14 DAY TRIAL // One of the changes on the new iPhone 7 is the introduction of a touch-sensitive Home button that replaces the mechanical one available on the previous generations, but although at first glance this brings several advantages, it also leads to a series of problems should it not work correctly.
Apple, however, seems to be ready for those moments when the Home button doesn’t react properly and is offering a workaround until the iPhone 7 is brought to the Apple Store for servicing.
A user on the MacRumors forums has posted a screenshot of a warning message displayed by iOS 10 after the Home button failed. “The Home button may need service,” this notification reads, adding that “in the meantime, you can use the onscreen Home button below.” A small round Home button appeared on screen at the bottom of the display.
The road to the 2017 iPhone
Although it’s not clear why the Home button actually failed so soon given the fact that the iPhone 7 launched nearly one month ago, the original poster explains that the Taptic Engine vibrated several times, and rebooting the device didn’t make any difference.
“The Haptic engine kept firing 3-4 times in a row for every ‘press.’ I restarted again and it’s back to not working,” he added.
What would be more interesting, however, is to find out how the onscreen button trick would actually work in the case of a Home button which not only fails but can no longer detect the fingerprint for authentication. Servicing might be the only option in this case, though.
The new Home button is believed to be the first step towards a complete removal on the 2017 iPhone, as Apple is believed to be heading towards a new design that would incorporate it in the screen. Furthermore, the touch-sensitive version means that the iPhone 7 comes with fewer mechanical parts and allows for waterproofing, which the device has indeed achieved with the IP67 rating.
