iPad home button not working

Being convinced it is the Smart Cover, have you tried to just turn off the auto on/off setting in settings....this is associated with the Smart Cover.... And leaving the cover in place?

FYI, I do have to admit that I never had this problem untill a few months after I bought my 3rd party Smart Cover so it is an interesting theory....

Restart your iPad. If the problems still continue, take it to Apple.

Good idea about turning of Smart Cover, just to narrow it down. I didn't try it. I always assumed it was the magnet itself that did something physically. Thing is my problems are intermittent, so I don't have the patience to test. It comes and goes I work through it with hand gestures, do the fixes suggested above, and it disappears for a few days.

I just got a new non-apple Smart Cover, so I'm curious to see if that changes anything.

This didn't work for me.... but then I tried starting in landscape, going to portrait, and back to landscape, and it suddenly worked.

I seem to be one of many that have the home button not working issue. After much research, few months ago, I invested in an iPhone and an iPad 2. It was a toss up between Samsung and Apple. It amazes me that people can be posting issues such as this on the Apple forum and Apple do NOTHING about it! Arrogance? Incompetence? Whichever it is, it is annoying and now I wish I had listened to my geeky friends and gone for Samsung. Hey-ho, next year.

Well Jonno 133, my iPad2 was working just fine for the last few weeks bit since the one year warranty was a bout to expire, went to the service store and ordered a new one no questions asked. In the store I was told about this trick on activating this screen button (general settings, accecibility. Assistive touch-on) if Ur one yr warranty expired u will still have that option. Try it if u haven't. I prefer android in many ways also.

Hi everybody.

I have the same issue in both, my iPhone 4 and iPad 3.

I'm really amazed that the Ram4Kid trick really works. Why? Here is why:

First of all, I'm a Hardware/Software developer, so I know what I'm talking about 😉

The "home" button is just that, a button, it uses a microswitch wich is only a very thin metal sheet bent , when you press the button it makes contact with a metal plate so it makes a short circuit (not exactly true but this way is easy to understand).

So, if this is the way a button works, the only way to "break" it is a broken or dirty sheet.

But the trick of Ram4Kids worked... Amazing!! a software which repairs hardware!! LOL (just sarcasm 😀 )

What is what i think? It's a badly programmed obsolescency method.

On both casses, on iPad and iPhone it broke nearly when the warrantee was about to expired (because that I said "badly programmed" XD), so, when it stops working AFTER the warrantee has expired, you probably will buy a new one, and in the case of a "early fail" they change it without questions because they give you a "repaired" one (just reprogrammed so it thinks it's new).

So, theses are my two cents to "unveil" the problem. If someone REALLY knows what's happening inside, please, tell us, I'm really amazed with this issue, I want to know if Apple is just making money with us or it really is a "rocket science" design problem.

Cheers!

I don't know. I'm pretty certain it's a software/hardware issue. I never had one bit of problem until I upgraded the OS. My son has an iPhone and he intentionally did not upgrade because he likes Google Maps, and he's never had a problem.

It's an intermittent issue and mostly pertains to the Apple apps. Try the solutions in this thread. I'm pretty certain that one or more of the techniques mentioned will work, but the problem will come back. If it does, use the 5 finger close, and the problem might also go away for a short period of time. I'm convinced it's an issue with the smart cover, and I'm curious to see if anyone has this problem who doesn't have a smart cover. If this is the case, it would make sense since Apple makes money from the complementary hardware and peripherals, and they might be mum on this because they make money on both.

I'm not an expert, nor do I understand how hardware and software can interplay, but I'm pretty sure this is the issue..

Here is my thought...I am not a software of hardware engineer however I am a long time tech user and feel fairly savvy.

I can't imagine this is an actual hardware issue (I.e. a broken piece of hardware) since damage does not spontaneously repair itself and then break again and then repair itself over and over. If it is an issue with the micro switch then why would simply turning the device from portrait to landscape and back repair the problem. Nothing moved!.

if I understand how this device works, I am pretty sure it is all integrated circuitry, hence there are no moving parts and as described the home button is simply a micro switch, can that work, then not work, then work again simply by the aforementioned rotation??? It does, but why???

So I contend it is a purely software issue. It may be a conflict of some kind or even interference with the Smart Cover.

However I did turn off the smart cover unlock/lock mode and still the problem eventually returned. The next step is to remove the cover for a few weeks/months and wait and see.

Because I feel as though it is a software issue, I believe that it should've repairable via an OS update.

At least this is my humble, non-professional opinion....I certainly welcome all input..maybe even from Apple...

The landscape/portrait reset has never worked for me but I found another method.

Open any preloaded app (notes, weather etc.)

Hold the power button until the power off slider shows up.

Let go of the power button and immediately press and hold the home button until the slider disappears.

I have to do this about once a month on my ipad. Every few months I also have to do a hard reset in conjunction. It always works.

Google "home button calibration" and check out the tutorial from Snapguide.

I have two iPhones (work and personal) with no cases of any kind and a mini with a case (not a Smart Cover). My ipad has a Smart Cover. The only device I have this issue with is the ipad.

The landscape/portrait trick probably works for some people because turning the ipad while pressing hard on the button applies torsion to the button. What's happening on the screen is irrelevant. You're just making an intermittent mechanical problem better (or possibly worse) temporarily by twisting the button.

I see where you'd get that, but know that I rotated my hand with my iPad when I did it. To do otherwise is extremely awkward. So no, no torque on buttons or anything. It's likely just a software glitch - some low level function getting hung up that this little trick resets.

I'll go further - this trick ONLY works when orientation is unlocked. I'd also be willing to bet my iPad that the trick wouldn't work if only your thumb rotated and the iPad was held immobile.

Been having this problem off and on for months now. Gotten worse these last couple weeks... even these little fixes don't work and I finally drove (hour and a half both ways) to an apple store for a genius bar appointment. I'm still under warranty (only 45 days left now) but because the 'genius' I was dealing with only saw it function improperly a few times while she was playing with it, she refused to replace it/fix it. The fact that she did see the issue at all should have been enough, but apparently it's not. What a waste.

Ram4kids solution worked splendidly. My home button has not functioned since I purchased my iPad 4 around 5 months ago. The rotation while holding down the home button: fixed the issue completely!