iPhone X not waking up when pressing side button

This is what solved it for me. (Turn off double click side button in wallet app)

Huge thanks to @Adam4325235

Adam4325235Jan 11, 2018 11:22 AM in response to KomeilK

Level 1

Re: iPhone X side button delayIn response to KomeilK

I had the same issue, its actually Apple Pay that is causing the issue. I tried a restore and it didn't help. Turn off double click side button in the wallet app and you'll notice right away that the phone is a lot faster when you click the side button. Lemme know if that helps. It worked for me and I haven't had that issue since, and I know what you mean man that issue was really annoying

Not only is it not a global bug, as deggie states, it is actually not a "bug" at all.

The side button works very differently on the iPhone X than the wake/sleep button worked on previous iPhones. For example, simply pressing the side button when the iPhone X is awake invokes Siri, and is not a way to begin a shutdown sequence.

This explains.

Use gestures to navigate your iPhone X - Apple Support

If Raise to Wake is off, you must tap the screen to awaken the iPhone X.

I really think I fixed the issue this time. Yesterday I took my phone to Apple service. They advised me to first put my phone to DFU mode and reinstall the firmware, as it should be a firmware issue. Well, there hasn't been a single bug after the reinstall. Even the tap to wake function works now as intended, I always thought it was just a badly made feature. I really recommend trying this, at least it worked for me!

Hello,

What to do if a button or switch isn't working

1. Restart your device. If you can't restart your device, try to force restart it.
2. Remove any protective films and cases that might block the button or switch.
3. Check for debris or dirt around the button or switch, and clean with a soft cloth.

If you need help with Touch ID, learn what to do.

If the button or switch still isn't working, is damaged, or works intermittently, you might need to set up service for your device. Contact Apple Support, then follow the steps to complete your service request.

From:

About the buttons and switches on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Gus offers the best advice here, especially since your issue sounds intermittent.

There may be a workaround at Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > [the items under "Allow access when locked"], but with an intermittent problem, contact Apple Support as Gus suggested.

Yeah, the bug persists through updates. The behavior is beyond maddening and based on the symptoms it is clearly a software issue and not hardware. It is difficult to come up with any hypothesis that supports this being a hardware issue, never mind a plausible one.

I have to take my words back. Yesterday the bug reappeared. It happened maybe ten times. Today I’m going to install a clean iOS in DFU mode and not restore from a backup. Let’s see if that will make any difference. If not, I’m taking my iPhone to service.

Just to confirm, there is nothing that can be done to get rid of this bug, turning off double click for Apple Pay doesn’t fix it, restoring phone and setting up as new phone doesn’t fix it, and I’ve had my IPhone X replaced for this issue and my new phone does the same!! I’m surprised this hasn’t been fixed yet by apple as it clearly a software issue.

Ah yes, by firmware I mean iOS. I set up as a new phone and later restored from an iCloud backup. The whole procedure took maybe an hour max.

It really seems that my problem with the side button has gone away. I haven't had a single problem with it since I just shut down all the apps and restarted the phone. Of course I have done that before numerous times but this seemed to the trick. No idea why it worked. This really underlines that this indeed is a software bug.

Probably but you have to turn off raise to wake and touch to wake, which are on by default so I suspect not many people experience it. I don’t like the touch to wake feature but if you turn it off you have to put up with this.

I’m also having the exact same issue and actually I’ve read about a dozen other threads with people having the exact same issue. It truly seems like a persistent problem on many iPhone X devices and I’m surprised apple STILL has yet to come to a solution what with so many people having this recurring issue. Whenever I press the side button, the first initial press doesn’t wake the screen. The second press then wakes the screen but immediately activates apple pay. SO THE FIRST PRESS WAS REGISTERED, the screen just didn’t wake. I have done everything apple suggested to do, with no solution. It is most certainly a software fault. This should be addressed and I don’t know why it isn’t. I’ve had this phone for months now. It’s not a huge problem, but it is becoming increasingly more persistent and that much more annoying. Before anyone replies with what they think is a solution please read the entire comment. I’ve repeated myself to 10’s of people with the same responses and suggestions. Which is restarting the device, restoring the device, and then doing a complete wipe. None of these suggestions worked the phone still has the same exact issue gradually getting worse. Also the button works entirely fine, because it sleeps the screen on EVERY press. And registers the first intial wake press but just doesn’t respond until the second press activating apple pay. Again IT REGISTERED THE FIRST PRESS. In case anyone missed it. I would just love a solution that actually works, because the phone is great, but this issue is just really annoying.

I took my phone to service. I was sceptical that they could reproduce the bug since it is so random. Well, they couldn't. They called me and said that if I get the bug on video they could send my device to Apple and my phone could be replaced. Funny thing is, I rented an iPhone 6 from the service company and it had the same bug. Sometimes the phone wouldn't wake when pressing home button. Next time pressing it didn't take me to lock screen but opened the phone. So it registered the first press. It makes me wonder if this bug is more usual than we think it is. Oh well, let's hope this new iOS 11.3 will fix this.

Mine is an iPhone X. This bug would show up after a day or two after I restart the device. I have been having this bug for several months. I disabled the double-click shortcut to Apple Pay so it is slightly less annoying.

And it looks like this problem is still there in iOS 11.4.1. Shame on Apple's software engineering and QA.

It is really ironic when you invest so much on a phone but it fails on such simple function. I think the magic behind Apple nowadays is how they are able to get away with defects in their products and still make people buy them.

The iPhone should wake every time the Side button is pressed. I would suggest contacting Apple Support as they can look more into this.