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Repair guides and disassembly information for Apple's 8th generation iPad. Released September 18, 2020. Model numbers: A2270, A2428, A2429, and A2430.

37 Questions View all

Why is my Home Button not recognizing a press?

The problem

I have an iPad (8th Gen) that will not recognize any presses from the Home Button. I have factory reset the device without any effect on the issue. Touch ID works fine, and I can navigate between the home screen/other apps using touch gestures. But any kind of pressing on the home button is completely unrecognized by the device.

What is known so far?

Damage History

  • As far as I'm aware, this device has had no other known damage. The screen is the same screen that the device has been bought with, and no other components have been replaced by myself or another party. The device may have been dropped, but there appears to be no evidence of external damage.

Troubleshooting so far

  • As stated in the description of the problem, I have attempted to factory reset the device and have power cycled the device. Neither of these has had any effect on the issue. The home button does not show any issue with Touch ID and does not seem to be loose in the housing.

Any assistance/advice that can be given is immensely appreciated.

Update 1/24/2023

I figured I would give an update to anyone else who would be having this issue. Until recently I haven't had the resources to open the device up. I have an order placed with iFixit for a new adhesive for the screen so that I can perform a more in-depth analysis of what is causing the issue. I will update this post soon.

Update 2/6/2023 (part 1)

Adhesive strips arrived today! I'll be opening the device up here pretty quickly. I will follow this update with a summary of what I found, hopefully with pictures.

Update 2/6/2023 (part 2)

This will hopefully be my final addition to this question. I was able to get the device open without any issues as shown by the image below. As @dadibrokeit pointed out, a hard press/decent bump could knock the bracket for the button loose. This did end up being the case with this device. Once I re-adhered the bracket I reassembled the device to where I could turn it on and make sure the home button would work. Sure enough, I was able to use the button normally. I have not tested Touch ID yet, but nothing was damaged during the repair process, so I am willing to bet that it will be fine and will make sure tomorrow morning. Otherwise, the device seems to be working as expected. Thank you all for the support!

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That's awesome, Jacob! I'm glad it was something simple and easily fixed - well, outside of the pain of having to take off the screen, that is. We'll have your question and solution as a reference for the future when others run into the same problem.

Your description of the problem and attempts at solving it were key to figuring out the solution, so kudos to you for a successful repair and an excellent question!

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2 Answers

Chosen Solution

Hi Jacob,

I see you're at the point where you're ready to open up your iPad and try and figure out what's going on with the home button.

As you're no doubt aware, replacing the home button will result in the loss of your Touch ID capability, but ultimately that's the only solution for non-functional button.

I had one case where a home button wasn't working and I was able to fix it. Unfortunately, it's not very likely that the same fix will work for you, because I caused the issue myself when replacing a broken screen. What happened was, I somehow managed to knock off the little rubber bumper on top of the "click" dome of the button when reassembling the iPod Touch. While I thought the button was non-functional at first, I found out that pressing very hard on it actually generated a click. Here's a picture of what that little nub looks like on your iPad.

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So I resigned myself to opening it back up again, after ordering a replacement button. When I went to replace the button, I realized what had happened. Curious as to whether it could be fixed, I cut a small piece of rubber that was about the same thickness as the original and glued it onto the dome. Note that the shape of the rubber doesn't matter; some are round and some are square, but of course it was easier for me to cut out a square that small rather than trying to make it round. I got the little nub glued back on, reassembled the home button and viola!, button back to working again! Now I have a spare, lol.

Anyway, I'm skeptical this will help you, as I don't see how you could lose that little piece of rubber without opening the phone and disassembling the home button like I did. But that seems like the place to look at, since deforming the dome has two functions; first, it makes the click sound, and second it makes electrical contact between the metal of the dome and the circuit board trace underneath the dome. If you take the cover off the button so you can see the dome, take something thin and dull and press down on the rubber; you should get a satisfying "click".

In trying to figure out how your button could have broken, I'm wondering if the glue holding the bracket may have failed; either that, or an excessively hard press or bump on the button might have bent it or knocked it loose. Once you have it open, take a good look at that bracket; that seems as though it may be the most likely source of the problem that I can think of. Most brackets I've seen have been held on with screws, but yours only relies on adhesive, so it would be more susceptible to coming loose.

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Good luck with it; let us know what you find!

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Most Helpful Answer

First off this is a super well documented question, second to get the obvious out of the way, have you enabled "assistive touch"? As you may know, Assistive touch will place a virtual, yet fully functional home button on your home screen. The button itself is not super difficult to replace. Depending on the model it may be held in place by a small metal bracket and two small screws. Getting the iPad open safely is another obstacle. I would definitely recommend using assistive touch as it is the less invasive option. I apologize I cannot help further.

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Any help or advice that can be given is always greatly appreciated. My current worry is that it may be an issue where the home button may be shot. I don't have the ability to open the device yet, as I don't have the adhesive to properly seal up the device afterward, but will add documentation if I were to find something.

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Keep me posted, I use to repair iPads, granted that was around 2013, but if I can be of any use, I'll try.

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Jacob Mehnert will be eternally grateful.
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