How to Fix Your iPhone Power Button

June 26, 2024

Wondering how to fix your iPhone power button if it has stopped working? What about what you should do in the meantime? iPhone repairs aren’t always easy, but there are usually a few things you can do to try and fix your tech problems in the comfort of your own home before resorting to the professionals.

At imFixed, we want to help you get your tech working quickly and easily, which is why we offer guides on a range of topics in the tech world. From the best solutions for iPhone water damage and how to fix iPhone speakers, to why your iPhone battery might be draining and everything you need to know about iPhone screen repairs. If you have wondered about it, we have written about it.

If you want to learn how to fix your iPhone power button, just keep reading. We will go through what you need to know.

What We Don’t Recommend Doing

We should start off by saying that we do not recommend taking your iPhone apart to try and find the problem yourself. While you could do this, it would void any warranty you have, and also potentially cause further damage to your device if you don’t know what you are doing.

It might be appealing to want to dig around your phone to find a solution, but this usually does more harm than good, and just isn’t with it. This is especially true for newer models, as the smallest mistake could quite literally cost you thousands.

If the solutions we go through below don’t work out, the best thing you can do is bring your device into a repair shop like us to get it looked over. With professionals handling your phone, you can rest easy knowing that it’s in good hands.

How to Fix Your iPhone Power Button

There are a few things you can try out if you want to know how to fix your iPhone power button. In some cases, there might not be an issue with the button itself, or there could be an underlying software issue that you are not aware of.

Work your way through this list, and see if any of these solutions work for you.

Take the Phone Case off

The wrong phone case can impact how you use the buttons, with some cases preventing you from using any of the buttons at all. Make sure this is not the issue, and take your case off before testing your power button again.

If it works, then you need to get a new phone case – one that will allow you to freely use the buttons,

Clean Your Power Button

Sometimes, buttons just get dirty and need a good clean. You can use a toothpick or a gentle brush, or ideally compressed air to clean out the area and get the button working again. It might take a little while, so be prepared to have some patience.

Hard Restart Your Device

First, you will need to enable Assistive Touch on your iPhone by following these steps: Settings → General → Accessibility → Assistive Touch (turn on). From there, you will get the Assistive Touch box on your phone screen, and you can restart your device without using the power button.

All you need to do is tap the Assistive Touch box on the screen and tap “Device”, then hold your finger down on “Lock Screen” until a slider to turn your phone off comes on. Slide to turn power off, and the device will power down.

To turn it back on without, all you need to do is plug in your Lightning Cable, and it should start up without an issue.

Reset All Settings

Remember that your power button might not be working because of a software issue, so you can’t rule out resets and updates. While this might not be the first thing you think of, it’s important to cover all bases and get to the bottom of the problem as soon as possible.

If nothing else is working, you might need to erase your iPhone to its default state. This will get rid of everything on the device, so make sure you back up all your important data before proceeding

To reset your iPhone, follow these steps: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Erase All Content and Settings → Erase iPhone.

Make Sure Your Device is Up-to-Date

Hopefully, once Assistive Touch is turned on, you can update your iPhone without a problem, but sometimes the tech issues just want to pile up. In this case, you can update your device’s iOS in Recovery Mode (you will need the latest version of iTunes on a Windows or Mac laptop/PC).

Connect your Windows/Mac device to the phone
Do a force restart (steps outlined in an above section) to get your phone in Recovery Mode
Don’t let go of the buttons until the phone screen has the Recovery mode screen (a charging cable with an arrow pointed at a laptop)
Select ‘update’ when the option to restore or update on your computer shows up
Confirm, then follow the instructions given to you (it can take up to 15 minutes, so have some patience)
Your phone will restart on its own once you’re done

In the situation where this doesn’t work, the final thing to try is DFU Mode to update the iOS. Because DFU Mode is more complex than Recovery Mode, and varies depending on the device model you have, follow these steps to effectively go through the process.

Just be aware that DFU will restore iOS to a clean slate while bypassing iBoot, which Recovery Mode uses. As such, make sure you back up all your important data before proceeding.

If this doesn’t work, you will need to get in touch with a professional like us, or Apple.

Adjust the Click Speed

For iPhones X and later, you can adjust the click speed to try and get it working again. This is simple, and all you need to do is follow these steps: Settings → Accessibility → Side Button → select the speed you want (Default, Slow, and Slowest).

Use the Double-Tap Feature

If you need something to work in the meantime, simply use the double-tap feature to turn your phone on and off. While this is not a solution to the problem, it is a workaround until you can get it fixed using one of the methods we went through above.

Let imFixed Help You

Tech issues are common, but that doesn’t mean they get any less annoying. From failed iPhone software updates and SIM cards not being read to devices that won’t vibrate, charge, or even turn on, we cover it all. As a local and independent store, we want to help you get your tech working as it should be again, so you can keep enjoying life.

At imFixed, we offer our professional services for all kinds of repairs in Oldham, Rochdale, and the Manchester area, including home repairs in Bury and call-out repairs in Manchester. Even if you don’t need a repair, there is plenty to learn about, like if it’s worth fixing a MacBook screen, what new MacBook users should know, and if your MacBook battery can be repaired. That way, you can get ahead of the game and always be prepared if a tech issue ever pops up.