What is happening with the button

You press it — and nothing happens. Or it responds only half the time. Or the button feels "sunken" without any response — the phone simply doesn't register it. On older iPhones up to iPhone 8, the Home button handles returning to the home screen and Touch ID. On iPhone X and newer, all navigation has moved to the side button and gestures. But both fail for roughly the same reasons.

Why the button stops working

Most often, it's mechanical. Inside the case is a tiny tactile switch — it wears out, gets clogged, or deforms from an impact. About three years ago, an iPhone 7 was brought in: the Home button stopped clicking entirely, and Touch ID stopped reading fingerprints. It turned out the phone had fallen into snow, moisture got under the rubber seal, and the contact oxidized. That repair took about two hours.

The side button on an iPhone 11 or 12 often starts to stick or feel stiff after the phone is dropped on its corner. The case deforms slightly at the button mounting point, and the metal bracket starts catching on the frame. It's almost invisible visually, but it feels like the button isn't working right.

Sometimes there is a software cause — less common, but it happens. After an iOS update or a system glitch, the button stops registering correctly. This can be fixed without disassembly. Another story: an iPhone 13 Pro, power button barely working, the owner says "on its own", no drops. Inside, we found a chip on the flex cable — a manufacturing defect that showed up after a year and a half of use.

What you can try yourself

Before taking your phone to a service center, there are a few things worth checking yourself — without tools or opening up the device.

  1. Restart your phone. Sounds simple, but software freezes happen. On an iPhone without a Home button: press and hold the side button and volume down until the slider appears, then turn it off. If the button doesn't respond at all — connect it to a computer and restart via Finder or iTunes.
  2. Turn on AssistiveTouch. Settings → Accessibility → Touch → AssistiveTouch. This is a software replacement for the physical Home button — a temporary solution while you figure out the cause.
  3. Check the case for deformation. Place the phone on a flat surface. If it wobbles, the body is bent, and that might be the exact reason the button won't press.
  4. Clean the button. Carefully, not with a needle. A soft toothbrush along the edge of the Home button will remove accumulated dust and grease — sometimes that's enough to restore crisp button travel.

When you need a technician

If none of these steps helped, it's mechanical or an issue with the flex cable. Disassembling an iPhone yourself without experience usually ends with another breakdown: a torn flex cable, a broken latch, or damaged Touch ID. And Touch ID is paired to a specific phone — the fingerprint scanner will not work with someone else's controller.

In our practice, replacing the Home button on iPhone 6s–8 takes from 30 minutes, roughly from 800 рублей. The side button on iPhone X–15 is slightly more complex: the flex cable goes deeper, the job takes an hour to an hour and a half, from 1200 рублей. If the phone has been in water, be sure to tell the technician right away, even if everything seems to be working: oxidation doesn't develop on day one.

Come in for diagnostics

If the button still doesn't respond, come to iClub.pro at ul. Kommunisticheskaya, 35. Diagnostics are free: we'll see what the cause is and provide the exact cost before starting repairs. We won't fix what isn't broken.