Apple iPhone 3GS Black (16 GB) Logo
Anonymous Posted on Feb 25, 2010

IPhone 3G & 3GS Power Button Not Working

The Background:

I had an iPhone 3G for a year, no problems... Got the iPhone 3GS the day it came it out. One week later, I went swimming with it in my pocket. I shut it off. Disassembled it, dryed it and parked it in some rice for over 48 hours. Reassemebled it, restored it, and it worked great, EXCEPT for the power button. With the 3GS, I could turn it off by holding the Home button, and turn it on by plugging it up to charge or sync. No biggy.

The Problem:

I thought I just needed a new power button. Ordered the past last week. Just installed the whole ribbon cable (Power, Headphone Jack, Mute, Volume). Everything works EXCEPT the power button! I've cleaned all the connectors, checked everything I can check. Nothing seems to effect it.

Side Note:

My old 3G went to my wife, she dropped it in the sink for a few second, so as precaution, I took it apart, dried it and riced it. After assembly, it worked fine, until a month ago, when its power button went out. What is going on?

Could a drop somehow effect only the power button function on the main board?

HELP!

  • Anonymous Mar 30, 2010

    I've been purchasing from etechparts.com. They have the best prices I've been able to find on the web and they ship out fast! I get most items next or 2nd day whether I pay extra for shipping or not. The ribbon cable for the power button is tedious to replace, but doable. Just be sure you have time and patience for all the little adhesive strips.

  • Anonymous Mar 30, 2010

    Also... I've determined that powering my phone off immediately after dropping it in the water is probably what shorted out my power button. The damage is more than likely on the main board and can't be fixed. With the 3GS, I can live without a power button since I can shut down my phone by holding the home button, and turn it on by plugging it up.

    Conclusion: If you drop your phone in water... Don't turn it off. Disassemble it and stick it some rice for a day or two. From what I can tell pressing any buttons will short that circuit on the motherboard.

×

4 Answers

Anonymous

Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Corporal:

An expert that has over 10 points.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

  • Contributor 2 Answers
  • Posted on Mar 30, 2010
Anonymous
Contributor
Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Corporal:

An expert that has over 10 points.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

Joined: Mar 30, 2010
Answers
2
Questions
0
Helped
14756
Points
11

To the original poster- where are you buying your iPhone parts? My power button is toast. I'd like to replace the whole button.

rballpimp

Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

Problem Solver:

An expert who has answered 5 questions.

  • Contributor 7 Answers
  • Posted on Mar 09, 2010
rballpimp
Contributor
Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Mayor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 2 times.

Problem Solver:

An expert who has answered 5 questions.

Joined: Mar 09, 2010
Answers
7
Questions
0
Helped
9052
Points
9

I have seen this happen wit a few other Iphones and the hardware parts for the power button seem to be very fragile and easily broken.

Ad

Anonymous

Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Hot-Shot:

An expert who has answered 20 questions.

  • Contributor 42 Answers
  • Posted on Feb 27, 2010
Anonymous
Contributor
Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Hot-Shot:

An expert who has answered 20 questions.

Joined: Feb 24, 2010
Answers
42
Questions
0
Helped
19494
Points
58

A drop may not affect only this. If it isn't a software issue, then its definately hardware.
Either take it to a pro, or go to the apple store...

vignesh

Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Hot-Shot:

An expert who has answered 20 questions.

  • Expert 56 Answers
  • Posted on Jan 31, 2013
vignesh
Expert
Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Hot-Shot:

An expert who has answered 20 questions.

Joined: Nov 13, 2012
Answers
56
Questions
0
Helped
16324
Points
152

Add Your Answer

×

Uploading: 0%

my-video-file.mp4

Complete. Click "Add" to insert your video. Add

×

Loading...
Loading...

Related Questions:

0helpful
1answer

How do I replace the on/off button in iphone 3gs

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+3GS+Power+Button+Replacement/4489
0helpful
1answer

I switch off my i phone 3gs then when i tried to switch on the phone it just stuck cames apple logo

press and hold power button (top of phone) & home button (circular button, bottom centre) simultaneously for 5-10 seconds to put iPhone into Hard Reset mode
0helpful
1answer

My iphone sleep button will not turn off my phone

This problem occurs because of the following:
1. Cable disconnected.
2. Power button cable went bad.

Here is a google link to some solutions/same problem: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=iphone+3gs+power+button+not+working&oq=iphone+3gs+power+button+not+working&gs_l=hp.12...0.0.1.4706.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0.les%3Beqn%2Crate_low%3D0-035%2Crate_high%3D0-035%2Cmin_length%3D2%2Ccconf%3D1-2%2Csecond_pass%3Dfalse%2Cnum_suggestions%3D1%2Cignore_bad_origquery%3Dtrue%2Conetoken%3Dfalse..0.0...1c.Jo2Ca_jYC3U&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.dmQ&fp=75746be565b0cb2f&bpcl=40096503&biw=1153&bih=595
0helpful
1answer

I have forgotten my passcode on iphone 3gs

Hello Dass,

Press and hold down the Sleep/Wake button and Home button simultaneously for at least 10 seconds; the screen will clear out and then the Apple logo will appear on the black background. When the logo appears it means that reset is done.
3helpful
2answers

What is the differeance between iphone g3 to phone gs3?

the main difference between the iphone 3g and iphone 3gs is the speed. but here are the specifications for both phones
weight: the 3gs is slightly heavier at 135g memory: iphone 3g only has two options an 8gb or a 16gb whereas for the iphone 3gs it has 8gb/16gb/32gb camera: the iphone 3g has 2mp camera that can only take pictures while the ihpne 3gs has a 3.15mp camera that can also capture videos cpu/processor: iphone 3g has ARM 11 412 MHz, PowerVR MBX-Lite graphics while the iphone 3gs has 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, PowerVR SGX535 GPU. So the 3gs is faster and it means less or no lag on apps
the 3gs has a digital compass
and the 3gs has a longer battery time than the 3g.
to summaarize, the iphone 3gs is faster, has longer battery life, and has a bigger memory (as it comes with a 32gb version).
23helpful
2answers

My iphone 3g screen got freezed

If the problem is not hardware so it just require a reset.
To reset the iPhone or iPod Touch, press and hold down the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button simultaneously at the same time for at least ten seconds, then the LCD display will clear and the Apple logo appears on the black background. When Apple logo appears, reset is done.
Hope your problem is solved.
4helpful
1answer

My iphone 3gs has hanged & after pressing power o other button olny a white screen apears

Try resetting the iPhone by pressing the Sleep/Wake Button and the Home Button both simultaneously after which the phone restarts slowly with the appearance of apple logo on the screen. Normally, reset is the solution for such strange problems.
10helpful
2answers

My iphone 3gs touch screen is not working, i cant unlock it because it will not slidae. how do i get this fixed?

just reboot it hold the power and home button down until u see the apple logo and then just release them
1helpful
1answer

Restore iphone 3gs problem

Your iphone might already have that version, or maybe the phone does not have service, or also it could be tht the phone has been jailbroken. try doing a reset by holding the home buton, and power button down at the same time until the apple logo appears. Then try again
Not finding what you are looking for?

7,591 views

Ask a Question

Usually answered in minutes!

Top Apple Cell Phones Experts

Grand Canyon Tech
Grand Canyon Tech

Level 3 Expert

3867 Answers

ADMIN Andrew
ADMIN Andrew

Level 3 Expert

66949 Answers

Paul Bade

Level 3 Expert

1818 Answers

Are you an Apple Cell Phone Expert? Answer questions, earn points and help others

Answer questions

Manuals & User Guides

Loading...