iPhone 4 Power Button Stuck

I have a 4s and it happened last week as well. Now my 4s is over 2years old but still in very good shape.

Took it to an Apple store but they told me that my two options where either repair ($$$!) or an upgrade. I refused both options. At home I got the Feedback email for the visit, and I complained on it that I don't see how Apple is selling a "premium" product and is charging about $600 for it and there is a hardware breakdown after 2 years, and calling the supposed solutions simply dissapointing.
Then I got a call from the Apple store Manager today asking about my visit...after telling her the same thing she told me to come back and she will exchange my phone.

Great job Apple...that is how you get me to continue to buy Apple products. 🙂

I am glad to hear at least some of you have gotten satisfaction upon pressing the point with Apple -- with comparable functioning hardware. I also wanted to pipe up and remind everyone of the software workaround, Settings/General/Accessibility/Assistive Touch. Frankly I still have activated -- and sometimes use -- the Assistive Touch though I was able to get a replacement phone past the point where Apple was legally bound in warranty.

I've had my Iphone 4s for maybe 10 months and the lock button is stuck. I didn't push it any harder than a normal click and it just got stuck. I've also been using the accessibility tool but I don't know how to turn my phone on and off again and there's no option on the accessibility tool either. I need to able to do this so I can get my calls and texts back that I've just paid for but I can't unless I renew it or something.. I should get one for free to be honest.

If you hold your finger on the "lock screen" icon it will power off.

BUT BE CAREFUL!!, you may have to press very hard on the physical power button to get the phone turned back on.

I recently had to power off my phone and was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it back on. Apple defintely needs to offer a free fix/recall for this issue!

You can definitely get a new phone if you have the evidence proving that you've had it for less than a year. I on the other hand was out of luck since I've had mine for about 20months and my power button only broke last month. Make an appointment at the Genius Bar then go to the apple store and tell them that your power button isn't working and that you've had it for less than a year.

As Eric said, holding your finger on the lock button will turn of the phone. To turn it back on later just plug it in like you are going to charge it and it will come back on. I have the mophie battery case on mine and I can just switch on the case and it turns on my phone so I don't have to plug mine in to turn on. Just another work around I know, but it does work. I have gotten pretty used to the Assistive touch button and use it now most of the time. My phone is only 1 month old 4s and it works fine, but I liked the Assistive touch setup and figured it would spare me the hassle of a faulty power button.

Knorrski I wish had your luck! I had pretty much the exact same situation (iphone out of warranty but just barely, in good shape when button got stuck), but I couldn't talk my way into a replacement. Genius bar said I'd have to upgrade or pay the hefty fee. I did the customer feedback thing and got a call, but they just reiterated the same nonsense. Maybe I wasn't angry enough or something...

So I'm done with Apple. It's ridiculous that a $600 device can lose major functionality after a year and change and Apple won't do anything about it or even admit it's a design flaw. I've been a customer over a decade when I got the original ipod. What's hilarious is that device had a design flaw too (battery stopped holding a charge after a few months), and Apple wouldn't admit it. It ultimately took a class action lawsuit to get them to fess up. Shame on me I guess for getting fooled twice. ANDROID here I come...

Mine just broke last night too. I made it over 2 years so can't complain about that and thousands of times hitting the button but still the labor to fix it is crazy. For a $3 button on ebay I really want to try and fix it myself but after watching a detailed video you have to take the entire phone apart to fix a little button. The paper trick may be temporary but has anyone else tried this? Does it last a long time? I hit the lock button a lot during the day and am unsure if this will hold for a week or longer.

Yep, around midnight tonight my lock/power button simply stopped working. It used to almost make a 'click' sound when I used it, and I noticed it was not doing its job. I am currently doing the Assertive touch function, but this shouldn't have happened in the first place. I've had the 4 since October of 2012, I don't have a case, but I haven't dropped it either. I take good care of it, and I actually don't bring it with me everywhere (not that it should have a problem if you do take it everywhere, as I would say 100% of people do).

I have an appointment at the Genius Bar later on, interested in seeing what they have to say about this, since it seems to be quite the frequent issue...

Hi wejfewsdjv,

It is indeed a pain, but there is hope for positive resolution -- and you sound (your overall attitude and approach) like you're in a good position to benefit. I have always found Apple to be more than fair, in terms of customer service. I think the fact that you're logged into this community (able to benefit from the patterns formed by others' experience and ideas), is another distinct benefit. I hope it goes well today, at the Genius Bar.

Thanks. ~ Anne

Add my name to the list. I am a bit confused because some people report that the toggle on the side freezes. In my case, it is the on/off button on the top of the phone. It is not frozen, but it just doesn't work. My screen stays on 24/7 and I get about an hour of battery life.

For about six months before this, the proximity sensor was problemetic. I'd take the phone down from my ear and the screen would remain off. Sometimes I could bring it back by pressing the home button or the on/off button. Sometimes not and I would end up hanging up on a caller unintentionally.

I have a jailbroken iPhone and have no interest in getting a new phone from Apple for $150. I only paid AT&T $199 to buy it and I am out of contract. I am sure I could get a 5s if I wanted one but I don't. I also don't want the Barbie themed iOS 7. I'll wait until iOS8 and see if they do more than just change the color of the buttons. Although Siri got a little better in iOS 7 . . . still stupid as a second grader.

I live in a city where there are numerous repair facilities. It's $60 to have it fixed . . . I have an appointment for today.

BTW, I was one of the lucky few to get a survey to complete after I am finished . .. while I love Apple and their products, getting them to monitor this board or admit there is a problem is very difficult. Because they don't want to recall a few million phones. So they quietly tell the folks at the genius bar not to charge anything for the replacement, as some people have reported here.

There is a Class Action lawsuit filed in San Jose over the 4s power buttons. The court will determine if Apple had prior knowledge and used these parts anyway.not for me to say.

I'll just pay my $60 and go on my way . . .

I appreciate the thorough rundown/report of your experience. Just to clarify, the button I've been referring to (stopped working; Apple replaced phone at the Apple Store even though I was a bit past the 1-year warrantee) is on the top of the phone -- just to the left of the top righthand corner, in fact. Hope that helps.

If it's any help, my 4S power button stopped working as well. At first I started having to press the power button harder and harder to shut off the phone. Then it just didn't work at all anymore. Had the problem for several weeks now but finally got it working again using the following steps...

1. In Settings/General, turn on AssistiveTouch

2. Press Home

3. On the Home screen, tap the AssistiveTouch icon and tap "Device"

4. Tap and HOLD the "Lock Screen" button and wait for the "Slide to Power off" indicator to pop up.

5. Slide to power off the phone and let it shut itself down.

6. Try the power button now

This worked for me and I have no clue why. Hope it works for someone else!

Just adding my name to the list of people whose power button has stopped working for no reason. I have the 4S, got it in October 2011, never been dropped or damaged in any way and has always been in a bumper. I expect things to last longer than this when they're properly taken care of so I'm very disappointed. I'm not going to bother going to the Apple store or anything since I've read a lot of posts on this thread and know what the outcome would be.

Luckily I made it over 2 years with this phone so my contract is up and I'm eligible for a new phone. I didn't really want to before this since I was still satisfied with my phone and saw no need to upgrade. But now the time has come. I'll be looking into Android phones to see if they have any similar issues and how they are dealt with. Hopefully I will find something reliable. If not, back to a flip phone for me. I will never give another dollar to Apple and I urge everyone in this thread to do the same. Apple's (lack of) response on this issue is just ridiculous, people pay too much for their products to be treated this way.

Effie, you might want to leave it plugged in overnight. Also, make sure to blow out the connect at the bottom. A small piece of pocket lint will keep it from making a solid connection. Happened to my daughters phone. Blew it out, plugged it in and it worked.