Why doesn't the home button on iPhone work? For what reasons does the Home button not work? Why doesn't the home button work on my iPad?

Apple has always been distinguished by the excellent quality of its products. Moreover, this applies not only to iPhone, iPad and Mac computers, but also to iOS and OS X software products. However, even in the case of iPhone and iPad, problems occur, the main part of which is related to the failure of mechanical controls, most often the Home button. In today's instructions we will answer the question: “ What to do if the Home button on your iPhone is broken?«.

Typical failures of the Home button

I’m sure almost all iPhone and iPad owners know that the Home button on iOS devices is made of glass. And like any fragile material, glass is vulnerable to mechanical stress. Thus, careless handling, falls on a hard surface, or contact with sharp metal objects can lead to mechanical damage to the Home button. Fortunately, this happens quite rarely and the majority of breakdowns of the Home button are due to software failures, when the Home button “sticks”, clicks, jams, works poorly or does not work at all.

Reasons why the Home button fails on iPhone and iPad

If we talk about the reasons why the Home button does not work in iOS devices or works with some lag (sticks), we can distinguish 2 reasons:

1. Software glitches;
2. Mechanical damage, contamination of the mechanism and contact pad.

Mechanical problems are much more difficult to deal with, but you can still revive the Home button yourself.

Home button repair methods

Suppose that the Home button on your iPhone gets stuck, sometimes it gets stuck, sometimes you need to press this control several times for the device to respond. What methods can be used to restore the working state of the Home button?

1. Home button calibration;
2. Adjusting the position of the connector;
3. Cleaning the contact pad and lubricating the mechanism;
4. Replacing a button at the software level.
   

Let's consider each of these methods in more detail.

Home Button Calibration

To make the main mechanical control on your iOS device respond obediently to every press, follow these steps:

1. Launch any native (standard) application included in iOS on your iPhone. It could be the weather, calendar, stocks or anything else;
2. Press and hold the Power button until the device shutdown slider appears on the screen. Release Power;
3. Press and hold Home until the power off slider disappears. Ready!

Practice shows that the actions described above help only a small number of users of iOS devices, but still the method has the right to life.

Video instructions for calibrating the Home button on iPhone

Correcting the position of the standard connector

Some iPhone 4 and 4S owners may encounter a problem where the Home button completely stops responding to presses. Don't rush to change the button. A non-standard trick with a 30-pin standard connector will help correct the situation:

1. Connect a standard USB cable to the iPhone;
2. Place your finger under the plug inserted into the connector;
3. Gently press the plug in the Bottom-Up direction and press the Home button. If the button starts to work, under no circumstances press harder, this will not help, but can lead to mechanical damage to the connector. The effort should be small and that is enough.

Video instructions for adjusting the position of the connector

Cleaning the contact pad and lubricating the mechanism

On the Internet you can find a method for dealing with a non-working Home button using lubricants and cleaning agents such as alcohol and WD-40(aka “Vedeshka”). The latter is used to lubricate various mechanisms in the aerospace and weapons industries, aviation and electromechanical production. In everyday life, Vedashka is used to lubricate doors, vehicle mechanisms, locks and much more. Oddly enough, but the tool can also help in repairing the Home button, for this:

1. Apply a small amount of product to the Home button;
2. Press the button several times in succession (it may take up to 15 presses) until the product penetrates the gap between the button and the iPhone's protective glass.

Be careful, WD-40 is highly fluid and easily penetrates even the smallest gaps; if you apply too much, it can penetrate the gap between the protective glass and the touchpad and leave greasy stains.

In order to clean the contact pad and the gap between the button and the glass, you can use regular alcohol, for this:

1. Apply a little alcohol to the surface of the button in the gap area around the entire perimeter;
2. Press Home several times (up to 10 times);
3. Wait until the alcohol evaporates, usually this takes no more than 2 minutes, and you can check.

In the vast majority of cases, the steps described above will help bring the faulty Home button back to life, but if your device or its individual button is mechanically damaged (traces of damage are visible, the button does not move), it will not be possible to solve the problem by lubricating, cleaning and calibrating the button. But even in this case there is a way out, there are 2 of them:

1. Repair or complete replacement of the button at the service center;
2. Assigning home button functions to gestures.

Duplicating the Home button at the software level

If the Home button on your device is damaged and you cannot solve the problem yourself, you can contact the service center, the guys will repair or replace the button, but it will cost about $100 and 2-3 days. But this is not necessary either; iOS has a wonderful feature - Assistive Touch, which allows you to replace Home at the software level, or rather assign its functions to a simple tap on the iPhone or iPad screen.

We have already touched on some of the capabilities of AssistiveTouch in the ““ instructions, but the function is much more promising and allows you to completely replace the functionality of the Home button.

We have already said, let us remind you:

• On iPhone, go to Settings -> Basic -> Universal access -> AssistiveTouch and turn on the switch;

• A translucent icon will appear on the display, tapping on which opens a functional menu that allows you to control your iPhone or iPad without using mechanical controls for the Power and Home buttons or volume control.

You can use AssistiveTouch from any app, Home screen, or Lock screen. There is no need for mechanical buttons at all with AssistiveTouch.

Video instructions for using AssistiveTouch

We really hope that the steps described above will help you, if not 100%, then at least 99%, to solve the problem with the Home button not working or stuck on your iPhone and iPad. Perhaps you know some other ways to bring Home back to life? Please share in the comments. Thank you in advance!

Owners of the iPhone 5s and other models with a modified Home button over time are faced with the fact that the button begins to stick, click, jam, or stop working altogether. Let's consider ways to independently solve this problem.

Reasons why the Home button fails on iPhone and iPad

Reasons why the Home button may not work correctly include the following:

• software glitches;
• mechanical damage:
  • clogged mechanism and contact pad;
  • moisture ingress;
  • button sticking;
  • blows.

Ways to solve the problem depending on the cause of the failure

Faults that can cause the Home button to malfunction are divided into software and hardware.

Software glitch

If the Home button does not work well due to a software glitch, then the problem can be easily solved using calibration:

Video: how to calibrate the Home button on iPhone/iPad

Mechanical damage and blockages

The problem with the Home button can also occur due to hardware faults.

Adjusting the position of the standard connector

To adjust the position of the standard connector:

1. Connect a basic USB cable to your iPhone.
2. Place your finger under the plug inserted into the connector.
3. In the Bottom-Up direction, press the plug and press the Home button.

If the button does not start working, do not try to press harder. This will only lead to mechanical failure of the connector.

Cleaning the Contact Pad

To clean the button and surface, you will need special lubricants and cleaning agents, for example, alcohol and WD-40 (“Vedeshka”). To clean the surface with the latter:

The same steps can be followed using regular alcohol, only after applying you should wait a few minutes until it evaporates.

This method of cleaning the surface of an iOS device from debris is simple and fast. However, professional internal cleaning, which is highly discouraged from doing on your own, is considered more effective.

If the button is damaged

If there are signs of damage on the button or device and the Home button does not respond, then most likely the key connector is damaged or disconnected. In this case, there are 2 ways out of the situation:

1. Repair at the service center.
2. Assigning home button functions to gestures.

To add the Home button to the home screen:

Video: How to activate AssistiveTouch

One of the methods listed should help you solve the problem with the functionality of the Home button. If self-correction does not fix the problem, do not waste time and do not risk “breaking” the device, but contact a service center.

IPhone 5s buttons do not work. What to do?

When using the iPhone 5S, users often encounter problems with the Home and Power keys. In most cases, the problem can only be solved by replacing the button mechanism. Let's take a closer look at how to carry out the repair yourself, having all the necessary parts.

Causes of failure

The Home and Power keys are used very often, which is why they are most susceptible to various breakdowns. Common reasons why the button does not work on the iPhone 5S:

• dust or moisture getting inside the button;
• mechanism failure. In this case, the keys may periodically stick or not be pressed at all;
• membrane disruption;
• cable malfunction. Due to moisture ingress, the plume may oxidize. Also, contacts may be broken due to the impact.

We disassemble the phone

At this stage, it is necessary to perform a number of standard steps to disassemble the iPhone case. All the steps described below must be completed, regardless of which key you change.

Turn off your phone; it should not be connected to a charger or computer. Take a screwdriver and unscrew the two screws at the very bottom of the phone case, they are shown in the picture:

Using a suction cup, carefully pry up the front of the phone case. Next, take a spudger and pry the edges of the display away from the main body.

Open the case, but do not completely detach the display from the main part. Place both elements at a 90 degree angle as shown in the picture and continue working.

Using a screwdriver, unscrew the screws circled in the picture and remove the protective panel.

Take a spatula and use it to pry and remove the cables for the front camera, display and sensor.

Only after disconnecting the three cables can the display be removed.

Now you can start replacing individual parts of your smartphone.

Replacing the Home key

If the Home button of the iPhone 5S does not work, you can replace it yourself. The repair process does not require any special skills. All you need is new parts and following step-by-step instructions. To replace the Home button, you first need to remove two screws that are located at the bottom of the inside of the display module.

Remove the protective bracket, thus freeing the Home button. Take out the button.

Now replace the old part with a new one, reassemble the device, following all the steps of the described instructions in reverse order. Turn on the phone and test the key operation. In case of poor responsiveness, disassemble the phone again and check the quality of the connection of all cables.

Replacing the Power button

Disassemble the phone following the steps indicated in the first instructions of the article. After you have disconnected the display module from the phone body, remove the 2 bolts shown in the picture below. They hold the battery protection panel in place.

Now you need to carefully remove the phone battery protection panel:

Take a spudger and pry up the battery panel piece. This action must be performed very carefully so as not to catch the motherboard with the spatula.

Using a spatula, remove the device's battery.

Using tweezers, pry up the antenna cable.

Remove the bracket by first unscrewing its bolts.

Now disconnect the volume up/down button cable and all two antenna cables.

Inside the case, unscrew and remove these two bolts:

Remove the panel that covers the charging port.

Using tweezers, disconnect the charging socket cable. This is necessary in order not to damage the phone's electronics.

Remove the SIM card holder from the smartphone along with the card itself.

Using a screwdriver, unscrew all the bolts circled in the picture:

Without removing the phone's motherboard, turn it on its side towards the battery area.

Disconnect all cables that secure the board to the case and remove it completely. Use tweezers to move away part of the Power button as shown below. Set the item aside.

Remove the screw that secures the protective panel to the Power key.

Disconnect and remove the bracket that is located between the flash and the rear camera of the device. Now move aside the protective panel of the Power key and remove the button mechanism. Replace it and put the phone back together.

The Home button is an important iPhone control that allows you to return to the main menu, open a list of running applications, take screenshots, and much more. When it stops working, there can be no question of normal use of the smartphone. Today we will talk about what to do in such a situation.

This method only makes sense if you own an iPhone 7 or a newer smartphone model. The fact is that these devices are equipped with a touch button, and not a physical one, as was previously the case.

It can be assumed that the device experienced a system failure, as a result of which the button simply froze and stopped responding. In this case, the problem can be solved easily - just restart the iPhone.

Option 2: Reflashing the device

Again, a method suitable exclusively for Apple gadgets equipped with a touch button. If the reboot method does not bring results, you can try heavier artillery - completely reflash the device.

Option 3: Button development

Many users of the iPhone 6S and younger models know that the Home button is the weak point of the smartphone. Over time, it begins to work with a creak, can stick and sometimes does not respond to pressure.


In this case, the well-known WD-40 aerosol can help you. Spray a small amount of the product onto the button (this should be done as carefully as possible so that the liquid does not penetrate beyond the gaps) and begin clicking it repeatedly until it begins to respond correctly.

Option 4: Software duplication of the button

If the normal operation of the manipulator cannot be restored, you can use a temporary solution to the problem - the software duplication function.

After years of using your iPhone, the Home button can become annoying. Not for everyone, of course, but such cases cannot be called isolated either.

Immediately after purchase, iphone 5s, iphone 7, iphone 6, iphone 5, iphone 6s, iphone 5c, iphone 4, iphone 7 plus, iphone 6 plus, iphone 4s, iphone 4, iphone x work perfectly.

The problem starts over time. After long-term use of an iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 7... the Home button sometimes does not work well - after one time or less it stops responding to your commands.

Over time, you will have to press it several times to get the device to respond at all.

This is one of the main disadvantages of devices, which is a decrease in sensitivity to pressing the Home button.

The problem lies in the technical equipment and the only solution is often to improve the corresponding contacts, but recently the solution to calibrate the home button has become popular, which improves its performance.

Personally, I don’t believe in the effectiveness of calibration, but nothing prevents you from applying this process - instructions below.

By the way, there is a program that quickly corrects errors in the iPhone - I recommend trying it to solve your problem -

iPhone home button doesn't work - calibrate it

To successfully calibrate the Home button, launch any system application, for example Weather.

Hold the Power button until a bar appears at the top with the information "Disable". Then press and hold the Home button until the open app closes and you are taken to SpringBoard

The home button on your iPhone doesn't work - use an alternative one

What to do if calibration did not bring any improvement and you want to take responsibility for repairing it yourself.

Then you can display the virtual home button. To use this setting, you must enable one of the available features built into iOS.

It's called AssistiveTouch. To do this, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch.

Once this feature is activated, a translucent button will appear on the screen. If its location does not suit you or obscures another element below it, you can drag it to another location on the screen.

Pressing the button brings up a menu where there is a virtual home button. Clicking on it will work like clicking on a physical one.

In addition, AssistiveTouch performs more tasks. The menu has additional buttons: “Siri”, “Notification Center” and “Control Center”, “Favorites” and others.

Clicking on "Devices" will give you access to the following options: lock or rotate the screen, turn off the device, adjust volume and mute.

You will also find the “Program Switching” and “Screen Capture” functions. The purpose of introducing AssistiveTouch was to make iPhone easier to use for people who have difficulty touching the screen or pressing physical buttons, particularly the Home button.

Therefore, some of the available functions from the menu allow you to replace them or enter your own algorithm.

Even with Apple devices, what happens is that something stops working properly, often this is reflected in physical buttons.

Thanks to the AssistiveTouch function, you can partially solve the issue in case of problems with the home button.

The home button on the iPhone doesn’t work—correct the position of the connector

Owners of iPhone 4 and 4S sometimes encounter a situation where the home button does not respond to touches at all.

If this also affects your smartphone, then try the trick with a 30-pin standard connector.

To do this, connect a USB cable to your iPhone. Then place your finger under the plug inserted into the connector, slowly press the plug “Bottom-Up” and press the Home button.

If the button does not start working, then do not try to press harder - a little effort is enough.

The home button on your iPhone doesn’t work – clean and lubricate the mechanism

If the Home button is not working, you can try cleaning and lubricating it. To do this, you can use alcohol and WD-40.

To do this, with the smartphone turned off, apply a little product to the home button and press it several times until the liquid penetrates into the gaps.

Be careful, WD-40 is highly fluid and will easily penetrate even the tiniest of places.

Wait a few minutes and you can check. For some, such actions helped return the Home button to functionality.

Only if you have mechanical damage to your face, then none of the options described above will work - you don’t even have to try.

If you're a little tinkerer with electronics, you can simply buy a new button with a cable for your iPhone and replace it yourself. Good luck.