iPhone 8/ 8 plus home button cracked

Thank you. I got off tech support earlier today. If they don't cover this then that is it for my relationship with apple. This is not the first time this year that apple's products and customer service has let me down. I'll definitely be detailing my issue in feedback. We all should. This is absurd. Not only are they the root cause of the issue but then I have to face the prospect of waiting 3 days for an appointment to pay for a fix that was their fault?!? Absolutely ridiculous.

Update: I took my phone to the apple store and unsurprisingly they told me initially that I would have to pay for the repair. "We've never seen this issue before and it's not documented within our company blah blah blah". I insisted that I did nothing to cause the issue and that seeing as I had actually had my screen replaced through apple only a few weeks beforehand, that it was likely their screen replacement that caused the issue. They again said that unfortunately I would have to pay for the repair as it was out of warranty. I probably went back and forth three times, speaking with the manager eventually who initially also insisted that I would have to pay. I politely told the manager that there was no way I would be paying for it as 1. I know for a fact I did nothing to cause the issue 2. The screen replacement I had already paid for was the likely cause and 3. There were clearly hundreds of other people experiencing this issue online. He ended up going to speak with another manager and thankfully came to the conclusion that they would pay for the repair in this instance because the other screen replacement had been so recent and that there was no obvious explanation. I felt lucky. I encourage anyone with this issue to try and be understanding of their position, it is quite odd afterall!

And another one... good luck with your repair. I also kept a photo of the damage, so that when it gets around to be an issue Apple acknowledges and they issue refunds (which does really seem inevitable if they care even the slightest about PR), there will not be any doubt or need for discussion about why the screen was replaced.

thanks for posting! Can you please also report this to their product feedback?

cheers,

Alexa

I recently had this exact same thing happen. iPhone 8 256GB. 4 days old. Sitting on desk charging and I see the Apple logo pop onto the screen. Didn’t pay much attention at first, but then the logo never went away. Phone was stuck in a reboot loop. When I inspected the phone I noticed cracks in the home button that weren’t there before. Went into Apple store and they claim to have no knowledge of any issues like this. I showed them this forum and was informed that it was considered “physical damage” and that the only option was to pay $200 and have them replace the screen. This is ridiculous on what appears to be a manufacturing issue. I have an $1150 paperweight. I refused to pay and now don’t know what to do.

The Apple Store in South Coast Plaza, Santa Ana, CA did not acknowledge this yet as a known issue. They charged $169 + tax without Apple Care to replace the screen with an integrated home button. Clearly, this is a warranty level design defect based on this forum. However, the store employees seem to not be allowed to take care of it on the Apple warranty without an official "campaign" from Apple. I advised of this growing concern on this new iphone 8 Plus (maybe it's not just the plus?), and they agreed that once the problem reaches enough mass, to the high enough levels, with an official campaign, my money would be refunded. I suppose if it happens again, and again, I'll eventually get $600 refunded.😕

Robert, I had this same issue and politely explained the situation and the evidence at hand and was told the same thing three times. I asked to speak to a manager who also refused at first. It was only after politely explaining why I wouldn’t pay for the repair that they finally went to speak with another manager and ended up replacing the screen free of charge. Just keep trying, but remain empathetic to their position as it really does sound very suspect. Good luck

The number of people posting here doesn't clearly show anything, the numbers are too small. In addition to the wise advice of sending feedback to Apple that was given earlier in this post I would also suggest calling AppleCare and making a report (to get a case number) and then ask to be transferred to Customer Service and open a case with them. I would suggest everyone in this thread who has had the problem to do this.

I’ve now read that this issue has being happening a long time with the iPhone 7s too. I guess the area of the phone that gets constant use appears to be weak for some, but not most. I do not wish it a big thing for all consumers, but it is not good for Apple that spontaneous breaking is the common perception shared among the community that has the issue. “I’ve never heard of iit” was a quote from an Apple store employee today. I’m not sure I believe that.

I just experienced the SAME exact thing. My brand NEW I mean I haven't even had it a month was charging on a flat surface. I went back to get it off the table and it had a hairline cracked on the home button. NOOO one had touched it and I had to restore the whole phone because it ended up getting stuck on the home screen. Now I can't log in to it! Tried to contact my provider and they said talk to apple it might be defective! I am a teacher and decided to splurge on a new phone what a waste! Very upset! Oh forgot to mention my phone was in an otter box too!!!

This exact thing happened to me yesterday. Will post a picture soon, but it looks exactly like yours.

So here's my experience: Yesterday morning my iPhone 8 Plus shut down, and when I tried restarting the device, an on/off cycle began. While trying to start the device, I tried pressing the home button and a thin fracture appeared on the home button. I immediately brought my phone to the Apple store, and they were able to restart it, but refused to replace the screen (unless the $169 fee was paid). I understand Apple Care is great for screen cracks caused from drops, etc. (which I have gladly replaced for the required fee), but this is a wholly different situation wherein the damage was not caused by excessive pressure. I am slightly annoyed that the technicians at the nearby Apple store only offered the option to (1) pay the screen repair fee, followed by (2) waiting for a notice on the Apple Support page to potentially obtain a refund. I ultimately chose not to replace the screen, but was wondering if other Apple users have experienced the home button crack without external pressure (e.g., keys hitting the button, dropping the phone).

I also woke up to my Iphone 8 plus with a cracked home button, what caused me to notice was a message on the screen that said my home button was no longer working and to use this "floating' home button what was on the screen. I have been going round after round with Apple. Went to the store, closed for remodeling, called the next store that is 100 miles from home and I could get an appointment in 2 months from when I called. What a joke. So I decided to go thru the mail in program since I still have my Iphone 6s plus. I got my phone all ready like customer support said to do and went to the UPS store only to find that they had instructions on the screen to replace with an Iphone 5 or less. Now this is really making me mad. So we called Apple only to have an arrogant man tell me to take it to the Apple Store and he said GOODBYE ! I am sooooo over this crap. My phone has been treated with the utmost care. I spent $150 at AT&T for a case and tempered glass when I bought it in November. I buy 2 phones every 2 years with these people only to get treated like garbage. I am not done with this yet. I am not giving up until they replace my phone. I did not cause this hairline crack. Mine looks just like the ones pictured. They really need to get their act together. I have 6 new generation Apple products in my home , a new Macbook, Ipad 2 , new Apple TV, Ipad Mini fairly new, and 2 Iphone 8 Plus. I do not have issues with my products normally but when I do they should address it and replace my products. I hope everyone else gets resolution to their problems. Wish me luck.

I want to update what is happening so far with my Iphone 8 Plus... I have been dealing with this since Feb 26th. Anyway, after many discussions and frustrations and a well written letter put in the package with my phone. They have repaired it free of charge and sending it back next day air. So a 2 day turn around is good for me since I have talked for 2 months to get any kind of resolution and I still was not sure if they were going to try to charge me for repair. In the letter I wrote, I stated that there were over 500 accounts of people with cracked home buttons on relatively new Iphone 8 Plus phones and that I had never dropped or treated my phone in any manner that could have caused this problem. I just stated all of the facts and said that I hoped that they would do the right thing to keep a happy customer. That is what they did, so besides all the arguing on the phone and some nice people and some not so nice people that I had to deal with , I am happy just to be getting my phone back and I hope its repaired correctly and everything is fine. I will let you know . I just hope that you all are able to get your phones fixed. I think it is important to bring up the fact that all of our conversations on here exist and that this is not just a random problem. I suppose we could all try to figure out when our phones were manufactured or where and see if that information matches with each other. Once again, GOOD LUCK and I hope they fix or replace your phones.

My iPhone 8 Plus has the same issue and I have this phone for less than 3 months.

1 the phone has been well covered by the case;

2 the screen also has the tempered glass;

3 It was in my pocket without anything else in the same pocket;

When I took it out, I found the "white apple" on the screen. Then I connected it via my Mac and started to have a close look, then, I found the there were the cracks on the touchID area.

I cannot even think how it could happen until I see this thread. This is a definite quality issue, not the misusage of hardware at all.

I will head to Apple Genius Bar later

Hi, I am also having a similar problem where Apple is not supporting us and asking us for a huge amount saying to replace new product.

Someone should look into this and provide proper resolution instead of not owning the issue.

I have put it on charging and then I have seen that it was overheated while charging (battery status - 71%) along with damage in home button.

Please suggest how can I consider this as accidental physical damage??

And how it can not be covered by warranty or consumer law??

Similar kind of issue can happen again and it is really impacting my trust on Apple products.

I have bought this phone recently and such type of defect in product is really not acceptable.

This has literally just happend to me , I decided to leave my phone on charge while I had a bath and when I came back my home button has a small hair like crack , I am especially annoyed as now my button is completely unresponsive, I have no idea what to do as I have had this phone less than a month and it’s very strange .