Modern smartphones are made with a minimum of buttons. Touch controls are becoming more and more preferred. Today you will be presented with the Home button on the iPhone. What is this control? What functions is it responsible for? Where is the button located? What to do if it stops working? The answer to all these questions is much simpler than it might seem at first glance. Even an inexperienced iPhone owner can figure them out.
What is the button
It is important to understand which mobile device control we are talking about. The Home button on an iPhone is one of the few keys that can interest the user. It is the most functional element of device control.
It is noted that the Home button is used on a smartphone more often than others. It supports a variety of features. They will be discussed further below. This control is mainly used to unlock the iPhone or exit a game/program.
Location and description
Where is the Home button on an iPhone? Every device owner should know about this. It is not difficult to guess which smartphone control element we are talking about. The button under study is located at the bottom of the gadget, on the front panel, under the screen. It is made of glass and has a round shape. The button itself usually displays a small square, but it may not exist. It all depends on iPhone models. The control element is present in any Apple product.
Functional
What can the Home button on an iPhone be used for? It has a wide range of applications. There are several options for pressing the button - one, two and three. Depending on this, the command executed on the smartphone will change.
For example, on an iPhone, using this button you can:
- unlock the device;
- close a program, application or game;
- go to Recovery Mode;
- launch smartphone or tablet widgets;
- activate one of the standard programs;
- open a menu showing applications that support multitasking (in latest versions iOS);
- enable and use voice control(triple press).
The first 4 points are the same for all iPhone models. The rest of the functionality depends on the installed operating system. Often, users themselves can set in the gadget settings what the “Home” button on the iPhone will be responsible for. Therefore, it is difficult to say exactly why it is used. Just remember that it is used to exit programs, unlock the device and switch to Recovery Mode.
If it doesn't work
As already mentioned, the mentioned control element is used constantly in practice. Therefore, sometimes owners of Apple products complain that the Home button refuses to perform its functions. Fortunately, Apple has made sure that all controls for smartphones and tablets are robust enough. In most cases, the breakdown is fixed quickly and without much difficulty.
So, if you want to make the “Home” button on your iPhone working after some kind of failure, you need to:
- Clean the control element and lubricate it. It is best to use special lubricants and alcohol for this purpose.
- Calibrate the button. To do this, open any system application(say, a calendar), after which you need to hold the power button of the smartphone until the function menu appears. Next, press the Home button. Hold it until the menu disappears.
- Correct the position of the connector. The gadget is connected to a 30-pin cord, after which you will need to lightly press where the wire connects to the iPhone.
All these tips will help bring the Home button back to life if there has been a system failure. If the hardware is damaged, the control will have to be replaced. It is advisable to seek the help of specialists. They will easily replace the button and return it to functionality.
Output on display
But there is one more trick. It will help you use the control you are learning without its physical form. The "Home" button on the iPhone screen is not uncommon. Every modern owner of an Apple product can display it and use it if necessary. Usually this function applies to new iOS. There is a special function to display the button on the screen. It's called AssistiveTouch. You can turn it on in a few clicks.
More precisely, to display the Home button on the device display you will have to:
- Open "Settings" - "General" - "Universal Access".
- Find AssistiveTouch. Click on this line.
- Move the function indicator to the "On" position.
This is the simplest and fastest solution to bring your idea to life. The screen will appear graphic image Home button, which can be used along with the physical interpretation of the element. Nothing difficult, unclear or unusual. If the Home key is displayed on the screen, it can be dragged to any place convenient for the owner.
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 software products iOS and OS X. However, even in the case of the 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 everything iPhone owners and iPad 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:
- Software glitches;
- 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?
- Home button calibration;
- Adjusting the position of the connector;
- Cleaning the contact pad and lubricating the mechanism;
- Replacing a button at the software level.
Let's consider each of the above methods in details.
Home Button Calibration
To make the main mechanical control on your iOS device respond obediently to every press, follow these steps:
- Launch any native (standard) application included in iOS on your iPhone. It could be the weather, calendar, stocks or anything else;
- Press and hold the Power button until the device shutdown slider appears on the screen. Release Power;
- 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:
- Connect a standard USB cable to the iPhone;
- Place your finger under the plug inserted into the connector;
- 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 and mechanisms. Vehicle, locks and much more. Oddly enough, but the tool can also help in repairing the Home button, for this:
- Apply a small amount of product to the Home button;
- Press the button several times in succession (up to 15 presses may be required) until the product penetrates the gap between the button and protective glass iPhone.
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 touch panel 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:
- Apply a little alcohol to the surface of the button in the gap area around the entire perimeter;
- Press Home several times (up to 10 times);
- 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:
- Repair or complete replacement of the button at the service center;
- 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 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, 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 iPhone screen or iPad.
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!
My wife became the owner of an iPhone 5. Everything was fine until it accidentally fell off the table onto the floor. Outwardly, he was not damaged, and even turned on, but she was happy early, since the home button stopped working after the fall. If you have a similar story, don’t be upset, restoring the functionality of this button may be within your power. So…
At the beginning, I started surfing hoping that it would be very easy to cure the home button, but the entire Internet is full of advice to change the entire button or just a button without a cable. There was also advice to check the cable, which could come unfastened.
Not knowing why I bought a home button with a cable and a set of screwdrivers to disassemble it. The phone was under warranty, but I was sorry for the time spent searching for service and waiting for repairs with an unknown diagnosis. It was decided to dissect the patient in order to see for himself what happened there.
Here is the same set of screwdrivers for 50 rubles that I bought at the siriust.ru store. Probably only the Chinese are cheaper. By the way, you can order a button from them for a couple of bucks, and not only black and white, but also other colors.
As for parsing. To do this, you need to unscrew just two tiny screws from the bottom of your poor iPhone. The screws themselves have the shape of a 5-pointed star measuring 3.6 mm. It is quite possible that you already have them in your screwdriver set and then you won’t have to buy anything at all.
After you feel like a watchmaker, unscrewing the screws, you should take any suction cup that you can pull on. Suck it a little closer to the home button. I found one from a DVR. Having suctioned to the glass, begin to gently and slowly pull on the suction cup. I didn't make any significant efforts. Everything turned out quite easily. Please note that at the top of the iPhone there are cables connecting the glass-touchscreen and the body. There is no need to pull anything out there.
Here is the home button that we need to bring back to life after our iPhone 5 crashed.
Looking at my device and seeing the same picture, I realized that everything was sitting firmly and no fall could damage either the button or the cable. But then what's the matter? Notice the two yellowish round heels. On the opposite side of the glass you will see the following picture:
Do you see two bright yellow plates? These contacts short out your home button when pressed. You can try to carefully short-circuit them with a screwdriver while the iPhone is turned on and make sure that the screen reacts to pressure. I think you already understand what you need to do to fix the home button on your fifth iPhone yourself after a fall. I slightly bent these tendrils slightly larger from the body, connected the glass back to the body and made sure that the button worked! Don't forget to tighten the screws.
By the way, at that time, if you decide what to do with the phone, you can easily display the virtual Home button on the screen by activating the menu item in the settings in special features.
PS: I am not responsible if you do something wrong and something breaks. Well that's it, just in case
PPS: pictures and videos of iPhone analysis
On the list common problems With iPhone, non-functioning Power or Home buttons rank high. Many users encounter this. In most cases, the device must be sent in for repair, but sometimes the problem can be solved on your own. It is important to know why the button does not work on the iPhone and what to do in such situations.
The Power key malfunctions for many reasons:
- Damage to the phone - falling, contamination, water ingress, other types of mechanical impact.
- Problems with the cable.
- Recession after strong pressure.
- Errors in the operating system.
It is possible to use the phone with the Power key inactive, despite the great inconvenience. There are several simple ways How to turn on or turn off iPhone in such conditions:
- You can turn on the phone by connecting the gadget with a USB cable to a power outlet or PC;
- You can turn off the device using the Assistive Touch function, through the “Device” menu, select “Screen lock”, where the “Shutdown” function is located.
IN new version iOS shutdown feature has been added to the Settings menu. All these are temporary measures; correct operation of the device is impossible without functioning Power and Home keys.
In most cases, a malfunction requires contacting a service center, but sometimes you can try to fix the bug yourself. The method of repairing a broken module depends on the nature of the damage or the nature of the software error.
Mechanical damage
One of the most common reasons why the lock does not work is mechanical. Strong pressure, falling, contamination - all this can cause failure. In addition, there is always the possibility of a banal jam. U Apple smartphones, especially in older versions, a problem with the functionality of the keys may be due to the frame falling off.
It is easy to notice - this is indicated by the gap between the case and the back cover. Parts of the device tend to simply wear out over time, especially those that are loaded. Therefore, the best decision is to contact a service center. The cable or pad will probably need to be replaced.
System problems
Malfunctions in the phone software can also cause incorrect operation. If the key “sticks” and responds slowly to pressing, this is most likely the case. The defect may appear constantly or from time to time, disappearing without outside intervention.
Sometimes problems with the OS can be resolved with a simple reboot. The system is probably overloaded with temporary files and open applications, a reboot resets them, freeing up memory space.
Water ingress
For the device to stop working correctly, it is not necessary to drop the gadget into a filled bathtub. It can easily fail after a walk in the rain or after using the gadget with wet hands. This is due to the oxidation process that occurs in the contacts after even a small portion of liquid enters. In this case, the surest option is to contact a service center, however, there is a simple method that you can try at home.
Cleaning the contact pad and lubricating the mechanism
If the problems are caused by contamination of the cable or oxidation of the contacts, there is an option to clean it. This is done either with alcohol or with the anti-corrosion agent WD-40.
First, you need to turn off the device. Then you need to take a cotton pad and soak it with the solution. The cotton pad should be pressed to the problem area and pressed several times so that the substance penetrates deeper, to the contacts. After the alcohol or lubricant has dried, you can check the result.
Home button repair methods
If Home works intermittently, slows down and does not always respond to user actions, it most often requires repairs at a service center. Let’s assume that there is no time for this; we need to bring the device back to life now. There are several simple and effective ways you can try:
- Calibration
- Correction of the position of the standard connector.
- Cleaning the contact pad and lubricating it if there is mechanical contamination.
It's not as difficult as it looks. The Internet is full of “instructions for dummies”; the main thing is to follow them and perform manipulations with caution so as not to aggravate the situation. At the bottom of the article there is a video with instructions, be sure to read it.
Home Button Calibration
Calibrating Home on iPhone is an effective method of “treatment” if the cause of the malfunction is software glitches. It is done through a simple algorithm:
- You need to activate any application on the gadget.
- Then you need to hold down Power until the shutdown window appears.
- Next, you should release Power and press the Home key, after which the shutdown window should disappear.
With a high probability, the device will return to its previous operating mode. Apple devices have a tendency to small system bugs that are fairly easy to fix.
Correcting the position of the standard connector
In case of breakdown, another simple method can help. Sometimes, in order to return the key to functionality, it is enough to simply adjust the position of the connector.
This is done simply. You need to connect the phone to the “native” USB cable and lightly press on the bottom of the plug. It is important to do this carefully, as too much pressure can cause the port to break. After this, you can check whether “Home” is working in the iPhone.
If this doesn't help, you can try another method.
Duplicating the Home button at the software level
If the above methods do not help, the breakdown can only be fixed at a service center; only replacing the entire module will help. Until this point, duplicating the key at the software level will help make the user’s life much easier.
To do this, go to “Settings”, select the “General” menu and then “Universal Access”. After this, the Assistive Touch function is needed. On touch display After this, a small menu will appear, which will temporarily replace the “Home” function and more.
Old versions of iOS may experience errors after repair. Users all over the world were faced with a situation where, after replacing the Home key tied to Touch ID, the phone locked. This error has been fixed in the new version of the OS. Accordingly, a simple firmware update will help in this case.
Conclusion
Problems with the Home and Power keys are very common and can significantly complicate the user’s life. If turning on or off your smartphone is problematic, this is a reason to contact a service center. As a rule, repairing such defects is not very expensive. You can try to “cure” the bug yourself, but only a specialist will be able to accurately say why the iPhone does not respond to buttons and suggest effective ways Troubleshooting
Video
During operation mobile device The functionality of the main button may change, it becomes less responsive, reacts late or does not work at all. The problem is typical for iPhone devices and iPad, this kind of problem most often occurs as a result of a software glitch, and in this case it will not be difficult to fix it. You can do this yourself or seek qualified help, which can be provided by the specialists of our service center. In some cases, heavy use of the Home button will cause it to wear out, and in this case more serious intervention will be required to restore its functionality.
Causes of malfunction
The Home button is made of glass, which makes it vulnerable to mechanical stress. Careless handling of the phone, impacts and falls on a hard surface, and exposure to sharp metal objects become the main causes of mechanical damage to the button. However, the service center most often receives mobile phones in which the Home button does not work (sticks, clicks, jams, does not work well) due to a software glitch.
Exist various ways restoring the functionality of the Home button, which you can use independently or with the help of service specialists. These include:
Performing calibration programmatically. This method is only suitable if the Home button does not work due to a software glitch. To perform the calibration procedure, you need to open any standard application of the device (weather or stocks), press the power button and hold the power button until the shutdown bar appears. Then the Home button is held until the shutdown bar disappears, after which running application unloaded from memory. After these manipulations, the Home button should still work.
Adjusting the position of the dock connector can be applied if the button stops responding to pressing. To perform the procedure, you will need a 30-pin cord, the plug of which fits into the connector mobile phone, and then gently presses the finger from bottom to top. After this, the Home button is pressed and the cord is removed.
Using WD-40 aerosol (“Vedeshka”). The aerosol is widely used in the aviation, automotive, weapons and aerospace industries, and at home to eliminate squeaking doors, lubricate metal parts, locks, etc. The aerosol is applied to the Home button and 5-10 clicks are performed, after which its functionality returns.
Performing the software duplication procedure. To do this, you need to go to the phone settings menu (Settings –> General –> Universal Access) and turn on Assistive Touch, then press the circle that appears on the screen and click the “Home” button. After closing the settings, the button can be called at any time to return to main screen. However this method- This is only a temporary solution to the problem, which can help before going to a mobile device repair shop. #the home button on the phone doesn't work #why #what to do
Not everyone can perform restorative procedures, so you can’t do it without the help of a competent specialist. If the Home button on your phone does not work, feel free to go to our workshop that repairs phones in Minsk. Our technicians will quickly determine the cause of the problem, promptly and efficiently restore the functionality of the mobile device, providing a guarantee for all work and services performed.