iPhone Help: Fixing an Unresponsive Home Button

Written by: Shane Burley • Edited by: DaniellaNicole
Updated Dec 22, 2010 • Related Guides: iPhone

Here are a few tips to help you deal with an unresponsive iPhone Home button.

Home Button Not Working?

There are a number of different physical features that work in unison for the iPhone experience you know. The touchscreen is the main focus of the iPhone frame and where you put all central commands. The power button is up top and can reset things back to the base. Without the Home button, which is the circular button directly below the iPhone’s touchscreen, none of these things will be useful. As a physical part of the iPhone that you are in contact with quite a bit there can be a number of problems that you may encounter with the Home button. If your iPhone’s Home button begins having problems or becomes unresponsive there are a number of different things you can try.

Blockage

One very common situation is that there is a physical interference to the Home button being read. Irritants and dust can get into the connection port at the bottom of the iPhone and can cause a distraction from the proper purpose of the iPhone. You can try to repair this by taking a clean toothbrush and sticking the bristles into this port. Brush freely so that you can try to get anything that may be up there. Canned air or blowing into this port can also be useful. You may not be able to fix this on your own and instead an Apple Store employee may have to open it up to clean it.

Water

A lot of times you have to look back to what may have happened to it. If you got water anywhere on your iPhone that can likely be your issue. If you have tried most everything else and are convinced that this was water related you can try to dry it out. This can usually be done by just putting it in a warm and dry place and leaving it for quite a while. In extreme cases you can try wrapping it in a towel and baking it in an oven. Do not let the temperature go over 135 or 140 degrees and do this for a few hours. Make sure this is your last ditch effort.

Reset

There are always software solutions for this that include the normal reset functions of the iPhone. If this is the first time this has happened you should try to turn the iPhone off and on and see if this has an effect on the unresponsive iPhone. You can also try to restore it to its factory settings, and this is easily done right from your iTunes account. You can try the restore function at various levels from your settings themselves, but if you have consistent problems with the home button you are going to want to strip everything from your iPhone. If you do this you have to make sure to do a full iPhone back up ahead of time otherwise you may lose contacts, media, or applications.

Apple Store

In this situation Apple can actually be helpful, which is uncharacteristic. Usually a blockage or physical problem can be repaired and often it is a factory defect. Remember, if you are using a protective case this may be to blame for unresponsive iPhone Home buttons. If the solution is not dealt with by purely opening up the iPhone and cleaning it you may have to actually send it back, but if there are signs of physical trauma to the iPhone itself it will likely cancel out any protection over the device through the warranty. This is going to be especially true if there was any water damage.

Anonymous Jan 24, 2012 11:01 PM

RE: iPhone Help: Fixing an Unresponsive Home Button

Go to settings and turn on assistive touch it's the same as a home screen button just on the touch screen

Emullendore Jan 9, 2012 1:00 AM

is the iphone on or off when pressing on it? does this work for a 2nd gen iPod touch as well as an iPhone?

Emilylayzell Jan 1, 2012 3:50 PM

I have had problems with my home button for a few weeks now, after an unhelpful visit to apple store where i was told it was a software problem not a hardware problem, apple restored my iphone in-store (lost everything) and it didnt help. The only other option they gave me was to pay for a new iphone as it was out of warranty by 160 days. My iphone wouldn’t go into dfu mode but after reading the above i cleaned my button and charge port with an old tooth brush and it works! My home button is working again and allows me to go into dfu mode. Just shows you how much genius bar know and the customer services wasn’t great they cancelled my appointment whilst i waited to be called and then had to wait 30mins for another appointment. The unhelpful assistant informed me after restoring my phone that he had other customers to see and would need to move on! Oh well at least we still have Google! :) Thanks again!

Sophia_shah Dec 18, 2011 8:14 PM

Same. i pressed it really hard. nothings happening. :-(

Summer Dec 3, 2011 4:08 AM

Haha! I threw mine at the wall and it fixed!

5hacker Nov 30, 2011 9:58 AM

There is a workaround as well...check out the link and share. <a rel="nofollow">Thankshttp://zytecworld.com/20...</a>

David Nov 3, 2011 5:21 PM

I haven't tried any of these tips yet (my iPhone is at home), but another tip that you can use if you cannot solve the problem is to work around it. I've found that if you lock your iPhone, go into the emergency call, and then go back to your lockscreen, when you unlock the phone, you will be back onto your springboard (where all your app icons are located).

Paul Oct 27, 2011 5:10 AM

Hi, These types of problems are faced by many iPhone users. Even i dropped my one in water bucket. Thanks for your advice for fixing this problem. iPhone Repair

Anonymous Aug 26, 2011 12:06 AM

Worked like a charm!

I dropped mine in my tea where the charger plugs in..I have been turning off and on...only had it 3 months. I just want to say Thank you! I pushed it in hard for a few minutes, and then tapped on it a few times hard..now I can push the home button like I did before...and better yet, I dont have to waste 5 minutes deciding if I really need to use that AP!! :)

Anonymous Aug 23, 2011 9:12 AM

Thank you! It is working!!!!

Anonymous Aug 3, 2011 7:14 AM

screen is blank!!!!

the screen has all of a sudden gone blank and the vibrator is continuously on. none of the button is functional

Anonymous Jul 28, 2011 1:59 AM

Unbelievable

But that press-lower-left-part-of-screen worked! My homebutton have been working intermittently for some months and yesterday it stopped working alltogether. found this tip and it worked!

Anonymous Jun 10, 2011 4:31 PM

over left and up trick

i tried it for at least for 15 minutes and i kept hearing that click noise but nothing happened.Any other ways to do it?

Anonymous May 31, 2011 5:18 AM

Up and to the left worked... I might return it anyway as a brand new iPhone 4 would be nice.. But thanks!!!

megan sally moore May 4, 2011 11:01 AM

the worst thing has finally happened to my iphone.

my iphone had a cracked and shattered screen after a server drop, but i was going to send that for repairs so that wasnt the problem, until the glass fell out the screen and exposed the home button and a small connecting cord. while preoccupied on a skype call to korea my 2 year son, snatched my phone and pulled the home button right off. and the cord snapped. i cant use the phone without the home button :( is this repairable? or is it a lost case :( please reply.

Katherine McIntyre Apr 20, 2011 3:46 AM

Brilliant!!!

I tried pressing the left of the home button trick... The first time I tried it didn't work, I pressed a slightly different place and a bit harder and heard a quiet pop or click type thing and then miraculously t works again!!! I'm so happy, I thought my son had broken it permanently...

MBell Apr 15, 2011 1:07 PM

Up and to Left solution

Putting pressure just above the Home button and to left (lower left hand corner of actual lcd screen) works to get the Home button to work again because this is where the home button connector cable is located inside. The cable has come loose and applying pressure to that spot helps to secure it. Just dont push too hard or you will damage your lcd. If you are comfortable opening your ipod/iphone (lots of videos on YouTube) you can do it manually and also clean off any dust and dry water from this area. Good luck all!

Sarah Apr 12, 2011 4:32 PM

Just discovered this....

I'm 2 months away from an upgrade, I've spent 8 furious months having to turn off my 3G just to get out of an app and just today discovered that if I put my thumb nail into where the charger goes the home button works every time! Can anyone diagnose what is up with my home button from this and come up with a permanent solution?

Thanks :)

she Apr 11, 2011 2:00 PM

cracked screen / broken home button

OMG IM SO HAPPY I COULD CRY!!!!!

THE "UP AND TO THE LEFT" THING WORKED FOR ME!!!!! THANKS YOU, GUYS ;_;

anddddd, just so everybody knows... i've dropped my iPhone 50+ times. but this was the first time that my home button stopped working. when i tried the trick mentioned above, i actually heard my iPhone *POP* and i instantly thought, "awhhhh, crap. i broke it even more." but, nope! it's not broken. it works! Thank You, Jesus! Thank You, fellow iPhone users!

Cant believe it actually worked Apr 8, 2011 1:36 PM

It worked!!!!!

I took off my cas & pressed the left of the home button until something happened. Voice control came up so now it's working again

manjunaath Apr 6, 2011 1:31 PM

home button...

rub your finger around the home button and pressing the button few times while rubbing around the home button... it starts working again..

mine was stuck for few hours

Angela Apr 4, 2011 9:54 AM

Can't believe that worked

I was ready to bring it to the Apple store and pay who knows what before finding this forum so thanks for posting! squeezing along the entire left side of the phone worked for me. Not only that but I was able to finally sync to itunes again! I guess somehow the two problems were related.

Santa Li Mar 28, 2011 10:27 PM

Unresponsive home button - FIXED!

My home button was not working (one problem after another) so I tried pushing to the left of the button but this just acted as a substitute for the home button. I massaged the bottom quarter of the screen, above the home button and this seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks guys for the idea!

A Girl Who's Home Button Is Messed Up Mar 27, 2011 4:38 PM

Iphone 4.

I received my iphone 4 about a week and a half ago. I didnt experience any problems with the phone until last Saturday after i updated my phone to the new 4.3 software i noticed that the home key was not responding as usual later on that night. i tried ALL of these things listed above and not one of them made the phone operate like normal. I have no clue why the problem as came up but it is definitely frustrating.. I have spoken to my phone company and I am proceeding to send this one back and have it fixed.

Andrew Lim Mar 26, 2011 8:58 PM

Pressing to the Top Left of the Home Button Seems to Work!

It was acting wonky again today, and after pushing hard around 2-3cm at the top-left of the Home button, it started working again.

Isaiah Mar 23, 2011 2:29 AM

Broken Home Button

3/22/2011
LISTEN UP EVERYONE!
If you broke your home button you need to jailbreak your iphone. I spent months trying to avoid it. Go to http://www.iphonedownloadblog.com/2010/11/23/tutorial-how-to-jailbreak-your-iphone-ios-4-2-1-with-redsn0w/
to jailbreak it. once jailbroken install "activator" from cydia. Cydia is the "app store" for a jailbroken iphone. Jailbreaking your iphone will not erase your contacts, calendars, text messages, but it will likely delete your free apps. No big deal because you still have access to the regular app store. Activator will let you assign other functions that will let you use the home button. Jailbreaking also has other perks, but research can help you with those.

Questions? email me at zeussinator_2@hotmail.com

P.S. YOUTUBE IS HELPFUL

Freddie Mac Mar 22, 2011 1:07 AM

Warning

Ye be Warned.

I read the comments about squeezing the iphone and I broke it even more.

Do NOT squeeze the iPhone!!!!!

Thanks to the dirtbag with the great idea I broke my headset part as well.

If your iPhone is jailbroken, just install Activator inside Cydia. You should be able to replace the home button with other types of gestures.

PhilW Mar 21, 2011 4:32 PM

Press the screen

You press the screen, not so hard that it will break it, just firmly. Try a few spots around the bottom left quarter of the screen. Of course if it still doesn't work, I suggest you have a problem that might need open heart surgery! Since it fixed mine months ago I haven't had a problem.

Christina Mar 20, 2011 2:06 PM

AAARRGGGHHH

okay people i am getting really f**ing arrivated you people are all taking about left of the home button what the F**K am i supposed to push then. there isnt a button there or anything. So WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT!!!

Sophia Mar 18, 2011 6:44 PM

I can't get the screen thing right :(

I pressed extremely hard one inch above to the left of the home key like you guys said, nothing happened. I pressed so hard that I thought I was to break my finger. Does it have to be that much force?

Jess Mar 18, 2011 11:30 AM

Aghh Thank you!

The left of the button thing works! thank you so much guys! x

Jess Mar 18, 2011 11:27 AM

Left of home button

Do you have to push the actual screen? One inch up to the left of the button?

tevye Mar 18, 2011 12:58 AM

iphone 4

ok at first nothing worked then pressing extremely hard one inch up to the left and it is fine now i really had to squeeze the thing hard i thought it would break for sure whoever originated this thank you to all the people it worked for thank you as well it was your comments that helped me and hopefully someone will read mine and not trow theres against a wall

Happy guy Mar 14, 2011 4:18 PM

Thank you!

I was using the passcode / emergency method until I read your post. I tried the left of home button and it worked! Didn't really up to try left-up of button. Now it's fine again. Thanks!

Dale Mar 14, 2011 1:33 PM

working!!! didnt follow any of this advice

i have just fixed my home button. the pins inside the iphone need to touch off the connectors. i was just given an easter egg ha.. i know but i used a small bit of foil from the egg and placed it between the pins and connectors and now its working. god i love DIY jobs haha better than sending it off and getting charged 120 to do exactly what ive done well it cant hurt to try it my way so good luck

David Mar 6, 2011 9:44 PM

Success!!

I was just about to give up on this when I read this article....then more nothing happened and I DEFINITELY was done, until I started reading the comments. Whoever first mentioned the trick of pressing on the screen up and to the left of the home button really got it right!

I was confused at first, but if you push on the actual glass screen (with some force, but not too much) all around the round "home" button with particular emphasis about a fingertip's length above and to the left, then you might have success like I did. I didn't feel or hear any click or anything like that, but all of a sudden it started working again! Thanks again for the help, internet!

CarrieMtn Mar 3, 2011 6:10 PM

pushing on the left of button

Hi- I almost sold my iphone3g last night for $20 because I had given up. Today, it is working again. I tried the toothbrush... didn't work, but pushing to the left of the button works great. Thank you thank you.

P0P5 Feb 28, 2011 5:44 AM

RE: Krys - oVER LEFT AND UP.

This worked for me! Nice one!

Krys
over left and up!
Today my phone fell out of its $50 OtterBox clip and hit the ground and yes the home button stopped working. After reading all this I tried pushing firmly to the left of the home button and up about an inch. It seems to be working for now.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/mobile/iphone/articles/45921.aspx#ixzz1FFVXdPek

Sandy Green Feb 26, 2011 10:04 AM

Toothbrush beats techno!

Thank you thank you one million times thank you! Brain was about to expire at the thought of being without a phone for god-knows-how-long as this one went in to be fixed! And a rudimentary old tool like a toothbrush used to fix this state of the art contraption - love it!

mohammad hassanzadeh Feb 16, 2011 3:31 PM

tnxxxxxxxxxxx for ur guide

Krys Feb 15, 2011 9:42 PM

over left and up!

Today my phone fell out of its $50 OtterBox clip and hit the ground and yes the home button stopped working. After reading all this I tried pushing firmly to the left of the home button and up about an inch. It seems to be working for now.

DECY Feb 11, 2011 6:05 AM

home button doesn't work.

my home button doesn't work, after it fell into the ground. my phone doesn't work correctly anymore. what will i do?

Caroline Jan 25, 2011 7:44 PM

Thank you

My home button doesnt work and my phone is randomly calling people as well as playing music. Thank you David Woodroof for helping get around the problem.

david woodrooffe
I know how you can get back to the home screen without the button
hey guys, I dropped my iPhone in a cup of green tea a few weeks ago, as I am that stupid. I turned it off for a day and it saved the phone itself, as as soon as it had happened it just kept going on voice control and calling random people in my phone book.

However, the home button no longer functions. I too am looking for a solution, but in terms of accessing the homescreen without turning on/off there is one thing you can do.

If you lock the phone with the button on top, then click again, and slide to unlock. Then, whilst the keypad is up to enter in your code, click the "Emergency Call" button on the bottom left. This then brings up another keypad, simply click the back arrow at the bottom, the enter in your unlock code in the unlock keypad and you will be back on your home screen.

It is a bit of a pain, but much better than turning on/off!

hope this helps

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/mobile/iphone/articles/45921/comments.aspx?cp=4#ixzz1C69Sutt4

syed Jan 24, 2011 5:36 PM

home button problem

I had the same problem with home button sometimes working fine and at times getting unresponsive until more force was required to get it working. I decided to open the two screws at the bottom, sliding the back glass cover off. Then opened the small screw inside on the right hand side. I then slid off the bottom plastic part underneath which is the home button, i gently pressed it down against the home button. It then worked fine. Be careful with the antenna connection at the bottom as it can come out, but just put it back. It works ok now

Andrew Jan 14, 2011 4:57 PM

don't follow don's advice

Don on page 6 suggested taking the glass cover off. Don't do this. Now instead of having a faulty home button, i have an iPhone that doesn't work at all.

Shashank Dec 28, 2010 1:44 AM

Water problem Home botton not working

For a temporary solution i seriously gives hats off to mr. david woodrooffe. THis really works and atleast i can you my Iphone . But still i'm looking for permanatly fixing it.

ChelseaLillian Dec 27, 2010 7:57 PM

I phone 4

The power button on my iPhone 4 is stuck & I have to push down really hard to even try & turn it off... What can I do??

kennedy Dec 26, 2010 5:14 PM

iphone

yall are so crazy the toothbrush thing doesn't even work ugh..... im sick of this thing!!! XD

Jay Dec 26, 2010 7:41 AM

Home Button Makes iphone 3gs Turn off

when i press my Home Button Makes iphone 3gs Turn off :(

diana Dec 25, 2010 11:05 PM

home button stuck!!!

the home button is stuck on mine and i have to press it down really hard to go back to my home screen!!!how can i fix it????

mj Dec 20, 2010 5:54 PM

YAY

you are actual ledgends it worked :|D

Slw91 Dec 15, 2010 5:24 PM

Iphone 4 home button not working

Today my iphone home button stopped working, i was panicking because ive experienced a lot of problems with this phone, however thought i would just try and see if it was a common fault and googled my problem, leading me to this page, i tested the pressing the left hand side of your phone theory and wallaahh it worked!! thankyou guys sooooo much :D x

alib123 Dec 8, 2010 4:46 PM

THANK YOU!!

My home button had become completely unresponsive and was beginning to think the worst so saw this and tried the first idea to clear the port underneath the phone. I actually used a small eyeshadow brush instead and a bit of air and its working again!!! thank you thank you thank you!

Ollie Streek Dec 7, 2010 7:17 AM

send back to apple?

none of the solution stated here work for me. my iphone 4 had water damage and was repaired by an iphone repair company, will my phone have lost its warranty and will someone fix it in the apple store?

lou Dec 6, 2010 1:20 PM

lou

whaaaaaattttt. it actually works. pressing firmly down on the screen to the left and up and about an inch or two fixed my home button issue. crazyy.

wendy mart Dec 6, 2010 7:19 AM

i phone 3g

i cannot get the button on the top of my phone what switches it on and off to work can u help please

charlies Dec 3, 2010 10:37 AM

thank you

Hey, i dropped my iphone from only about a foot onto a carpet and the home button stopped working. Tried the trick with pressing the screen a little to the left and about an inch up (as Phil said on 7th Nov) and hey presto - working again. Thank you

LMSOARES Nov 29, 2010 8:29 AM

stuck button

Just wanted to say thank you, I pressed the left side of my phone a little ways from the home button and voila, it's working....THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Memphis REI Nov 24, 2010 9:15 PM

working again - yahooooo!!

I was walking around Costco while hubby was shopping and I was bored playing on my iphone, all of a sudden Home button would not work. The phone is about 4 months old and the home button has been tempermental at best, but to not work at all, oh crap!!! So I got home and googled. Tried all the resets, power off/on, tried it all. Then read Phil's post on Nov 7, 2010 to press the left side of the iphone so I squeezed all up and down the iphone and felt a little click below the volume button when I squeeze there, and whala, Home button is now responding, like a loose connection. Wow, must be a bad design flaw on the 3GS. Thank you Phil !!!

Bruce G. Nov 11, 2010 2:57 PM

Other Options

My problem is directly from water damage. My phone stopped working after I dropped it in the toilet one night. I took a while but I finally got it to turn back on after many attempts to restore. It acts as if it is in a restore loop so that even if you restore it still shows the itunes USB cable on your screen. If you unplug your iphone and restart it, it will boot up to the emergency screen and you can plug it in to the pc again and activate your phone. MY home button exhibits a strange behavior now. It is as if it is always been held down. When I boot up my phone it jumps straight to enter a voice command, and I can't use it for anything else. My phone has had plenty of time to dry out, I've taken it apart to clean it with alcohol, but still no success. So I jail broke my Iphone and downloaded ummm......that app of of cydia to set buttons or gestures to do certain commands, and I used that to replace my home button. I am going to try a few more things to see if it helps, I WANT MY HOME BUTTON BACK! Oh yeah and does anyone know the name of the app I am referring to?

PhilW Nov 7, 2010 5:32 AM

press the screen

my button stopped working too, but i did what Alex Apr 11 suggested, press the screen to the left and up about an inch from the home button, and hey! the home button is working again. Weird but true. Hope it holds up.

Nathan Smith Oct 26, 2010 10:07 AM

Do not bake your phone

It's not the oven that is fixing the phone, it's the amount of time it takes for the phone to dry. You should put it in a ziploc bag with uncooked rice and leave it in there for a few days. It could take up to a week before it functions properly again, but don't put it in the oven or microwave. That's just not smart.

Fredric Oct 20, 2010 6:22 PM

RE: Water

Just wanted to say that, although beeing a little sceptic to the oven theory I tried it. After my girlfriend dropped her phone into a running zink (IPhone 3G) it stopped working.. not too strange... After a while the phone started ok and I tried restoring it. That didn't work with an Ipone 4 cable but with an older IPhone 3 cable it actually restored.

But the home-button still didnt work after restore. So i tried the oven theory, baked it for 3 hours wrapped in a towel at 50 degrees C, 130 degrees F. It got kind of hot and at first it didnt work, but after 48 hours the button accctually started working. More than 1 week after the water incident. So thank you very much for this blog-post and to david woodrooffe for the work-around on the home-button. My gf loved that!

Katie Oct 18, 2010 11:25 PM

THANK YOU David Woodrooffe!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE TIP! Such a time saver! Thank you David Woodrooffe!

Jay Oct 14, 2010 1:32 PM

Iphone home button fix by john, page 1

Thanks for that handy way of gettin back to the home screen john :)

John say Oct 8, 2010 3:42 AM

Iphone Home Button fix

Thx for this great innovative solution provided by
david woodrooffe

I know how you can get back to the home screen without the button
hey guys, I dropped my iPhone in a cup of green tea a few weeks ago, as I am that stupid. I turned it off for a day and it saved the phone itself, as as soon as it had happened it just kept going on voice control and calling random people in my phone book.

However, the home button no longer functions. I too am looking for a solution, but in terms of accessing the homescreen without turning on/off there is one thing you can do.

If you lock the phone with the button on top, then click again, and slide to unlock. Then, whilst the keypad is up to enter in your code, click the "Emergency Call" button on the bottom left. This then brings up another keypad, simply click the back arrow at the bottom, the enter in your unlock code in the unlock keypad and you will be back on your home screen.

It is a bit of a pain, but much better than turning on/off!

hope this helps.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/mobile/iphone/articles/45921/comments.aspx?cp=2#ixzz11kdtSASZ

paraglidr Oct 4, 2010 1:40 PM

How to fix or repair your iphone home button

iphone 3g and 3gs home buttons (the ribbon cable) are very prone to failure. VIDEO TUTORIAL REPAIR LINK BELOW
I fixed my phone, took still photos of the process, and posted this step by step DIY video simply to show others how to do it. At time of posting, this video has 58,000 views and has helped a lot of people save their precious gadget. Not selling anything, just giving back what I learned. the replacement ribbon cable will cost you 7 bucks on ebay. If you have any DIY skills, you can repair or replace your home button, ribbon cable, and LCD Screen by watching this - good luck!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=783pRXMeV3I

DJGray Oct 1, 2010 8:55 AM

Kudos Galore to David Woodroofe

You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar!! That's a GREAT workaround. Thank you

Siva Sep 6, 2010 6:28 PM

iPhone Home button not working

Folks,

Forget tin foil or soldering etc. As suggested on another forum, Press the power key and home button at the same time for 10 seconds until i-phone shuts down itself. Then turn on i-phone, to see if home button is working

And it worked!!! I was fretting over taking time off work to go to an Apple shop and pay half the cost of an iPhone to fix the Home button.

Presant Singh Sep 6, 2010 3:46 PM

David Woodruff = My Life

Oh man, thank you so much! I hated having to turn it off and on again everytime I wanted to switch apps!

Much love.

dyrenr Sep 1, 2010 2:06 AM

go down on the previous comment,

mine also broke, a few mths ago.i try 1 of those ideas,using an alluminum fold paper.n its works gr8

atul Aug 31, 2010 3:18 AM

iphone 3gs home button not working properly

hi..i have iphone 3gs and its home button not working properly...whats should i do...?

Seb Jul 30, 2010 3:32 PM

One gold tab was broken. Ordered a new one from eBay - use search term:
"Apple iPhone 3G Home Button Part OEM"

In the interim, used the tin foil trick, which worked only OK. Seemed that if you completely tighten the two screws the home button returns to its unresponsive state. Strange.

Thanks for the excellent comments.

algernon Wilson Jul 18, 2010 3:05 PM

David Woodrooffe is the new shiznit!!

ˆou sir, are my hero. If you're ever in Calgary Alberta, I will by you 12 pints of what ever you want.
THANKS!
Algernon

m0 Jul 15, 2010 3:01 PM

My phone was droped in water and the home button stop working. I jailbroken usins spiritejb and downloaded abb called MQuickdo, which replaces the home button. This alows you to swipe on the top of the screen and takes you back to the home page. 100% works check youtube

Gtfarmboy Jul 15, 2010 12:02 AM

!!! Loose dock connector was my problem

I dropped my 3G-S hard on concrete for the first time ever. Home button stopped working and the dock wouldn't read or charge. Tried everything I read here and nothing helped. Found a site that details how to take it apart (linked below) and found that the main connector plug for the dock that the home button interfaces with for I/O had simply been bumped loose during the fall. Popped it back on and bam, 100% functionality.
http://www.portatronics.com/guide/iPhone-3G-Repair-Guide/iphone3g.html
Stop after step 4 and check plug & 4 and 7. Be gentle but try removing them and reattaching. You should feel a pretty noticeable 'snap' into place on both. Don't forget to make sure your SIM card is out and the phone is off. Due to the way the Home button connects, you need to snap the phone entirely back together before testing otherwise the home button definitely won't work.

Good luck!

Stan Jul 13, 2010 5:46 AM

Had almost given up hope but...

...David Woodrooffe saved the day!

Can only say thanks very much for sharing this trick as it's given my new (but bruised and battered) Iphone a new lease of life!

mfatal Jul 11, 2010 5:07 AM

David Woodroof Your a STAR! :)

**

If you lock the phone with the button on top, then click again, and slide to unlock. Then, whilst the keypad is up to enter in your code, click the "Emergency Call" button on the bottom left. This then brings up another keypad, simply click the back arrow at the bottom, the enter in your unlock code in the unlock keypad and you will be back on your home screen.
**

This works fine! :)

Thanks!

becca Jul 7, 2010 10:20 PM

holy cow!

thank you so much! because of this article i fixed my brand new iphone4.... thankyou!

Christy Jul 5, 2010 10:09 PM

John Keagy THANK YOU!!!

My son's home button stopped working and he has had to turn it off and turn it back on any time he wanted to do anything - thank you so much for this answer!!!! He can upgrade in October, but until then this is SOOO much easier than having to power off/on every time he wanted to switch apps!! Thank you so much!!

John Keagy Jul 4, 2010 3:48 PM

Great work around to home button not working

This solution from David Woodruff works great! Thank you!!!!! My iPhone went for a swim in Lake Tahoe.

david woodrooffe
I know how you can get back to the home screen without the button
hey guys, I dropped my iPhone in a cup of green tea a few weeks ago, as I am that stupid. I turned it off for a day and it saved the phone itself, as as soon as it had happened it just kept going on voice control and calling random people in my phone book.

However, the home button no longer functions. I too am looking for a solution, but in terms of accessing the homescreen without turning on/off there is one thing you can do.

If you lock the phone with the button on top, then click again, and slide to unlock. Then, whilst the keypad is up to enter in your code, click the "Emergency Call" button on the bottom left. This then brings up another keypad, simply click the back arrow at the bottom, the enter in your unlock code in the unlock keypad and you will be back on your home screen.

It is a bit of a pain, but much better than turning on/off!

hope this helps.

buttercup Jun 29, 2010 5:57 PM

best place to dry electronics

Take it from a mom whose has washed all kinds of electronics, the floor in front of your refrigerator is the best place to dry them out. Just put them at the edge of the vents in front and the warm dry air will have them dry in a short time. You can lay tennis shoes on their side and they will dry overnight, too

Markus Jun 23, 2010 1:46 PM

Michael Thnksss so much!!!

wow bro the aluminum foil had me a bit skeptical but it really works!! i love u dude u rock!!! lol

david woodrooffe Jun 22, 2010 5:39 AM

I know how you can get back to the home screen without the button

hey guys, I dropped my iPhone in a cup of green tea a few weeks ago, as I am that stupid. I turned it off for a day and it saved the phone itself, as as soon as it had happened it just kept going on voice control and calling random people in my phone book.

However, the home button no longer functions. I too am looking for a solution, but in terms of accessing the homescreen without turning on/off there is one thing you can do.

If you lock the phone with the button on top, then click again, and slide to unlock. Then, whilst the keypad is up to enter in your code, click the "Emergency Call" button on the bottom left. This then brings up another keypad, simply click the back arrow at the bottom, the enter in your unlock code in the unlock keypad and you will be back on your home screen.

It is a bit of a pain, but much better than turning on/off!

hope this helps.

Roy Jun 18, 2010 6:56 AM

Still dead

My Iphone was dropped in water, it was dried out totally, and even now months later the phone works but not the home button.

The phone behaves live the home button is always pressed, if you plug into usb port the phone goes into maintenance mode like the home button is depressed.

I have replaced the home button membrane with the gold glips in case there was an issue with that but still it does not work.

Any one have any clues as i have to power the phone off and on to change apps!

Tara Jun 16, 2010 3:52 PM

iphone home button

My iphone was put in some water and the speakers an home button stopped working... I didnt think it could help but actually RICE dryed the phone out! i just got a bag of UN-cooked rice and put the phone in it to sit... after an hour the phone worked again...

kelly Jun 3, 2010 12:52 PM

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Jess May 29, 2010 1:34 PM

How?

I was where you were supposed to blow air, or brush? Are you talking about where the speakers are on the bottom?

Thanks

Christina Tomey May 27, 2010 10:37 PM

THANKS ALOT :)

I was to the point where I about to start crying because my home button was stuck. I found this article and got a toothbrush and it worked! THANKS :)

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dyrenr May 25, 2010 3:11 AM

home button still not fixin

hey i realy help again im tryin wht micheal n gyve said,,but its aint working ,i dont knw y.wht kind of tape mst i use ,im using maski tape but seem that current is nit goin in, n also where must i put it up or on the main board down,n also the two gold pin broke ,so wht must i do

Georgia :) May 14, 2010 12:02 PM

Help

Hi I had droped my iPhone and it broke I got it fixed but the home button is broken I can not opens it for I am only 13 Is there any way I could fix it of have a other way to get back to the home?????

gyve May 10, 2010 5:48 PM

IT WORKED!

My iphone home button stopped working randomly, I opened the phone and saw both of the connection clips broken. I folded two pieces of aluminum foil and taped them down on the phone with masking tape, close the phone and presto it worked again!
Thanks Michael!

david Herbert May 9, 2010 10:07 AM

Dropped a ipod touch

Hi all, I dropped my ipod touch on a treadmill of all places now the hold button doesn't work.

dfrank May 5, 2010 1:58 PM

home buton

bought a new flex cable on ebay for $4
Item number: 160429236111 hope this helps

dyrenr May 5, 2010 12:39 PM

HOME BUTTON

my home button isnt working ,the 2 gold pin broke ,
pls i need help,how can i fix it ,wht must i do ,
pls some 1 give me the best solution ,im jailbroken ,pls pls pls pls help a bro

Simon May 3, 2010 5:41 AM

Clarification

Hi Don,

Can you please clarify the location of the gold tabs. Is it on the main body of the iphone or is it on the inside of the screen liftout?

dfrank Apr 30, 2010 9:25 AM

don or any one

i took my phone apart and it looks like one of the contact tabs is missing that is if there are suposed to be two of them. what can i do

Don Apr 28, 2010 6:08 PM

Another possible fix

Most of the time, the contact tabs get bent, and the home button stops working. It is an easy fix and here is how. Remove the 2 phillips screws at the bottom of the phone. Find a suction cup like the ones you use to hang stuff on windows and carefully lift the glass from the phone. There you will see 2 very small gold tabs and my bet is they are bent in. Use an exacto knife and magnifying glass and carefully bend the tabs back out, about 1/16th of an inch total. You will know the tabs when you see them, they have matching spots on the board where they make contact. Then put it back together. I got a 16gig iPhone for my son cheap that had the same problem and it took less than 10 minutes to fix. Hope this helps.

Michael Apr 24, 2010 12:06 PM

Alex ( Son Sodering)

Your son could do that and it would work but i suggest he does not do that. If that is the problem the only thing is that your pins with the home button and the pins on the charger port/speakers are not contacting well enough. this happen a lot of times. An alternative for sodering can be getting a slice of aluminum foil folding it up slightly thin and putting it inbetween the pins making sure they touch.

Sam (: Apr 12, 2010 4:09 PM

Thanks!!!!

You saved my iPod (:

Alex Apr 11, 2010 1:58 PM

my son is about to solder the home button

my 16 yr old son thinks that he can fix the home button by soldering a copper prong inside the device.
he now went with her mom to home depot to buy a soldering device. is he right on doing this? the round home button does not work if you press it but he said it works once you press the left side of the of the screen about an inch of the home button. i think he will screw it up....what do u guys think?

jessica Apr 11, 2010 1:26 AM

App??

MN,
Can you tell me the name of this app?

MN Apr 9, 2010 8:11 PM

Happy :-)

My iphone home button does not work as well, but I use this open source app and I won't have to replace my phone now.
If none of the above works then try this:
http://www.ehow.com/how-did_100538_fix-button-jail-broken-i_phone.html.

It is an application you can install to close the apps and will solve the problem of non-working home button. I found it very useful.

Aaron Mar 30, 2010 4:57 PM

HOORAY!!!

The oven trick worked for me!!!! thank you for the help.

Sally Mar 28, 2010 10:48 PM

SAVED!

This article has just saved my iPhone. An unfortunate high tide washed up my iPhone and I thought it was all over. It touched the water only about a second but that's enough for the sandy water to creep through the wholes. It screwed up for a while and the home button didn't work at all, and so following the drying advice of the oven (as a last resort), instead of putting it in the oven, I put it on top of my computer at work. My computer is place in a whole in the cupboard, and its internal fan makes the cupboard-whole really warm. So in effect, it is like a heater there. After about 4 hours the home button now has a slow response rather than no response at all.

My life can now safely move on...