Step 1: Navigate to, and launch one of the stock applications on your iPhone. If you don’t already know, the stock apps are things like weather, YouTube, stocks, settings etc (any that come as part of iOS).

Step 2: When the app is launched, press and hold the Power button located at the top of the device until the ‘Slide to power off’ appears.

Step 3: Press and hold the iPhone home button. Keep the button depressed until the Slide to power off slider disappears and the application quits back to Springboard.

Step 4: Voila! Your home button is now re-calibrated and should be more responsive for you.

This is a known issue with all iPhone models. If you are still under the hardware warranty Apple will replace it no questions asked, I had mine replaced 2 moths ago. If it's a model that's out of warranty then you either have to deal with this problem, or replace the home button.

Just to correct a few answers here, the home button consists of two parts. The home button itself (plastic circle) and the home button flex. The issue with your home button is the flex, a very common issue with iPhone 4's. All you will need to do is replace the flex ribbon and you will be good to go!

That said, if it is still under limited warranty then you should take it to apple to organise a free replacement :)

I take a few drops of 91% alcohol and work it in around the home button by rotating my finger around the perimeter of the button pushing it down and letting the alcohol seep in around the button and pressing it repeatedly. I fix alot of these without even opening the phone.

@dsq Ohhh. Thanks!! That actually did work!!

Home button fixed!

Date: 8-30-12

Fixed by: Replaced home button for $15:

iPhone 4 Home Button Assembly

Final comments:

I am actually shocked that Apple would allow its home buttons to wear out over time!

I would have expected Apple to have better quality control and tests for the number of clicks the home button could take - ideally I feel as if it shouldn't ever wear out!

My Journey...

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My issue:

Home button only worked when pressed on the bottom half (or bottom 1/4), which typically resulted in the home button ignoring me all together, or only registering 1 or 2 clicks, or 2 of 3 clicks (resulting in a completely different behavior). This is particularly annoying if you use Activator (libactivator) for different actions... or simply use the App Switcher a lot.

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Attempts (all failed):

1. Cable push up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXlY-Vcxb...

2. Home button "recalibration":

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2011/12/22/...

3. Brought it to an iPhone repair shop (uBreakiFix), and they claimed to fix it

- It didn't work any better or any worse

4. Applying more pressure:

http://appstouse.com/solved-damaged-ipho...

5. Rubbing alcohol (and windex) cleaning the entire button and contact (after disassembly to the point of LCD removal to actually access the home button intself)

6. Repositioning, removing and replacing the flex cable into the slot

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Work around:

Enabling AssistiveTouch in iOS5 (but it was inconvenient to use)

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What fixed it:

Upon inspection of how the home button actually is supposed to "click" it looks like it was internal in how the button is put together, and then the flex cable reads the click and sends it to the OS accordingly.

This, and seeing the comment here - http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/65093.... from martin, made me order a new home button from iFixit.

After installing it, it worked perfectly!

Just like to say a huge thanks to Craig, I used anti bacteria hand rub (the only high % alcohol I had in the house) rubbed it in a few times and it now works like brand new!