iPod touch iPod Touch 4th gen Home Button unresponsive?

[TRDmanAE86]

I'm so confused. For whatever reason, my iPod Touch's home button has recently of become unresponsive. I keep it in a lifeproof case and take great care of it.

I've dealt with shot power buttons before but, have never experienced a home button break. Its really weird I can still press down on it with little resistance but, it does not register no matter how hard or soft I press. I tried the dab of rubbing alcohol and cue-tip trick but, to no avail, Its still unresponsive.

In the meantime, I have that accessibility one turned on however, as you guys may know, the 4th gen is extremely underpowered. In my experience, its causing iOS 6 legacy apps to crash or lag like crazy a lot more than usual!

Do you guys have any sugestions on what this mysterious problem could be?

Thanks for your help and your time.

 

[cruisin]

It could be broken, as no button will last forever. Considering that people sometimes wear out home buttons after a year or two then your iPod lasted quite a while.

If you are handy with repairing, you can get a replacement button and replace it: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPod+Touch+4th+Generation+Home+Button+Replacement/9828. I don't know if it is cost effective, but you can also get a used iPod and swap the whole screen plus the button if you don't want to deal with ungluing the button. Or just upgrade to a newer iPod.

Does it click at all? Usually it has a firm click when new, then over time it becomes softer.

What about pressing it down and wiggling your finger? If that works then the contact inside might be dirty.

 

[TRDmanAE86]

It could be broken, as no button will last forever. Considering that people sometimes wear out home buttons after a year or two then your iPod lasted quite a while.

If you are handy with repairing, you can get a replacement button and replace it: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPod+Touch+4th+Generation+Home+Button+Replacement/9828. I don't know if it is cost effective, but you can also get a used iPod and swap the whole screen plus the button if you don't want to deal with ungluing the button. Or just upgrade to a newer iPod.

Does it click at all? Usually it has a firm click when new, then over time it becomes softer.

What about pressing it down and wiggling your finger? If that works then the contact inside might be dirty.

Thank you for your help! So far, I've managed to get a tad over 4 years out of this device. I bought it refurbished after my last one died. Your theory seems to exemplify the logical cause of my problem. Also, your right over time the home button feedback became softer. Cleaning it worked a few times however, like any machine\device things break over time. I tried wiggling my finger and to no avail, it was unresponsive.

Even though I'm studying a computer repair major, I'm going to have to think if its worth replacing or not. To my understanding, this generation is one of the more difficult models to take apart. To make things a little bit harder, I have the 64gb model.

That being said, it would provide a unique challenge to take it apart and, if I tear it down, I have a perfect excuse for getting a few other minor tasks down.

Once again thank you for your help. Like my professor says,"its always a good idea to get a fresh set of eyes on a problem!"

 

[cruisin]

This looks about as difficult as removing the screen on my iPhone to replace the battery (they also use glue for the screen). I would recommend to watch a few videos to familiarize yourself with opening the device and reading over some guides to avoid the common mistakes.

You might need a small suction cup to pull up the screen, or a clamp with suction cups. Also, its good to have a business card to slice the glue (avoid the top where the cable is) and some plastic pry tools to disconnect the digitizer cable. Go gently, and don't force anything. And if you remove any screws then put them on a page and label them.

Some common tools:

 

[TRDmanAE86]

This looks about as difficult as removing the screen on my iPhone to replace the battery (they also use glue for the screen). I would recommend to watch a few videos to familiarize yourself with opening the device and reading over some guides to avoid the common mistakes.

You might need a small suction cup to pull up the screen, or a clamp with suction cups. Also, its good to have a business card to slice the glue (avoid the top where the cable is) and some plastic pry tools to disconnect the digitizer cable. Go gently, and don't force anything. And if you remove any screws then put them on a page and label them.

Some common tools:
View attachment 730259

Thanks for those additional tips. They'll come in handy for this device.

Tbh I've taken apart a few laptops before. The most annoying one I ever dealt with was a "customer's" Acer laptop last semester. In my class, we had to replace the dead screen. It had a super-glued shell (a small roadblock), and a Kensington security lock screw in the way of a cover we needed to remove to access the display connection.It took 2 people to unscrew the security lock (one on each side). Surprisingly, we fixed the laptop without breaking anything!

I've been told smaller form-factor devices are harder because there's less space to play around with but, with patience, confidence, safe procedures, and a general knowledge of the device layout, anything is possible !

 

[cruisin]

Smaller devices are very annoying. My phone had multiple tiny screws that were slightly different lengths, hence the trick with labeling screws. The glue is common in small/thin devices, as they hold along the whole edge and not just where the screws are located and thin materials don't do well with screws. Plus they simplify manufacturing and prevent the customer from fixing it themselves (all good in their book).

Make sure you don't magnetize your screwdriver, as the screws are so light that they will not stay in position (attracted to the screwdriver). I accidentally did that and struggled to put the screws in.