HOME BUTTON SOMETIMES UNRESPONSIVE

My home button on my iphone is sometimes unresponsive.

iPhone 4, os 4.3.5

Posted on Sep 8, 2011 4:26 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 25, 2013 6:50 PM

Method 1: Calibrate (and possibly restore)
If you're lucky, your slow-to-respond home button is due to a software glitch. To find out, you'll need to calibrate your home button. Here's how:

Open up a stock app, like the Clock. Hold down the sleep button until "Slide to power off" appears. When it does, let go of the sleep button and hold down the home button. After about 5-10 seconds, the app will close.

If this solved your problem, you are one lucky iPhone owner. If it didn't you may want to try restoring your iPhone before continuing to the second method.

Method 2: Realign the docking port
There is a chance that through normal wear and tear, your phone's docking port got misaligned, moving the home button along with it. Although a repair shop might suggest you replace the home button, this YouTuberoffered a different solution.

Plug a USB cable into your iPhone. Then, gently push down on the 30-pin connector, so that it pushes up behind the home button. While you apply the pressure, click the home button. Remove the cable, and see if that fixed the problem.

Method 3: Clean the home button
A splash of soda, sticky hands, dirt in the bottom of your purse or pocket -- any of these things can damage your iPhone's home button.

For this fix, you'll need 98-99 percent isopropyl alcohol, which can be found at hardware stores. Using a cotton swab, eye dropper, or tissue, apply 2-3 drops of the isopropyl alcohol directly to the home button, avoiding the screen. Then, with a narrow, dull object (like the eraser on the back of a pencil), repeatedly tap the home button so that the alcohol seeps into the frame.

Wipe clean, and wait about 10-15 minutes before checking to see if that did the trick.

Method 4: Enable the on-screen home button
If the previous three methods did not work, it sounds like perhaps you have a completely defunct home button. In this case, your home button's connectors may have been misaligned and would require professional repair. (Or, if you're willing to brave it, iFixit shows you how to DIY.)

The good news is, you can still use your phone using its on-screen home button. Normally, this is used as an accessibility option, but it's also a common solution for those with non-functioning home buttons.

To enable the on-screen home button, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Assistive Touch. Turn Assistive Touch on, and you'll see a small circle appear on screen.

Tapping that circle gives you four options: Home, Siri, More (for things like multitasking and playback controls), and Favorites. In your case, ignore Favorites, but tap this on-screen button whenever you need to access your home screen, activate Siri, or get all the options you'd normally see when you double-tap the home button.

If the on-screen home button ever gets in the way, simply tap and hold to drag it anywhere else along the frame of your screen.

It's hardly an ideal solution, but it'll hold you over until you're ready to purchase a new phone or get your current one fixed.

12 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 25, 2013 6:50 PM in response to adamfromburton-on-trent

Method 1: Calibrate (and possibly restore)
If you're lucky, your slow-to-respond home button is due to a software glitch. To find out, you'll need to calibrate your home button. Here's how:

Open up a stock app, like the Clock. Hold down the sleep button until "Slide to power off" appears. When it does, let go of the sleep button and hold down the home button. After about 5-10 seconds, the app will close.

If this solved your problem, you are one lucky iPhone owner. If it didn't you may want to try restoring your iPhone before continuing to the second method.

Method 2: Realign the docking port
There is a chance that through normal wear and tear, your phone's docking port got misaligned, moving the home button along with it. Although a repair shop might suggest you replace the home button, this YouTuberoffered a different solution.

Plug a USB cable into your iPhone. Then, gently push down on the 30-pin connector, so that it pushes up behind the home button. While you apply the pressure, click the home button. Remove the cable, and see if that fixed the problem.

Method 3: Clean the home button
A splash of soda, sticky hands, dirt in the bottom of your purse or pocket -- any of these things can damage your iPhone's home button.

For this fix, you'll need 98-99 percent isopropyl alcohol, which can be found at hardware stores. Using a cotton swab, eye dropper, or tissue, apply 2-3 drops of the isopropyl alcohol directly to the home button, avoiding the screen. Then, with a narrow, dull object (like the eraser on the back of a pencil), repeatedly tap the home button so that the alcohol seeps into the frame.

Wipe clean, and wait about 10-15 minutes before checking to see if that did the trick.

Method 4: Enable the on-screen home button
If the previous three methods did not work, it sounds like perhaps you have a completely defunct home button. In this case, your home button's connectors may have been misaligned and would require professional repair. (Or, if you're willing to brave it, iFixit shows you how to DIY.)

The good news is, you can still use your phone using its on-screen home button. Normally, this is used as an accessibility option, but it's also a common solution for those with non-functioning home buttons.

To enable the on-screen home button, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Assistive Touch. Turn Assistive Touch on, and you'll see a small circle appear on screen.

Tapping that circle gives you four options: Home, Siri, More (for things like multitasking and playback controls), and Favorites. In your case, ignore Favorites, but tap this on-screen button whenever you need to access your home screen, activate Siri, or get all the options you'd normally see when you double-tap the home button.

If the on-screen home button ever gets in the way, simply tap and hold to drag it anywhere else along the frame of your screen.

It's hardly an ideal solution, but it'll hold you over until you're ready to purchase a new phone or get your current one fixed.

Apr 25, 2013 8:02 PM in response to adamfromburton-on-trent

sometimes you can fix the response problem with the following sequence:

  • Open a default iOS application, such as Stocks, Calculator, or Weather
  • Press and hold down the Power button until the “Slide to Power Off” dialog appears, then release
  • Now press and hold the Home button until the “Slide to Power Off” screen disappears, force quitting the application

Sep 8, 2011 10:35 AM in response to adamfromburton-on-trent

If you have Warranty or AppleCare Coverage take iPhone to Apple for resolution of this problem.


The Home button has different areas that can go bad.


Some people have fixed their Home buttons by cleaning the dock port. Some people have got the Home button working after iTunes Restore of Firmware. Others have been fixed by replacing the Home button Flex Cable. Some still have problems after all these steps due to Logic Board problem.


If you have Warranty or AppleCare Coverage take iPhone to Apple for resolution of this problem.

Jun 7, 2014 4:14 PM in response to MDS

If something isn’t working right, try restarting iPhone, forcing an app to quit, or resetting iPhone.

Restart iPhone:Hold down the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears. Slide your finger across the slider to turn off iPhone. To turn iPhone back on, hold down the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears.

Force an app to quit. From the Home screen, double-click the Home button and swipe upwards on the app screen.

If you can’t turn off iPhone or if the problem continues, you may need to reset iPhone. Do this only if you’re unable to restart your iPhone.

Reset iPhone: Hold down the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time for at least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.

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HOME BUTTON SOMETIMES UNRESPONSIVE

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