A few days ago my iPad’s home button stopped working. Seems like it happened right after I upgraded to iOs 4.3. The only thing I could do to use it was turn it off and back on. Mine’s a first generation that I got at Best Buy the first day it came out on April 3rd, 2010. I searched the web. There was a blog post where a lot of people who were having the same problem talked about solutions and whether it was hardware or software caused. Some found answers. Most didn’t and ended up taking it back and getting it replaced. Since mine is almost a year old and I didn’t buy any of the warranty from Best Buy or Apple, I figured I would have to take it back, they may send it off and that it would cost me something.
Anyway on this blog post I know one guy mentioned that his would work in Portrait mode. I tried portrait mode, still nothing. So I let the thing sit for a day. I’d thought about a hard reset, but how are you going to do a hard reset if the home button doesn’t work?
Anyway, yesterday, even though it was still not working, I found something funny: I noticed that when I held it in landscape mode, pushed the button, held it, then rotated it to portrait mode, then released, it started working, maybe half the time. I thought, “OK, I can live with this for a few days until I take it up there.”
Then later on, I had the iPad sitting flat on my wooden desk next to my desktop. I pushed the button. It worked every time. I thought, “Hey this is cool. OK.” I thought maybe it had something to do with the hard surface. Now my iPad is not in a case, so I don’t know if that may make a difference.
Now, a day after that, it seems to be totally working again like normal.
This could be totally anecdotal and have nothing to do with my exercises. Maybe it was just a glitch in the software that some how “healed” itself. But its worth a try if you find yourself in this same situation.
So try this:
- Hold the iPad in front of you in landscape mode
- Push the button and keep it held while you gently rotate it to Portrait mode, then release.
- See if you get any response: 1 out of 2 times, 1 out of 3, etc.
- If that works, or even if it doesn’t, lay the iPad gently on a hard, smooth surface, so there is even resistance. (If its in a case, I’d recommend taking it out) Push the button, hold it in a second longer than normal, then gently release.
- This may be totally anecdotal but it “feels” like it started responding when, after I pushed, I kept it pushed for a second, and then gently released.
Well maybe this is totally luck and yours still won’t work or maybe there’s something to it, and either the maneuver or the slight resistance somehow put it it back in place (assuming it is hardware related) or somehow fixed the “glitch” if it is software.
Either way, what I’m describing above is in no way harming the iPad. I wasn’t pushing any harder than normal or trying to shake it or anything like that. No need to push harder. Although it did seem, at first, that when I would hold it pushed in for just a second longer than normal and then gently released, it started to respond.
Don’t do anything that could damage your iPad, but try the above and see if it works for you. Give it a day or two. Maybe you’ll have the same “luck” that I did, and it’ll start working again.
If not of course take it back to the Apple Store. But either way, if you are one of the unfortunate ones like me that this happened to let me know how it works out. I’d love to hear your experiences. And learn.
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Little update:
the fix is not permanent. It fades away after a couple of days maybe, and you have to do the trick again and have the home button fully functioning again. Anyway, since this method seems to partially solve the problem, I guess it proves we are talking about a software and not hardware related issue…. no?
Had the same problem of the home button not working. Tried the technique of holding the home button while rotating from landscape mode to portrait mode. It worked! The only thing I can add is the following: I have my IPad locked in landscape mode. When I decide to unlock it and use landscape and portrait mode, that is when the problem started.
IPad is working fine now. Thank you for your video and great instructions. The IPad is the best invention ever made. John
WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY PORTRAIT OR LANDSCAPE MODE?
Ah, Landscape means when it’s held sideways. And “Portrait” mode refers to when it’s held vertically like a skyscraper, when the longest dimension is held vertically.
It worked! It took me 7 tries + 3 tries on the hard surface…but when it worked, it felt like magic. Thanks so much!!!!
This toataly just worked for me, I have no idea how long it will last, but I’m so glad this actually worked! How did this make it work though? Is there an explanation?
Oh, I’m so glad, and thanks for the comment. I have no idea why it works. It’s like I just stumbled upon it. Very weird. My experience is, and I have the 1st generation, I had the problem come back one time, about 4 months later, and then the fix worked again, and it hasn’t come back since. So, depending on your warranty, etc. I don’t know if you should report it to Apple or not. Couldn’t hurt to at least ask them. All I can tell you is my experience.
Awesome it worked
I had a similar problem and I was terribly alarmed as I had my iPad on Val’s day and had not fully enjoy the fullness of this great sexy device. After couple of tries it worked for me as well. Kudos to you for your awesome help.
It doesn’t work on mine. What can I do? Will the warrenty cover it?
Stephen you’re awesome I thought my iPad was on its final life support when the home button would not function. I tried for weeks just hoping that somehow it will revive itself… until I came across your awesome fix. Thanks a bundle!!!!
Wowowow!!
What an amazing find. This actually worked. I was so frustrated that I could not close an app, and had to use the shutdown button just to close the system, but only to find that last app still running on the screen and no way to shut it down. Then, I found this simple solution and WHAMO !!! After 2 frustration filled days, problem solved, at least for the short term.
Thanks so much for being somewhat inquisitive yourself, and for being so thoughtful enough to share this trick.
Thanks Thanks Thanks.
Oh that makes me so happy, David! Thanks so much for your comment and feedback
Thanks Karl! I’m so glad!
Here’s how to never need the home button again:
Go to settings / general.
Turn on multitasking gestures.
Now you can “pinch” the screen with 4 fingers to go to the home screen!
No more restarting to get home.
Oh, that’s great! Thanks so much for the tip!
Thanks so much I have the ‘New Ipad’ only for 2 weeks and experienced this same issue, did a restore and still same problem, stubbled across your fix and it appears to be working just fine now. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome. Glad it worked. Thanks so much for commenting!
Im afraid it wont work on iPhone but it did. Thankyou so much for this.
Hi there
Thank you so much for your advice. My daughter had been playing on the eye pad 2 and when my husband came home from work he asked if it had been dropped as the home button had stopped working. I tried all the moves on your video and then rested it on a hard surface holding the key in for about 10 secs and bingo it worked. What a relief as I only bought it at Xmas! Thanks again – Mandy Robbins
thanks it worked!
I find this bugs has something related to the rotate function, switch and the home button, I have tried to turn on and off the switch on right hand comer, rotate it together with pressing the home screen randomly, THE PROBLEM APPEAR AGAIN!!
And then I start the solution this blog provide, it WORKS AGAIN!!
So, my suggestions to avoid this serious fault form your ipad is:
avoid simultaneously do these three things:
-switch the right top button
-rotate your ipad
-press the home button
if you need to preform those action, do it separately, at least 1/2 second in between.
For anyone brave enough, you can repeat my experiment again to determine the pattern on your own machine or the demo one in apple retain store ^_^
I hope this help.
Thnx a lot I was so worried
People, as clever as it is, this is not magic, its simply a dust issue, and Stephen’s trick just happens to remedy the problem over time. It explains the randomness in the issue being fixed and reoccurring. The home button is, after all, free standing from the iPad casing or you wouldn’t be able to press it down. As a result, dust can get in and around the space between the home button and the casing preventing a clean press from your finger. In probably 90% of the cases its not a bug issue that is preventing your home button from working properly, its a dust issue. Stephen’s trick works because when you hold the button down and rotate your iPad you are naturally depressing the home button at various points as you rotate. This helps clear out whatever is preventing your home button from properly functioning. If you want this problem to really go away quickly I suggest you go buy a keyboard air can cleaner and blow out your home button, it will work wonders. If you don’t want to spend the money, then instead of doing Stephen’s trick over and over again try this: press on the side of the home button, while pressing the button run your finger around the outside edge of the home button several times until you get action on the screen from your button, do this a few times and it should solve your problem permanently. If it doesn’t then get the air can cleaner, its pretty cheap and it will definitely solve your problem. If you still have problems then take it into Apple.
Hope this helps, and thanks Stephen for posting your remedy, it has obviously helped a lot of people. Hopefully my addition will make it a little faster (and permanent).
It worked. Wow. Relief. Go Chiefs
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