This little trick to fix a sluggish home button has come in very handy for me. It’s about as easy as it gets, and it can solve a common problem that can be quite debilitating when it comes to using your iPhone. It may be especially relevant to older iPhone models like the iPhone 4 and 4S.
For various reasons, the home button on your iPhone can start to act sluggish and unresponsive. The first thing I would suggest trying is to simply reset your iPhone. To do this, simultaneously hold down both the power button and the home button steadily and firmly for about 7-8 seconds or until you see the screen go black and the Apple logo appear. This simple move alone will often cure whatever seems to be ailing your iDevice.
If that doesn't resolve the sluggish home button issue, here's a 3-step routine you should try before thinking about spending a half-hour on the phone with an Apple technician or shipping your iPhone off for repairs. Once you take these few steps, you may be surprised to find your home button once again functioning as good as new.
Step 1:
Open up any native iPhone app, including Calculator, Calendar, Notes, Mail, etc. This solution works with any of the iPhone’s built-in apps.
Step 2:
Hold down the power button and continue to hold the power button down until the "slide to power off" screen appears.
Step 3:
Once the power off screen appears, hold the home button down firmly (this can take 6-7 seconds) until the native app closes.
And viola! Chances are good your home button will have regained responsiveness: an easy fix. If this trick doesn't work, then it could be indicative of a deeper issue with your iPhone's home button. Perhaps water or dirt or other debris got in there and is interfering with its functionality.
For additional info on other (more involved) ways of dealing with an unresponsive home button in the event that the above procedure doesn't work, check out this article at CNET.com.
If you can't see the video demo above, click HERE.