I have a gen 7 iPad with touch id home button. I replaced the screen with a replacement one from Amazon. I unfortunately cut the Home Button flex cable. I finished putting the new screen on using the old home button without the cable. It does click when it is pressed in. The iPad screen is working fine but the home button does not register when pressed. Is there something I can do to make the home button work?
Thank you
iPad Pro, iPadOS 26
The Home button flex cable is REQUIRED for the button to operate normally. If it was cut, that's the reason why it's not working.
To get it working again, you need to set up a repair with Apple or another third-party shop that will replace the Home button/flex cable assembly properly.
Note also that for the Touch ID security aspect of the Home button to work correctly, the iPad's original Home button needs to be used as the button it linked to that particular iPad. If Apple does the repair, they can replace the Home button with one that will enable Touch ID. If the cable has been cut and you choose a third-party repair, it will require a third-party Home button which will NOT support the Touch ID of the original button. If a third-party Home button is used, it will work solely as a button but without Touch ID.
To repair the iPad through Apple so that Touch ID will work as intended, it will likely not be cost effective. A new iPad would be a better solution.
The Home button flex cable is REQUIRED for the button to operate normally. If it was cut, that's the reason why it's not working.
To get it working again, you need to set up a repair with Apple or another third-party shop that will replace the Home button/flex cable assembly properly.
Note also that for the Touch ID security aspect of the Home button to work correctly, the iPad's original Home button needs to be used as the button it linked to that particular iPad. If Apple does the repair, they can replace the Home button with one that will enable Touch ID. If the cable has been cut and you choose a third-party repair, it will require a third-party Home button which will NOT support the Touch ID of the original button. If a third-party Home button is used, it will work solely as a button but without Touch ID.
To repair the iPad through Apple so that Touch ID will work as intended, it will likely not be cost effective. A new iPad would be a better solution.
LotusPilot wrote:
When replacing the screen of an iPad, the biometric sensors (FaceID or TouchID) are automatically disabled - and must be reset using special software that is only available to Apple Authorised Service Providers (AASPs). As such, loss of TouchID is an entirely expected product of your attempted/failed repair.
Even if you manage to restore basic button-operation by replacing the damaged flex cable, the TouchID sensor is now permanently disabled.
Just to be thorough, this may be true of the newest devices (I have no way of knowing) but on older Touch ID models like the iPad 7th Gen in question, the biometric aspect of the Home button is NOT disabled simply by disconnecting it or by repairing the cut/torn flex cable. As I mentioned, the button itself is serialized to the specific iPad model. You can unplug the button, change the screen, transfer the button to the new screen and still have the biometric feature intact. If the flex cable itself is cut/damaged and is miraculously repaired somehow (very unlikely), the biometrics of the button will still function...as long as that button is kept with that particular iPad model. I have done many replacements as testament to this.
If one tries to switch the button of one device to another device (which of course breaks the serialization), the button will not work on the other iPad as far as biometrics go. It will however still work with only the basic button functionality ("click to select") still intact.
This is how third-party screen replacements are done. The screen itself is replaced and the original Home button is transferred over to the new screen. This retains 100% of the biometrics of the Home button. If the screen is replaced and a new third-party Home button is installed (because the original has been damaged), the third-party Home button contains NO biometrics...it's just a static "click to select" button. That iPad will never have Touch ID enabled unless Apple gets involved in the repair.
In performing the repair yourself using third-party components, you have forfeited all hardware and repair support from Apple. Similarly, any remaining device warranty is now void.
When replacing the screen of an iPad, the biometric sensors (FaceID or TouchID) are automatically disabled - and must be reset using special software that is only available to Apple Authorised Service Providers (AASPs). As such, loss of TouchID is an entirely expected product of your attempted/failed repair.
Even if you manage to restore basic button-operation by replacing the damaged flex cable, the TouchID sensor is now permanently disabled.
A remote diagnostic test by Apple Support, or an in-store test by Apple Technicians, will detect non-OEM parts - at which point service or repair by Apple will be declined. Your sensible option at this point, if full functionality is required, is to consider replacing your iPad.
Sorry, but insofar as Apple and hardware/technical support from them are concerned, you are very much on your own…
You think?
David M Brewer wrote:
You think?
Just a wild guess, Dave :)
Touch ID home button disabled when replacing screen
