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Level 1

114 points

iPhone 8/ 8 plus home button cracked

I have been using my iPhone 8 for a little over 6 weeks. Last night I plugged in my phone to charge and walked away for about an hour. When I came back the phone had turned off and I observed a hairline crack running across the home button. The phone was not dropped or even touched during this time. It honestly just spontaneously cracked. I know that the iPhone 7 had a similar issue but I was not able to find anyone that had experiences a similar issue with the iPhone 8.

I called Apple care and they advised that it would be anywhere from 99-600 dollars to have the home button replaced. Has anyone had a similar issue with their iPhone 8 or 8 plus? Thank you.

Posted on Nov 9, 2017 1:29 PM

Best reply

jbzlez

Level 1

4 points

Posted on May 28, 2018 8:04 PM

Here you go, I have changed some details but you get the jist. Also I cant share the email address as it pertains to my particular Apple case ID and mine has been closed. You will need to reply to the email you receive from the Apple rep.I hope this helps your case and I hope this gets more traction to get the wider issue looked at.

Hi,

Firstly, thank you for your great customer service and support yesterday and making an
exception to fix my iPhone 8 + screen due to the home button cracking itself.

However, this is not the end of the issue and I will list them below;

I went to Oobe in Wellington NZ yesterday and the guy advised based on the notes that Apple will fix the screen (home button included) free of charge however any other damage resulting from this issue they will not cover.
He asked me to wipe my phone but back it up first at home – I tried to update it then back it up but the phone, either hardware or software, has corrupted terribly and now it has been restored to factory with several issues to me personally.
1. I lost ALL my data as it would not update and self-restored to factory settings – I had a lot of baby photos from January (we had a newborn on Jan 3^rd) and I hadn’t backed up my phone as we moved into my in-laws house while we
  build our house so my computer is in storage making it difficult to do my once a month back up to my PC. I also had some personal notes not backed up anywhere which is also painful. I never thought my 7 month old phone would break so quickly.
2. The phone after restoring still will not boot up to the hello screen or anything else so I used an existing back up to restore to the phone and that did not work so it keeps looping through apple logo, bar loading and then black screen which suggest it could be something more than just the screen itself, it could be a hardware or software issue that you advised would not be covered as only
  the screen replacement is covered by Apple.
I have logged a claim with my insurance company as I think this will not be resolved as easily as I think and this will cost me $200 excess as well as a penalty on my non-claims bonus. This is pending and I haven’t undertaken this course of action yet but the claim is lodged.
I did some further research on this issue and found many threads that replicate exactly what happened to me and my device. Reading the comments reiterated to me that I did not drop or bang my phone but this happened on its own via some faulty hardware or just pure bad design. Below are the threads I have looked at and most come from the Apple community forums on the Apple website. I will
restate; I did not drop the phone, I did not bump it against anything, I did not handle it roughly prior to the damage and I never have. I had used it with no issues, then 5 mins later charged it, then not long after I pulled out the lightning cable and placed into my pocket but had not checked the phone so it could have been damaged by then. I went to the bathroom and kitchen and after 5 mins I went to my desk pulled it out of my pocket and saw the damage. It sits in a Otterbox symmetry case with a screen protector on it – it is cared for as if it is one of my children and cost me $1449 NZD which I still have not fully paid for yet.
Here are the threads I mentioned and they all have a common theme – they were charging it and came back to see damage. Could it be that the charging is causing this issue:
1. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8153835 - my phone looks exactly as the picture in this thread
2. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8269914
3. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8308437
4. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8250804 - this is exactly my issue
5. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8069340 - subject line refers to iPhone 7 but some comments mention iPhone 8
6. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7742979 - also iphone 7 related but they use the same/similar hardware for the home
  button
7. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8093709
8. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8046417

There are many more of these re iPhone 7 on Apple’s website and from other websites but I think you get the point.

Im very frustrated that I can easily see a common theme here but Apple doesn’t – I have wasted time, energy and money on this issue and Apple hasn’t accepted liability they have only just made an “exception” for me where I see a bigger issue.

I am tempted to go to my commerce commission, Fair Go (NZ TV show that deals with consumers being ripped off) and our media outlets to vent my frustration and make this known to the wider community.

My main concern is that this may happen to other people and they go through the same process as me and get frustrated and potentially lose all their data (like I did which is causing me a massive headache and my new-borns pictures from his birth cannot be recovered ).
This shouldn’t happen and the response from Apple’s reps is unacceptable.

I will await your response before proceeding with what action I will take.

Please reply as quickly as you can as I need to make a decision soon.

Thanks.

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255 replies

Yaaa1452

Level 1

4 points

Dec 26, 2018 6:55 PM in response to Drakmiz1l1lur

On the 26th of November I came back from a long trip and my phone was dying so I put it in charge, after an hour or two I came back to go on it and the home button was very hot and overheated on the screen it was telling me that Touch ID is not working so I’ve had to use the accessibility touch. I want to go and get it fixed but I looked up the prices and it was around $280 dollars I have an iPhone 8 Plus and once in a while the home button gets very over heated. I don’t know what I should tell the Manager because I’m not going to pay up to almost $300 just to get it fixed and it wasn’t even my fault, I’ve had this phone since July.

Please Help Me With What To Say and get it done for free

Jan 13, 2019 9:54 PM in response to CLT0714

I am having the same problem posted on the forums, I bought my iphone 8 with money I had saved the whole summer working my butt off for, the time finally came for me to buy my phone on Nov 11 2018, probably exactly 6 weeks later, I was charging my phone and getting ready to turn in for the night, I unlocked my phone with touch ID as I had so many times before while it was charging. the home button got extremely hot and the phone turned off, I thought it was weird but I continued to walk upstairs when the phone turned back on and said “Touch ID activation not available” I swiftly investigated and noticed the home button was cracked. I was furious and emailed apple to where I am now, I just need to send it in, ***

[Edited by Host]

Jan 14, 2019 2:08 PM in response to Emcampb2

I was at lunch one Sunday and had my phone sitting on the table next to me. It got really hot, then turned off and back on again (like a reset) and then I noticed the home button was cracked. It was working at church just moments before with no issues. It wasn't dropped or touched when this occured. I too got the same answer from Apple Care that it would cost a lot of money (in my opinion) to have it fixed.

Jan 15, 2019 6:55 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

it’s not a guarantee, I explained exactly what happened and they said it might be covered. as of now the assistive touch isn’t too bad to use, I’ve been using it for a month or so and it’s not terrible. I’m sending my phone in in hopes that it will be covered and if not I’ll pay for it, because there’s no way the home button can crack a second time.

Feb 10, 2019 6:13 PM in response to Emcampb2

I have just posted about my iPhone 7 Plus that has a cracked home button, not sure how mine happened as it was in my pocket so assumed I damaged it. Didn’t realise it was a fault?

I was quoted $320 for a new home button and screen from an approved apple repair agent

Feb 11, 2019 7:30 PM in response to mathew121

Has anyone had their home button repaired and had the same issue happen again?

Not interested in repairing mine and then have the same issue.

Is it possible to delete the use of the home button and just keep using assistive touch?

Feb 12, 2019 6:22 PM in response to Docbar1

I would contact Apple and file it as a fault. Spoke with several people at Apple and no-one is recognising this as a fault, surprise surprise. The more people who lodge this as a problem the better off people will be if they need to claim.

My phone is a replacement phone and i doubt they will help me, so now looking at android phones as a replacement.

lukek06

Level 1

4 points

Mar 6, 2019 12:46 AM in response to Emcampb2

I have the same issue. Based in New Zealand (no Apple stores) so my device has been between service centres in New Zealand and Australia and I am also getting "Physical Damage - item not covered under warranty" etc, despite the device being 90 days old and in mint condition (except the home button crack!) Cost of NZD $299 to repair. Has anyone had any issues getting this fault covered under warranty via a third party repairer, ie. non-Apple store?

Coh209

Level 1

4 points

Mar 12, 2019 8:11 AM in response to Emcampb2

Has anyone had success getting Apple to pay for this when their phone is more than a year old? I just unplugged my iPhone 8 from charging and it was very warm and I noticed right away that the home button was cracked. It was not dropped and there are no other cracks on the phone. I don’t want to pay to have it fixed when I didn’t do anything to the phone to cause it. Phone is about 15 months old and not planning to get a new one for at least another year.

arcvdz

Level 1

4 points

Mar 16, 2019 5:05 PM in response to Emcampb2

My home button has also cracked on my iPhone 8 The home button is now too hot to touch and the battery goes flat within a couple of hours of being fully charged. My phone is 14 months old I’m taking it to the apple store today to see what can be done to rectify the problem. I’m hoping apple will repair at their cost especially as this has been an ongoing problem with these phones. I will update this post with apples response.

curt2158

Level 1

4 points

Mar 18, 2019 10:56 AM in response to Rutherfordfam

Yea same exact happen to my iPhone 8 which I’ve used just over a year. Looks just like picture above and happened while it was charging. Apple support told me it was user error. I have no desire supporting a company like this.

Coh209

Level 1

4 points

Mar 18, 2019 11:09 AM in response to curt2158

Mine button was the mirror opposite but basically the same pattern. It started from the lower right. I had no cracks on my screen or scratches and my screen protected and case were in perfect condition. It was clearly a defect of overheating while charging. I’m not sure why I paid only $149 plus tax and you were quoted over $350

jui ling

Level 1

4 points

Apr 18, 2019 9:15 PM in response to Emcampb2

My mom's iphone 8 plus has this issue too. I called apple support and they said they still will charge us about 180 USD.

I told them this happened when my mom's phone charged. They still said the technician judged this is human errors.

We paid higher price to buy a phone, but the service quality is low. We won't buy it again.

peteb875

Level 1

4 points

Apr 30, 2019 8:42 AM in response to Emcampb2

I had the same issue on my daughter's iPhone 8. The apple store quoted me $150 to fix the problem and said it is not covered under warranty because there was no thermal warning.

Her phone (unlike mine or her brother's) gets hot (not warm) to the touch whenever charging. And we only use Apple chargers, not 3rd party. I find it highly frustrating that Apple did not cover the warranty on this issue over the thermal warning. I will say that the support representative at the Apple Store in Lynnfield MA did his utmost to advocate for us, but the corporation did not stand by the quality of the product. I will call Apple Support next with hope to get this honored.

The process is extremely disappointing and makes Android phones look better every day.

808fee

Level 1

4 points

May 22, 2019 6:36 AM in response to Emcampb2

This just happened to my iPhone 8. It is in an extremely sturdy case and I haven't dropped it. Not a single scratch. When I was charging my phone the other day the home button felt hot and it zapped me. On closer inspection I saw very fine cracks running all across the button. My phone is pretty much useless now.

iPhone 8/ 8 plus home button cracked