MaguiltySense

Q: Hot Surface Touch ID - Home Button area

This incident happened just now..

 

I woke up this morning only to find out the Home Button on my iPhone 6 became unresponsive (unresponsive on the Touch ID part) and unusually hot. My phone was also drained from about 80% charge to 7% because of this (duration of 6 hours from the time I slept). I always clear out the multitasking each time I use the phone so I'm sure there was no running apps on my device, only my WI-FI and cellular service is on, and it is not plugged in so I don't have any idea as to what could've caused this malfunction.

 

I immediately turned off my phone after feeling the unusual hot surface from the home button to let it cool down.

Powered it back on and see if the other features are functioning, which are. So I went on to check the fingerprint functionality but it won't respond.

I tried restarting the phone this time, but to no avail. I went to the Touch ID settings but my saved fingerprints were gone/erased, there's no way I could just register another fingerprint because the option to do so is grayed out; and the sliders (Use Touch ID for:) were turned off, but each time I turn it back on, it keeps giving me: "Failed - unable to complete Touch ID setup. Please go back and try again."

This time, I tried charging the phone to half full, but still to no avail.

 

I found out that the unusual heat from the Home button area only occurs when the phone is locked and idle. When the phone is being used, the heat comes off.

My phone is relatively new, about 4 months, hasn't been dropped or anything that could've possibly caused a hardware malfunction. It's been working 100% fine and it's only been 6 hours since I last used it so I'm not sure what triggered this incident.

 

16GB |  iPhone 6  |  iOS 8.4.1

iPhone 6, iOS 8.4.1, Touch ID

Posted on Sep 11, 2015 6:36 PM

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Q: Hot Surface Touch ID - Home Button area

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  • by Allen A,

    Allen A Allen A Sep 13, 2015 12:49 PM in response to MaguiltySense
    Community Specialists
    Sep 13, 2015 12:49 PM in response to MaguiltySense

    Hi MaguiltySense,

     

     

    I understand that you've been having issues with enabling Touch ID and enrolling fingerprints. Fortunately we've a number of troubleshooting steps that can help restore your iPhone's Touch ID functionality back to proper order.

    1. Make sure you have the latest version of iOS.
    2. Make sure that your fingers and the Home button are clean and dry. For the Home button, use a clean, lint-free cloth to wipe off any dirt or debris.
    3. Your finger should cover the Home button completely, touching the surrounding metal ring. While Touch ID is scanning, you shouldn't press down hard, tap too quickly, or move your finger around.
    4. If you're using a case or screen protector, make sure it doesn't cover the Home button or the surrounding ring.
    5. Tap Settings > Touch ID & Passcode. Make sure that iPhone Unlock or iTunes & App Store is on, and that you've enrolled one or more fingerprints.
    6. Try enrolling a different finger.
    7. If you can't enroll any of your fingers, take your device to an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, or contact Apple Support.

    Use Touch ID on iPhone and iPad - Apple Support

     

     

    Cheers

  • by Philly_Phan,

    Philly_Phan Philly_Phan Sep 13, 2015 12:55 PM in response to Allen A
    Level 6 (13,576 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 13, 2015 12:55 PM in response to Allen A

    No that wasn't the problem that the OP described.  You weren't even close.  Are you a robot?

  • by Philly_Phan,

    Philly_Phan Philly_Phan Sep 13, 2015 12:57 PM in response to MaguiltySense
    Level 6 (13,576 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 13, 2015 12:57 PM in response to MaguiltySense

    Excessive heat never sounds good and may well be a hardware problem.  Instead of investigating yourself, you'd be better off making an appointment with the resident "Genius" at the nearest Apple Store.  Do a backup before you go.

  • by Philly_Phan,

    Philly_Phan Philly_Phan Sep 13, 2015 1:03 PM in response to MaguiltySense
    Level 6 (13,576 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 13, 2015 1:03 PM in response to MaguiltySense

    Don't forget that your warranty is still in effect.

  • by Mh3rzi,

    Mh3rzi Mh3rzi Sep 13, 2015 7:24 PM in response to MaguiltySense
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 7:24 PM in response to MaguiltySense

    Mine too.. as in the same problem, everythings the same from the moment i woke up i notice that my touch id is hot and i turned to airplane mode then afterwards i turn it off. stikl the same, as im using my finger to unlock i cannot open it and just entered my password then i notice that my finger scan is not working when 1 of my app didnt respond with touch id, so i checked it and there it goes, my finger print is gone.. called my service provider and they told me to bring my unit in the stire, planning to drop by later.. hope it can be fixed easily..

  • by MaguiltySense,

    MaguiltySense MaguiltySense Sep 13, 2015 11:17 PM in response to Philly_Phan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 11:17 PM in response to Philly_Phan

    Thank you, sir! I will, unfortunately I wouldn't be able to visit any US Apple store asap since I'm living in the PHL and won't be back until sometime. Luckily, I just checked my phone's warranty status on their site and it'll still be covered by the time I re-enter US.

     

    Yesterday I visited an authorized Apple premium service center here, they suggested on opening the phone to see the defect but I refused because it might void the warranty though they're a licensed sc.

     

    Do I still need to have the tape receipt with me, as proof of purchase, when I make an appointment at the Genius bar, 'cause I seem to have misplaced my copy.

  • by MaguiltySense,

    MaguiltySense MaguiltySense Sep 13, 2015 11:42 PM in response to Mh3rzi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 13, 2015 11:42 PM in response to Mh3rzi

    Were you able to drop by at the store, how was it?

    I'm pretty sure that our phone has a hardware defect, are you also using iPh6?

     

    I could live with the fact that the Touch ID functionality is gone on my iPh6, but I couldn't deal with the home button getting hot every time I lock it. Seems our phone's logic board has some sort of short circuit.

     

    As for me, I'll revert back to my old and trusty 4S until I get to visit an Apple store.

  • by vionaecclesia,

    vionaecclesia vionaecclesia Sep 25, 2015 3:28 AM in response to MaguiltySense
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 25, 2015 3:28 AM in response to MaguiltySense

    Mine too! I realized that it will get hot only if i lock my screen, now i cant use the fingerprint scanner and the double tap to lower the screen feature. how's your phone now? Should i update to iOS 9.0.1?

  • by vionaecclesia,

    vionaecclesia vionaecclesia Sep 25, 2015 3:33 AM in response to MaguiltySense
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 25, 2015 3:33 AM in response to MaguiltySense

    If you've known the way out for this, please tell me how or what to do pleaseee because we have the exact same problem!      thankyou so much

  • by MaguiltySense,

    MaguiltySense MaguiltySense Sep 26, 2015 7:53 AM in response to vionaecclesia
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 26, 2015 7:53 AM in response to vionaecclesia

    vionaecclesia wrote:

     

    Mine too! I realized that it will get hot only if i lock my screen, now i cant use the fingerprint scanner and the double tap to lower the screen feature. how's your phone now? Should i update to iOS 9.0.1?

    Yes, we have the same problem, were you also using iPh6?

    I reverted to my 4S for now since I bought mine overseas and am planning to exchange it for a replacement phone.

    What iOS version were you using when the incident happened? Because I couldn't update to the latest iOS; I mean it will download but it won't let me install the iOS9 on my phone, it's always having an error after the verification process, which I'm thinking could be due to the touch ID failure. I forgot to test the reachability (double tap) when this happened, but I'm pretty sure it won't work too.

  • by MaguiltySense,

    MaguiltySense MaguiltySense Sep 26, 2015 8:14 AM in response to vionaecclesia
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 26, 2015 8:14 AM in response to vionaecclesia

    vionaecclesia wrote:

     

    If you've known the way out for this, please tell me how or what to do pleaseee because we have the exact same problem!      thankyou so much

    BTW, how long have you been using your phone? I've only been using my phone for roughly 3-4 months.

     

    Best if we contact our carrier regarding this asap or from whichever store you bought the phone. Just don't forget to do a backup when you pay a visit.

    Don't let any third-party service provider have a look, or worse, open your phone, because it's gonna void the warranty our phone has.

    I believe it's clearly a hardware defect and not of the user's fault.

     

    As for my phone, it's back in the box and ready for an Apple Store Genius bar visit asap.

     

     

    P.S. I hope Apple is aware of this problem and should do a recall if any way possible because it's a potential hazard/danger to their consumers.

  • by vionaecclesia,

    vionaecclesia vionaecclesia Sep 27, 2015 1:34 AM in response to MaguiltySense
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 27, 2015 1:34 AM in response to MaguiltySense

    im on iOS9 when im having this problem, my phone is new too! I think its only 1 month. and yes i cant update to iOS 9.0.1, it failed after the verification

    Dont you think we're the only one who face this problem in this entire world -_- I've tried to search online and i only found youuu

  • by MaguiltySense,

    MaguiltySense MaguiltySense Sep 27, 2015 2:46 AM in response to vionaecclesia
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 27, 2015 2:46 AM in response to vionaecclesia

    post.user_wrote.label:

     

    im on iOS9 when im having this problem, my phone is new too! I think its only 1 month. and yes i cant update to iOS 9.0.1, it failed after the verification

    Dont you think we're the only one who face this problem in this entire world -_- I've tried to search online and i only found youuu

    Same here, I was also searching for somebody that could've came across this problem, but no luck. As for me, I was using 8.4.1 that time.

     

    In my opinion, the phones that were given to us already has a defect but the signs won't manifest until it has been used for some time.

    My phone hasn't been dropped from any height, nor been placed near / beside any liquid objects. I don't even use my phone with a wet / damp hand because I'm aware that any amount of liquid could penetrate through the home button itself and ruin everything within; so water damage possibility is extremely low on my case.

     

    I think it's best if we bring it back to Apple store and let the genius specialists check it firsthand, since our phone's warranty is still up. Please keep updating if you were able to drop by at any apple store, cause I won't be able to visit any apple store for now since I'm living in the Philippines and would only be able to stop by when I return to US.