camera app, it seems I didn't have a single problem with the Home button.

I finally sold it but after a few weeks, I missed my iP4 so I bought another one--I'm using that phone now and I haven't had a single problem with the home button.

I hesitate to say it was a hardware issue because it only manifested when I had a lot of apps running or used the Camera app. However, I'm doing all those things on my current iP4 and I'm not having a single problem with the home button. If it is indeed a hardware problem, I think it was internal and not the button itself. Otherwise, if it is a software problem, I cannot put my finger on what it was since I'm running the same 4.1 on this iP4 that I had on the original one.

I probably could have brought the phone back and gotten it exchanged but the guy who bought it off me wanted one so badly that I just sold it to him. I asked him if he's had any issues with it, he claims none and it's the best phone he's ever had.... maybe it's just me. :-\

This is interesting, John - I beginning to think you are right. I find that the Home button starts acting up (i.e. pressing once will launch the multi task tray) when I have a few apps running in the background. In addition, I also detect a very slight delay whenever I press the Home button before an app quits. It's very slight delay.. but I could detect it because I have been using an iPhone (3G though) for 1.5 years. The iPhone 4 that I have is supposed to be faster and yet there is some slight delay when there are more apps.

Let me just try and see if the culprit is the Camera app.

So, it is very likely NOT a home button issue.. but is it a iOS issue? Or some other hardware problem - like memory problem and the delay was due to iOS handling exception calls.

I am also having the problem with the home button. I was just wondering what cases you are all using. I've noticed that I can reproduce the problem "fairly" easily when pressing the home button slowly while using my otterbox case. When I remove the case it's very difficult to reproduce.

I am not using any cases.

Problem seems to be gone (at the moment) with 4.2.1

Hola,
Perdonad que os escriba en español. Yo he seguido el foro en inglés, pero voy a poner el mensaje en español ya que con Google se puede traducir rápidamente. He de comentar que tengo el mismo problema con el Botón de Inicio del Iphone 4. A mí me pasa exactamente lo mismo: presionas una vez el botón y se abre el multitarea; presionas una vez y no ocurre nada. Este problema no ocurre todo el tiempo, sino algunas veces, aunque es demasiado molesto. Me ha pasado en la 4.1, y esta mañana me ha pasado en la 4.2. Yo no se si es problema de Hardware o SOftware, pero a lo mejor el siguiente dato puede aportar algo de claridad: Cuando estás escuchando música en el Ipod del teléfono, si bloqueas el terminal con la música sonando, si pulsas dos veces puedes controlar la música desde la pantalla bloqueada. Pues en este caso no falla nunca el botón de inicio. El error solo se da con el multitarea.

Yo he llamado a Apple y me han dicho que restaure. Tras restaurar y tener el mismo problema, el terminal iba a ser enviado al servicio técnico, pero como vivo en Las Islas Canarias (España), hay problemas con el envío.

Me gustaría que este problema llegara a oídos de APPLE y que se pronunciaran al respecto.

Siguen aumentando los usuarios con este problema. Aquí les dejo otro foro:
http://www.gsmspain.com/foros/hp902211pp20_p1_Aplicaciones-sistemas-operativos-moviles-iOSBoton-Home-Iphone.html

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Hello,
Sorry that I write in Spanish. I have followed the forum in English, but I'll put the message in Spanish and that Google can translate quickly. I must comment that I have the same problem with the iPhone Home button 4. To me it is exactly the same: once you press the button and open the multitasking press once and nothing happens. This problem does not happen all the time, but sometimes, although it is too annoying. It has happened in 4.1, and this morning I spent in the 4.2. I do not know if it's hardware or software problem, but maybe the following story may provide some clarity: When you're listening to music on the iPod phone, if you block the terminal with the music playing, if you double-click you can control the music from the locked screen. For in this case never fails to start button. The error only occurs with the multitasking.

I have called Apple and they told me to restore. After restoring and have the same problem, the terminal would be sent for service, but I live in the Canary Islands (Spain), there are problems with shipping.

I would like this problem came to the attention of Apple and their comments thereon.

Continue to increase, users with this problem. Here is another forum:
http://www.gsmspain.com/foros/hp902211pp20_p1_Aplicaciones-sistemas-operativos-moviles-iOSBoton-Home-Iphone.html

My current iPhone 4 has not had this issue since Day 1. My wife's iP4 (bought in July) has never had this issue either. Only that one phone I had. I'm going to go on a limb and say it "could" be hardware, maybe not the button itself, but the logic board or something.

Definitely keep an eye on the Camera app--that appeared to be the culprit for me.

Hello Dr. Norberto

Did you get anything about this problem. I have the same problem. I bought my device in USA and I live in Brazil, so I don't know how to replace the device if it's a hardware problem.

Best regardes.

Adel.