The iPhone home button is one of the most critical parts of the phone. It makes it easy to get around your device and run the quick settings. Even though the iPhone is one of the most popular smartphones on the market, you may still struggle with a broken or less responsive home button.
Having a home button not working problem on your iPhone is one of the most frustrating things for any iPhone user. If the home button on your iPhone is not working properly, you won't perform certain easy tasks like launching the camera or returning to your home screen. Read on from this post to find out how to fix the iPhone home button.
1. Calibration and Restore
Calibration is an easy process that takes some time, but you don't need any special equipment.
Step 1: Launch a stock app like Clock or Weather to bring up the Home screen.
Step 2: Press and hold the Power button at the top right until “slide to power off” appears on the screen.
Step 3: Release the Power Button and Press and Hold the Home Button until the Apple Logo appears on the screen.
The calibration process takes a few minutes to complete and shouldn't wipe out any data on your device.
2. Clean the Home Button
It is the basic step you need to follow if your Home Button has become unresponsive or cannot work properly. Cleaning the home button can be useful in fixing several problems with your device.
Here are some tips for doing it:
- Turn off your iPhone completely–press and hold the Power button until “Slide to power off” appears, then slide to turn off;
- Then take a soft cloth, a cotton swab, or a toothpick and clean out any dust or debris from around the Home button;
- If you see water or moisture around your Home button, wipe it off with a soft cloth.
3. Assistive Touch
If you've ruled out hardware problems, you can try using Assistive touch as a temporary workaround. Besides providing an on-screen Home button, this feature lets you lock your phone and take screenshots using no physical buttons.
Here's how to enable assistive touch:
Step 1: Open Settings and select “General.”
Step 2: Scroll down and tap “Accessibility.”
Step 3: Tap “AssistiveTouch” and turn on “AssistiveTouch.”
Step 4: Select “Customize Top-Level Menu” to customize a single-click action and a double-click action.
4. Home Button Repair
If your Home button is not functioning properly, you might get it repaired or replaced. If your iPhone is still under warranty, you should be able to get the Home button repaired for free by Apple. If you don't have an Apple store near you, you can mail your device in for repair through Apple's website.
It will also offer cellphone repair services in less than an hour at your home or office, and they come to you! You can get a quote online here and then schedule an appointment at a time that works best for you!
5. Charge the Phone to See Whether it Works
In most cases, you can fix an unresponsive iPhone home button by simply charging the battery. The lack of responsiveness might be because your iPhone is low on power, and it needs to be charged for a while before the battery has enough juice to power up the Home button.
To charge your iPhone, plug it into an electrical outlet using the Lightning cable (iPhone 5 or newer) or 30-pin cable (iPhone 4S or older). Alternatively, you can use a USB cable to plug it into your computer. If you're using a case with your iPhone, try removing it and test the Home button again.
6. Inspect Your iPhone For Damage
First, ensure that your iPhone's Home button hasn't worn out. If you've had your phone for a while, the button may be dirty, making it harder to register your presses. It's also possible that the cable that connects the button to the motherboard has come loose.
If your phone is still under warranty, you can take it to an Apple Store and see if they can fix it for free. If not, you can try to clean it yourself or get a 3rd party repair shop to take care of it for you. If you want to do this yourself, check out our guide on removing and cleaning the Home button in an iPhone 5S using simple tools.
Determine Why Your iPhone's Home Button Isn't Working
Three potential issues could cause your iPhone home button to stop working:
1. Hardware Issues
Sometimes, hardware issues cause a broken home button. This can happen if the phone has fallen or been damaged, causing the cable that connects the home button to the iPhone's logic board to break or tear. If this happens, you won't be able to fix it yourself — you'll need to take your phone in for repair.
It is also true if water has gotten into your phone and caused Damage — even if the Damage doesn't seem very severe, water can sometimes get into invisible crevices and cause problems later on down the road. You'll probably see that your home button only works sometimes if this happens.
2. Problems With Software.
If your Home button isn't working on the Lock screen, that's almost certainly software-related. You may have accidentally activated Assistive Touch, designed for those who can't press the Home button. Or you could have enabled something under Accessibility called Reachability, which makes things easier to tap by bringing everything closer to your thumb.
3. General Wear and Tear.
Over time, many things wear down in our lives — including our iPhones! If you've had yours for a while, some of the internal mechanisms that make up the Home button may be worn out. There are only two options: live with it or get it fixed or replaced by Apple (or an authorized service provider).
Bottom Line
Before taking your iPhone to the Apple store, or an allowed Apple repairer, check if the home button cable is loose in its socket. If it is, gently reconnect it, and see if that solves the problem.
You can also check for any dirt or dust obstructing the home button from sliding smoothly. If that's the case, try blowing into the bottom of your iPhone while gently rolling along the side of your phone's frame. That should remove any obstructions and keep things running smoothly down there.
