iphone 7 plus home button and power button don't respond

Question

Level 1

36 points

iphone 7 plus home button and power button don't respond

I have an iphone 7 plus

I've noticed quite a few times intermittently all of the hard button on my phone stop responding.

In example, the power button won't shut off the screen and the home button won't go back to anything.

I'm not sure about the volume buttons but i assume they as well aren't responding since i don't see the overlay for volume come up when i press them.

Anything i have on my touch screen is still responsive and i can still do anything i need to with the touch screen, but that's obviously limited to whatever app i have open since i can't get back to the menu.

For instance if i have iMessage open i can still send messages and write messages but i can't exit the app to do something else.

This is unique to my iphone 7 plus, since i had never experienced this behavior in my iphone 6 plus in the past 2+ years, i also did not experience any of this even with iOS 10 in the 2 weeks or so i had it installed on my iphone 6 plus, only on my iphone 7 plus.

There's only way way i've found to make the hard buttons work again and that's frantically push a bunch of them until the phone registers it finally.

After i see the buttons respond, i notice it's actually going through all the behaviors i had pushed on the buttons up until that point. So i'll see the screen turn on and off multiple times and go in and out of the home menu.

This has happened at least half a dozen times and i've only had my phone for 10 days.

In reference i've also had a coworker run into the same issue on his iphone 7 plus 256GB but he found that doing a hard reset with the down volume and power button does the trick for him.

Both of the "fixes" in my opinion are pretty lousy ways to get your phone working again.

Any known issue with hard buttons registering in the software? It seems like all of the actions get buffered and don't actually hit the software for response.

iPhone 7 Plus, iOS 10.0.2, null

Posted on Oct 9, 2016 7:34 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 19, 2016 9:31 AM in response to dfeld1

Same issue here, it's happened about twice in a couple weeks. iPhone 7 128 GB silver Verizon. Just happened again this morning. I didn't know you now reset with the volume down button, I'll try that next time. However, it seems like a hardware issue or software bug.

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Answer 2

CrocD

Level 1

4 points

Jan 18, 2017 10:30 AM in response to neosirex

I have the same issue. iPhone 7 Plus 256. Power and home button become unresponsive. Screen stays on. Touch screen responds. Home button does the haptic kick. But power and home do nothing till you reboot the phone.

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Answer 3

jmcmill3

Level 1

4 points

Jan 19, 2017 10:15 PM in response to neosirex

I found a 'fix' for this.

You need "Hey Siri" enabled though....

When it locks up say the following:

"hey siri"

"Open touch ID and passcode settings"

Enter your passcode.

Add a new fingerprint.

Once you have added it, press the home button with the new fingerprint.

It has worked for me twice now.

Best,

J

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Answer 4

Jan 4, 2017 9:13 AM in response to neosirex

This just happened to me today, and I think I found a fix, hopefully it works next time as well! I will keep you guys posted if it happens again.

Just put a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and gently wipe the home button and voila. I swear it's like magic happened in front of my eyes LOL

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Answer 5

Jul 7, 2017 2:45 AM in response to neosirex

My only problem is with my home button. It still responds to my presses but it recognizes light presses as hard presses. I put a sticker on the home button and it worked fine but it eventually didn’t so I scratched it off and then after that it stopped working properly. I don’t know why but I think it was because of the sticker.

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Answer 6

jdo_apple

Community Specialist

Oct 10, 2016 3:53 PM in response to neosirex

Hello neosirex,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities. I know having an issue with your iPhone 7 is not what you expect. Based on what you stated, it seems you may be having issues with the buttons on your iPhone 7. I would try force restarting your iPhone, as this article recommends:

Get help with buttons and switches on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Otherwise, you may want to contact AppleCare support, as they have more tools and resources for your specific situation.

Contact Apple Support

Cheers!

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Answer 7

zeichi

Level 1

9 points

Oct 11, 2016 10:22 PM in response to neosirex

same issue, i'm using iPhone 7 128gb matte black..

all the buttons not working.. but when i restart my phone, it start working again

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Answer 8

Moff

Level 1

72 points

Oct 12, 2016 3:38 PM in response to neosirex

Same issue. iPhone 7 256. Power and home button become unresponsive. Screen stays on. Touch screen responds. Home button does the haptic kick. But power and home do nothing till you reboot the phone.

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Answer 9

ME-CM

Level 1

9 points

Oct 15, 2016 2:16 PM in response to neosirex

Same issue on my iPhone 7 128gb matte black. I thought it had stopped once I updated the software to 10.0.2, but it has continued to happen. Once the screen turns off, it reverts to responding normally, but there is no telling how long it will take for the screen to turn off when it does this. It only happens when an app is in use, but it's been a different app each time it's happened, so I don't think it's the apps themselves causing the issue.

I've also had issues with the camera being unable to focus or sense the light in a room. Once I restart the phone, it's fine, so it appears to be a software problem.

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Answer 10

mobile73

Level 1

4 points

Oct 16, 2016 11:07 AM in response to ME-CM

Have the exact same issue - physical buttons unresponsive but screen fine. This has happened a few times to me when I have the camera open and needed to make a phone call. Would consider taking phone in to be replaced, but given the worldwide shortage (mine is MB 7+ 256GB) don't think it is worth it. Just discovered how you now reset without a physical home button so hoping that works.

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Answer 11

dfeld1

Level 1

9 points

Oct 17, 2016 4:41 AM in response to neosirex

I have this issue every. single. day. This is my 2nd iPhone 7 and both have done this. I originally had the AT&T version, the regular size one, and then returned it for the Verizon one. Both of them did this on a daily basis, I thought I was just crazy at first. It's never within the same app, or under the same circumstances. Yesterday it was while I had the lock screen up, I couldn't do anything. The power button didn't turn the screen on/off, the home button wouldn't unlock my phone, but it did "click" so it's recognizing that I'm touching it. I've had this happen in messages, in my email, while I was in snapchat, while I was trying to change a song that was playing, etc. The screen does respond still, so whatever app you're in you can still control, but you're stuck in it for the time being. I was rebooting it at first but then i realized if you wait a full minute, sometimes two, it will go back to normal as if there was never an issue. It's very frustrating and I'm debating on just returning it and going back to my old phone, I have a few days to decide before my 14 day return period.

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Answer 12

Oct 29, 2016 12:45 AM in response to neosirex

Same problem here.

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Answer 13

Oct 29, 2016 7:54 AM in response to neosirex

Same issue here with my 128 GB Silver iPhone 7. It's just a week old and has already had this issue twice.

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Answer 14

Oct 31, 2016 5:07 PM in response to neosirex

Same problem noted here. Second time it has happened to me in less than a week. Matte Black 128gb Verizon Iphone 7 Plus. I'm guessing it's a software problem.

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Answer 15

Littyboy

Level 1

4 points

Nov 6, 2016 4:39 AM in response to dfeld1

Same issue with T-Mobile iPhone 7 on 10.1.1

Btw, how were you able to switch from ATT to Verizon version?

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