Q: iPhone 4 Home button issue...

Been working on trying to fix this on my phone for months.  Tried rubbing some vodka on the home button for 10-20 seconds and everything is finally working like new.  THANKYOU

I wonder where is apple people!!. this is incredible issue. what is it, is it hardware or software issue? I bought this iphone abroad. it is not ieasy to replace or can we replace at other country? is there anyone has such experince? what is Apple warranty policy regarding?

it is strange that this steps below looks worked. need to monitor  more.

I found on the internet, press home button wait for a while until Voice control menu appears then press cancel then home just after same then working.

Finally gave in. Alcohol worked for an hour or two. Had home button replaced and working a treat now. Looking at the button was minor moisture damage. Hopefully next iPhone doesn't have this button

finally, it is not software issue. alchol is the solution workign well after using few drop. it seems it is oil affect, Aplle should improve this button not to affec from outside. they also should annonce solution to all iphone users.

Im having this issue too, sometimes the Home button is okay other times I really need to press it hard.  Still have another 9months of my 2 year Apple Care left.  May need to book an appointment.

I followed your instructions exactly and it was an instant fix! And afterwards I dabbed the paper towel with the rubbing alcohol and used it to clean the finger prints and grease off the glass. It's like brand new again--except better, because before I took it for granted and didn't really appreciate how important a functional home button is. So thanks, mate! And also a big thank you to whoever discovered this trick. If anyone out there is still hesitating... stop! Forget about blowing in the charger slot. Live on the edge a little and you won't regret it.

it is a pity that after one day around good working it is started same problem. then again I used alcohol then worked again some  hours now again problem. it become like alcholic. it look hardware problem. I really wonder wht Aplle do not make any announcement and help every one in the word to give service even for cleaning tools.

None of the ideas in this lengthy post worked for me and will not work for most. The rubbing alcohol trick seemed (not 100% sure) to work but not for long. Since I was out of warranty, I decided to get a local repair person to fix / replace the home button. It now works perfectly. This is what he found:

1. Water damage and corrosion on the home button cable connector. It was never exposed to water and he felt that occured after several rubbing alcohol trick attempts. So it's not wise to do this.

2. He removed the metal disc from back of the home button and it had dust and what appeared to be glue underneath it. It cleaned it up and regluued the disc back onto the cable. He thinks the glue may have came from the LCD screen over the course of the first couple months of usage.

This maybe true for I only had the iphone for about 6 months before the button started giving me problems once and a while. I wasn't sure if it was hardware or software at that time. Also, a lot of iphones came with yellow spots on the LCD screen which Apple said was glue not completely dried and would disappear after a few days of usage. Some of this glue may have ran down and got inside the home button and this is why so many people are have problem. I never had this problem with my ipod Touchs or previous iphones. Good luck everyone and hope this helps.

UPDATE: Rubbing alcohol was only a temporary fix. The intermittent click problem returned after about 1 hour. I ended up taking the phone apart completely and cleaning the home button and everything around it but that didn't fix the problem. I ordered a new button on ifixit.com a few days ago and I will update with the results when it arrives.

Thanks for the update trentfromnorman, I was considering the alcohol trick (I think I've tried all the 'fixes' out there and most seem to work for a while - everytime I'm hoping this could be the one....... but no!) but after reading Claytonb (thanks to you too) and then your post I will wait to see how you get on replacing the button and probably do the same. (Hopefully there's a good vid on youtube on how to do it)

there is good document http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-iPhone-4-Home-Button/3144/1  it looks good even better than videos to idendify screews.  when we see complexity. not easy to do ourselves.

Yeah I just read the same article *gulp* I'm not sure I'm up to the task of changing it, we'll see eh?

I honestly dont feel ready to take my iphone apart myself. Im out of warrenty so going to the Apple store is out of the question. Im not prepared to pay 100 plus dollars for a repair. Has anyone one else done this task before without experience?

UPDATE: New button fixed the problem. My iPhone 4 now registers 100% of clicks. I will post an update if that changes but I've gone all day without a single miss or glitch and it just feels legit. Total cost = $20.40 (for fast shipping on a new home button from ifixit.com--you can probably get cheaper somewhere else like ebay but I went with them because they get their parts from the original manufacturer and it comes with a 6 month warranty). I followed an awesome tutorial (http://www.ifixit.com/Browse/iPhone) and installed it myself so labor was free. I did borrow tools though so note that it will probably cost you an extra $10 if you have to buy them yourself... but even $30 dollars is still much better than what a repair shop will charge you. I know that taking the phone almost completely apart is not for everyone but even a first-timer (like I was) should have no problem if you are careful, take your time, and follow the tutorial closely. After all the time I put into this (researching and taking the phone apart twice--first to check for dust and then to install new button), I am certain that (for most of us) the intermittent click problem is caused by a worn out or faulty home button ribbon cable. So when you get tired of trying every stupid trick (calibrating, rubbing alcohol, vacuuming the dock connector, etc.) then do this.