Home button not working or unresponsive, fix

Several users have reported that the iPad/iPod/iPhone home button is not working. If your iPad (or iPhone) button is not responding and you’re out of warranty, here is what you can do to fix it.

Contents

• 0.1 Related Articles
• 1 Home Button Not Working: Fix 1 Open a Native App
• 2 Fix 2 Rotate Your Screen
• 3 Fix 3 Home Cleaning!
• 4 Fix 4 Nudge a Little
• 5 Home Button Not Working: Fix 5 Add a Virtual Home Button
  • 5.1 If nothing above fixes your problem and if you think you have a completely defunct home button; then you may try your iPad’s accessibility features

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Home Button Not Working: Fix 1 Open a Native App

• Open a (default) app that came preinstalled on your device (Notes, Calendar etc).


• Press and hold down the Power button until the “Slide to Power Off” appears, then release (DON’T slide to power off).


• Now, hold the home button (about 5-10 seconds) until it exits to the home screen.

If this did not solve your problem,  continue to the second method.

Fix 2 Rotate Your Screen

• With your iOS device in portrait view, press and hold the home button (ignore Siri).


• While continuing to hold the home button, turn the iPad to landscape view, then back to portrait view.  Make sure your screen rotates when you do this.  Then let go of the home button.

Fix 3 Home Cleaning!

• Clean your Home button. There may be some debris preventing your button from functioning. Use only a soft, lint-free cloth and clean your home button. Further, try to blow on the port (docking port) to remove any debris. Or use a hair dryer or suck (hard) on the docking port.

Fix 4 Nudge a Little

• There is a possibility that your device’s docking port got misaligned. To fix this, plug your USB cable into your iPad. Then, gently push down on the 30-pin connector or lightning (lifting it up towards the glass), so that it pushes up behind the home button. While doing this, click the home button to see if that fixed the problem.

Home Button Not Working: Fix 5 Add a Virtual Home Button

If nothing above fixes your problem and if you think you have a completely defunct home button; then you may try your iPad’s accessibility features

• Tap Settings > General > Accessibility > Assistive Touch and toggle on AssistiveTouch and now you’ll see a small circle appear on your screen. Tap that circle, and you will see four options: Favorites, Siri, Device, and Home.  You may want to use this Home button, instead of the hardware one.