Has the iOS 9.3.4 security hole resurfaced?

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Level 1

14 points

Has the iOS 9.3.4 security hole resurfaced?

iPhone 5

iOS 9.3.5

32GB Storage

With previous IOS release, 9.3.4 I had a continual problem with my "Home" button not working. I tried cleaning the button, etc. I did all the fixes mentioned on line. Nothing worked - I had to hold the Home button down for several seconds for it to work. I did the General>Accessibility>AssistiveTouch fix - and that put a soft-home-button on my home screen. So that was a temporary fix.

Then I installed iOS 9.3.5 as soon as it came out, and the problem went away. The original "Home" button on the device worked as good as when it was new. I interpreted this to mean that the software fix in 9.3.5 fixed whatever hole/memory-leak existed in 9.3.4 that messed up my Home button.

Then, today - it started the same problem. No new apps installed. Just same everyday use.

I can't find anything about this online - anyone have a similar experience?

Message was edited by: <Edited by Host>

iPhone 5, iOS 9.3.5, Home button

Posted on Sep 4, 2016 4:46 PM

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Answer 1

ChrisJ4203

Level 10

236,339 points

Sep 5, 2016 7:11 AM in response to kmckenna45

While the home button does activate some software, it is a piece of hardware, and a physical button. The button can fail, or work intermittently. If you continue to have issues with the home button, you can make an appointment at the Genius Bar of the nearest Apple store to have it examined. There is no security flaw that would cause the Home button to stop working, and the fix that Apple released for the flaw patched it.

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Answer 2

Sep 4, 2016 4:55 PM in response to kmckenna45

The problem you're describing doesn't sound as if it as anything to do with the security flaw that iOS 9.3.5 fixed. See this article for what the security issues were:

About the security content of iOS 9.3.5 - Apple Support

It sounds as if what you have is an intermittent hardware issue. Make an appointment at the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store for evaluation.

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Answer 3

kmckenna45 Author

Level 1

14 points

Sep 5, 2016 7:16 AM in response to ChrisJ4203

I appreciate your response. However, I have been involved with software dev for many years and I suspect either an app running on my phone or some other process has a memory leak. And the 9.3.5 fix repaired that - the fact that the Home button returned to normal/original performance, immediately after installing 9.3.5 points exactly to that. It might be that one of my apps running on the phone has a bug - not iOS itself. I will make an appointment at the Genius Bar - it couldn't hurt. But if Apple comes out with 9.3.6 soon - and that fixes the Home button issue again, there's something more going on.

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Answer 4

ChrisJ4203

Level 10

236,339 points

Sep 5, 2016 7:37 AM in response to kmckenna45

Considering the fact that yours is the only thing I have seen regarding a home button issue that you believe to be related to a security issue, plus the fact that the upcoming Apple event is suspected to include the release of iOS 10, I doubt you will see an iOS 9.3.6.

Also I respectfully decline your belief that iOS 9.3.5 is the cause of your home button issue. If you believe it to be something other than iOS, you can test this by restoring the device to factory and running it without additional applications for a period to see if the home button is corrected and does not fail. If it does not, then restore your backup and see if the problem comes back. But again, the security issue had nothing to do with the operation of the home button.

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