There are two problems with these button types;

The first is that they seem to attract moisture which can break the connection, this is why the home button on the iPhone 4 can slowly get less responsive over time. Check out this guide to help you diagnose any moisture damage inside the device. Also, to access the home button, check out this home button installation guide.

The second is that Apple chose to give the foil part of the button a little nipple like bit which raises it by less than a mm and this sometimes goes wondering around and this makes the external button sit that bit lower and not fully work. The fix for this is to put a tiny 1x1mm bit of 3M tape on the centre of the button and it should work. If this option doesn't release the button then the disk has probably gone flat and you will need a new home button.

I had this happen to me last night. (Saturday) I have one of those otter box cases and the button still got stuck somehow. I believe apple has to replace it unless it's been dropped. I'm going today after work so I'll let you know.

mine did this too but back glass is cracked and apparently i have water damage in the docking area, so they wanted to charge me $199 for a new phone :/ i hate apple.

mines very tight and I don't want to get it fixed by the apple store, is there anything I can do myself?

mine is stuck too. A warning-if you ever need to replace the front glass on your phone and do so yourself, not only does it void your warranty, but apple will refuse to service your phone, even if you offer to pay them. They should change their sticker to say "you will need to buy a new phone if you tamper with this device and it breaks", not "warranty void". I hate apple. p.s. the sleep button isn't part of the screen replacement so I know I didn't do anything to damage it. Apple just wants to sell me a new phone. They can (you know what).

if im not under warranty anymore but my lock button is jammed is there anything apple can do about it or should i just try one of those random cellular phone fix places?

i have the solution ..... first open your iphone4, tail lamp cover removed ... uses a very fine tip screwdriver ubicated after the button below and above the power switch, position the screwdriver and gently press down a little ... Now blow with your mouth or a can of compressed air .... Test your button and go .. apparently it is dust that accumulates between the switch and the button

i have this same issue where the button is stuck. i am also not under warranty. i actually took apart the phone, cleaned the button, the casing. made sure no corrosion on the contacts or even damage to the strip. still stuck. The button has a small bar attached to it. that could be the cause or maybe the plastic power contact/strip that is under the button is warped and it cant make contact. if anyone knows for sure what is going on please let me know.

F uck apple nigga.

My lock button randomly stuck on my phone as well. I haven't "fixed" it, but there is a way around using it. If you go to general settings, an then accessibility, there is a feature called "assistive touch". Turn it on, and you can lock your screen from there. Hope this is helpful.

Hi,

I had the same problem, phone still works. Took the phone to apple they said could not be fixed but they could give me a new phone for 119 pounds........ At first did not want to do it, once I got home I thought my phone is 2 years old, battery would need changing soon, so 119 for brand new phone is a good deal as I can sell it on ebay as brand new :) use the money to get Iphone 4s (free on my contract) and pocket the money :)

Thanks Apple

So your phone wasn't covered under warranty and Apple still gave you a new phone??

i had the same problem and I was to lazy to replace button so I put a pice of foil in between the button and the nipple and it seems to be working fine , you might need a pair of fine point tweezers

THis goes to show you how much apple really doesn't care about it's customers. Countless people have this problem yet when the next phone comes out you'll all stand in line to purchase it.

hi! what you need to do is take the phone apart, then take power button out and replace the proximity sensor, and clean around the power button, then when putting the new sensor ribbon in make sure the nipple is directly in the center of the plastic mount