Stuck Power Button on IPhone 12 Pro

I have had the same problem with the iPhone 12.

iPhone 12s are water resistant to 6m.

I turned mine off, ran the side button under hot water for literally 1-2 seconds and immediately had return of the “click.”

It is almost definitely a sticky residue in the tight space between the button and case.

In my case I’m almost certain it has to do with hand sanitizer and sani-wipes.

The sani-wipes start to leave a sticky residue on everything after awhile.

Just clean it and be done with it! You’ll be glad you did.

so nice to have that “click” back.

I saw someone mention that it was possible the button was stuck due to dirt/grime. I took one of these alcohol wipes and did a quick swipe over the buttons to see how fast it would evaporate. In a warm temperature its almost instant. I then took the wipe and squeezed some of the alcohol out onto the buttons and played with them for a bit. They’re working fine now. Give it a shot.

Yeah, so I noticed both my power button and volume decrease button were not “clicking” and felt spongey/unresponsive. I recently took a trip to Greece in which I hiked and went to the beach very frequently likely resulting in lots of small particulates getting in and around the buttons. Did not have any alcohol wipes on hand, as I did the “repair” in an airport, but simply wet my hand, wiped it across both sides 2-3 of the phone 2-3 times and then dried it with my t-shirt. Very, very, very rudimentary fix but it worked and both buttons are now responsive and “clicking” again. Would not necessarily recommend this method of repair but I felt relatively safe doing so considering the Pro Max’s resistance rating. Worked like a charm but should probably use and alcohol wipe instead next time. Hope this helps.

I had same issue for last 3-4days. Read this post, ran some water for literally 2-3sec , wiped with alcohol and button started clicking! Thanks.

I just got Iphone 12, I have the same issue. Side bottom doesn’t work properly. It gets stuck. Sometimes it doesn’t work at all... I always used iphone and never had this kind of issue. Did you return the phone?

AGAIN, as tested in a controlled lab conditions. Go ahead and submerge your own phone in water. Then if it dies, see if you can get a free warranty replacement. Oh what's that? Apple doesn't warrant iPhone from liquid damage, PERIOD. I'm done with you. I hope the person you advised to run their phone under a faucet does NOT take your advice. It was BAD advice.

Since you have criticized my reading comprehension, perhaps you should read the actual language in Apple's Written Warranty Plan:

WHAT IS NOT COVERED BY THIS WARRANTY?

This Warranty does not apply to any non-Apple branded hardware products or any software, even if packaged or sold with Apple hardware. Manufacturers, suppliers, or publishers, other than Apple, may provide their own warranties to you – please contact them for further information. Software distributed by Apple with or without the Apple brand (including, but not limited to system software) is not covered by this Warranty. Please refer to the licensing agreement accompanying the software for details of your rights with respect to its use. Apple does not warrant that the operation of the Apple Product will be uninterrupted or error-free. Apple is not responsible for damage arising from failure to follow instructions relating to the Apple Product’s use.

This Warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries or protective coatings that are designed to diminish over time, unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (c) to damage caused by use with a third party component or product that does not meet the Apple Product’s specifications (Apple Product specifications are available at www.apple.com under the technical specifications for each product and also available in stores); (d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, fire, liquid contact, earthquake or other external cause; (e) to damage caused by operating the Apple Product outside Apple’s published guidelines; (f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”); (g) to an Apple Product that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple; (h) to defects caused by normal wear and tear or otherwise due to the normal aging of the Apple Product; (i) if any serial number has been removed or defaced from the Apple Product; or (j) if Apple receives information from relevant public authorities that the product has been stolen or if you are unable to deactivate passcode-enabled or other security measures designed to prevent unauthorized access to the Apple Product, and you cannot prove in any way that you are the authorized user of the product (eg. by presenting proof of purchase).

Reading is fun, so read the entire warranty here --> Legal - iOS Warranty Document Us - Apple

I tried that and did not seem to help much, but thanks for the idea! I live an hour away from an Apple store and am not going during a pandemic so I feel you. I’m going to call about it here in the next few days as it’s only getting worse each day. Hopefully they will be able to send people with this problem new phones so we can exchange them! Spending $1100 on a phone and having 1/3 of the buttons not work is not cool.

same thing happened to my iphone 12 just today. I did not want to take it to apple because i need the physical phone for work. Everyone knows that taking a phone to apple directly can result in a long wait time until it is fixed sometimes even months. so instead of pouring water around the buttons. I found a simple safe and very fast fix that you already have in your home.

my side power button became sticky and did not click and would not work unless i pressed hard. so i turned off the phone first and foremost and began the quick 30 seconds fix.

I took a qtip and soaked the tip of the qtip with regular old rubbing alcohol and simply rubbed the soaked qtip around the button for a few strokes while pressing the button a couple times. and BAMM! sticky button fixed. no more issues. rubbing alcohol dried within seconds after applying so no internal water stains or damage.

Thanks, I’ll try that on the next one if it happens again. I returned it, but will buy another one after Christmas. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. That reminds me of what happened with my iPhone 4. I used that method with the button and that phone is still working haha.

although, one would think the button shouldn’t have dirt and grime in it when it went from out of the brand new box to the case instantly, and then the button doesn’t work after 4 hours? Kinda weird.

The problem with the stuck power button on brand new iPhone 12 Pro's (and Max's) is common for Apple customers and even Apple employees - with 500 people reporting this persistent quality control problem of brand new iPhone 12s from Nov 2020 to June 2021 in this forum alone.

Spoiler Alert: Don't hesitate, immediately return your iPhone for a new iPhone. Do this before Apple wants to replace your brand new iPhone with a used refurbished phone. My previous experience with Apple's Genius replacing my iPhone with a refurbished iPhone is that the battery didn't work for as long as expected, and the transfer of data was not done completely.

I called Apple support, since I paid $299 for AppleCare+, and I was told that the earliest appointment to try to exchange my broken brand new iPhone 12 Pro for a working brand new iPhone 12 Pro is 2 days out. Worse, the Apple representative said that he had the same problem. Still worse, I was told that they couldn't guarantee that the replacement would be a new iPhone 12 Pro.

I found the article "Cleaning your iPhone" at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207123 generally useful but not helpful for this problem. It says: "Use a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth—for example, a lens cloth."

I read all of this thread, which includes suggestions on how the power button can sometimes be unstuck, but I didn't want to do any of the questionable solutions for cleaning by splashing with water or brushing with a q-tip damp with alcohol.

Following the instruction on the Apple support page, I tried to "exercise" the stuck power button on my brand new iPhone 12 Pro by sliding my thumb back and forth across the power button with a slightly damp cloth .. it didn't work .. and worse .. my phone called for emergency help before I realized what was happening. I stopped the outgoing call but it was too late and the helpful 911 service called me back to make sure everything was ok, which I assured the operator that everything was fine. I asked the operator how often emergency services got false alarms from iPhones .. and the operator said: "it happens every day". I asked how many times a day this happens, and the emergency services operator said: "I don't know, I'm only one operator and we have many operators."

Summary: The problem gets worse; un-sticking takes customer cleaning methods that aren't recommended; and if you notice that the power button doesn't click (like mine didn't on my brand new phone) that isn't a haptic feature, it's a broken phone.

This also happened to me and it’s so easy to fix I just put some water on my finger and ran it up and down the button and it was like less than five second fix

If you have any cleaning solution eg. piercing solution, put it on a cotton bud and trace the outline of the jammed button while spam pressing it. This should work.

I've had no issue with the power button on my 12 or 12 Pro Max. Schedule an appointment at your Apple Store Genius Bar. If they see there is an issue, they will replace the phone. Make sure you backup before you go.