How To Fix A Stuck iPhone Home Button

‍Enabling/ Adding an Assistive On-Screen Button

Your iPhone has many accessibility features you probably don't know. One of these is what makes it possible to continue using the iPhone even when buttons get stuck. Apple designs the Assistive Touch to assist users who have problems with physical buttons.

Turn on the Assistive features, then settings, and add the screen's home button (the software-based version). This will not fix the physical home button but allow you to keep using the feature even when the actual Home button does not work.

Note that this can be a temporary solution as you work out ways to restore the original Home Button. To achieve this, proceed as follows.

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Next, go to Accessibility, then to Touch, and finally, tap on Assistive Touch.
3. Things might be a little different for older iOS versions, which follow the prompts captured here (Settings to General to Accessibility and finally to AssistiveTouch
4. Turn on the toggle for assistant Touch.
5. A semi-transparent button will show up on your iPhone's screen. A menu pops up when you tap on it. Proceed to tap on Home, which will mimic the physical Home Button and perform its functions.
6. Continue to Drag & Drop this Assistive Button and place it on the iPhone's screen. Please choose a location that you want to ensure it does not disappear.
7. Some people use Siri when switching it on and off.

Besides setting the Assistive Touch, you can further make it more beneficial to your needs. This involves customizing settings to your usage.

For instance, you can only make it a Home Button if that is all you use it for to avoid the pop-up menu from coming up constantly.

Will Recalibrating the Home Button Work?

Recalibrating ( Word used unofficially) the Home button may also work to restore the stuck button. While there may not be any way to support this argument, what matters is that it works. It also doesn't matter what caused the Home Button to be stuck.

Use this trick to help fix the stuck button for related gadgets. However, you should be open-minded just in case it fails to work despite its high degree of success. To try this method, proceed as follows;

Check for any pre-installed stock app on your device and launch it. (This can be anything like photos, calendars, notes, or even reminders)

Press and hold the side or top button of the iPhone until you get the slide to power off prompt. If this doesn't work, try holding the volume button concurrently.

Make sure not to power the iPhone off but instead press and hold the Home Button for at least 10 seconds. The app should quit after the prompt disappears.

Doing this should fix the Home buttons that were not working on specific iPhone versions (i6s and before). The same trick also works for the touch Home buttons in iPhone 7s and 8s. Note that you may have to repeat this process several times before it eventually works.

Can Restoring Device Firmware Work?

You can also fix the stuck Home button by restoring firmware. However, note that this is not a quick fix but may be considered one of the fastest. Your Home button often fails to work because of a firmware or software glitch.

Working on restoring these issues can quickly fix the Home Button mishap. Use the DFU mode to do this for free. However, ensure you first backup all valuable data since everything will be erased from the iPhone if you proceed.

While this method almost always works, you need time to get it done. It is not something you attempt if you want instant fixes. You may need to set aside an hour to allow the rewriting process to complete.

The good news is that it is not as complicated as it sounds. All you have to do is follow the instructions in your guide, and you will be good. However, if this fails to solve the issue, then there is a possibility that the iPhone has a hardware problem.

Using Isopropyl to Clean the Button

Every time you use the iPhone, its buttons accumulate dirt and unseen grime. The build-up could be the culprit behind your iPhone's home button failing to work. It would be best if you cleaned the buttons, meaning that iPhone 7s and 8s (or iPhones with no physical button) will not work with this technique.

However, you could attempt cleaning the button for iPhones with physical buttons. First, make sure you are cleaning it properly as follows:

1. First, wipe all the dirt using clean microfiber clothing. Make sure the cloth you use is dry.
2. If this fails to deliver results, damp the cloth with a bit of isopropyl alcohol.

Rub the alcohol on the home button, repeating severally as you click on it. The alcohol will help loosen most of the dirt, if not all. You should also not worry about the alcohol damaging the components inside the phone because the alcohol evaporates quickly and will leave your phone clean and dry.

Pressing a Charger Against the Home Button

You probably didn't know that your iPhone's Home Button connects the inside components of your phone using a cable close to the iPhone's charging port. Applying a slight amount of pressure can help restore the Home Button. This works because it is said to reconnect the cable.

Exercise a lot of caution when attempting this trick. The last thing you want is to break things inside the iPhone. Consider the following steps.

1. Use the charging cable your iPhone came with
2. Insert and press gently on the connector's back towards the iPhone's bottom. It should feel like you are going toward the home button.
3. Maintain the pressure as you click on the home button severally.

Even as you try different tricks to bring back the stuck Home Button, make sure to have it replaced. Most of these fixes are temporary measures. A permanent solution is what may work in the long run.