After Lollipop - Recent Apps and Home button sometimes don't work

[holden190]

Hello, i've a Samsung note 4 with the same problem, i've read your posts and deleted all the account on the app Mail classic, and transfered the 3 mail account i have in the app Mail Wise. But i still don't have the home and recent button working, what i miss to do ?
Regards,
Fuerzabruta

On my S6, my recent apps button no longer works or even lights up.

Tried everything so far.

 

[Fuerzabruta]

This afternoon, i don't know why, the recent and home button has begun working again. I did nothing more than yesterday.
I wait with terror the new moment when this problem will block everything on my phone, Android is terrific for the moment! This is a must correct bug in one minute!

 

[Dave McMurdo]

I had the same problem when I updated to lollipop, I tried everything to fix it, or so I thought.
Then I removed zui locker and everything works again like magic..

If you have zui locker installed - which is brilliant I must add, that is the reason. Uninstall it..

Dave

 

[Fuerzabruta]

Hello Dave, what is Zui Locker ?

 

[Simon Collett]

WooHoo! That fixed it. Thanks Dave. Installed Zui Locker about two weeks ago then yesterday evening noticed the home button/recent apps buttons had stopped working. Deleted the Zui Locker cache and it's all good again.

 

[G Planque]

Thank you Dave !

I had the same issue and was desperate while reading that thread because I didn't match the cause described here : I don't use Active Sync and don't even have a stock email app apart from Gmail (Moto E 4G). But I do use ZUI Locker. I disabled it and the home button is working again !
That's a bit strange because it had been working fine during 5 days before... But I won't try it again. I'll look for another way to have custom apps shortcuts on my lock screen.

Thanx again

 

[Mark Darensbourg]

I have the same issue but I do not use zui locker or active sync. I have to press my home button more than once to get it to work

 

[IMANUT46]

I hope you have already checked DISPLAY -TOUCH KEY - LIGHT DURATION SETTING to ALWAYS ON.

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop 5.0

 

[Luckyiam4]

I have a galaxy s5 active and do not use active sync or zui locker and have no use of recent app button but my home button works. I tried all reset options as well as deleting all email accounts and nothing has worked. Can someone give me any ideas please!!!

 

[Marco Janssen]

In my case it was a setting in the Secure Settings app called "enable legacy features". I switched it off and the buttons start working right away!

 

[Chickmonk1970]

I picked up my S6E at lunchtime, everything working fine for an hour or two, installed Whatsapp, Halifax Banking and Boom Beach....now home key and recent stopped working.....just upgraded it to 5.1.1 hoping but no avail.....any ideas guys

 

[dsbahr]

I'm having the same issue on my S6. Recent button, Home button and Back button stops working completely. The only thing working is rebooting the phone. And then after a short while it happens again.

I have WhatsApp and Activesync. Tried several factory resets with no luck. However after a factory reset the periods of the buttons working seems to increase before failing again. I will try delete the exchange account.

 

[dsbahr]

I read on a thread here that magnetic covers can make the tablets sleep.

I can't link to the thread due to my posts count not being high enough , what a stupid rule! Just wasted 10 minutes on a post.

But if you have a cover on your phone that has a magnet, try removing the cover, restart the phone and see if the buttons stay enabled.

That did it for me. The buttons have worked flawless now for 2 hours. Usually I would have restarted my phone 4 times by now.

I hope this could prove helpful.

 

[Jnatan]

I had the same problem when I updated to lollipop, I tried everything to fix it, or so I thought.
Then I removed zui locker and everything works again like magic..

If you have zui locker installed - which is brilliant I must add, that is the reason. Uninstall it..

Dave

Omg thank you so much!

 

[lynstks]

I would love to have the use of those buttons back! Where do you find the "enable legacy features option?

 

[lynstks]

I just found it, but it was already disabled, didn't make any difference. :-(

 

[Brendon Brown]

I had Legacy settings enabled with Secure Settings as well. I haven't had a problem since I switched it off.

 

[jorahood]

Just got a 2nd gen Moto E with 5.1 and I'm having this problem too. As soon as I add my Exchange account to Gmail the home button stops working, exactly as was happening with my Moto G w/ 5.1. Anyone hear of any other fixes? I'd like to just use Gmail for all my email, but on the G I have to also use stock email app for Exchange, and on the E I'll have to install Mailwise or CloudMagic or something to read Exchange since the stock email app is disabled now.

 

[Siva108]

Hi, I have a Lenovo Vibe K4 note with Android 5.1 and have the same issue with the Home button and Recent Apps buttons working only intermittently. Off late, the back button is also acting up. It does frustrate at times. A permanent solution, other than 'change the phone', would be very welcome. Thank you.

 

[Intruder7s]

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 running CM 13.
Had this problem just now.
Nothing worked because I had changed nothing.

I went to developer options and I got a message saying something like "developer options are not availiable to tihs user).
And I'm like...what?
So I go to
Settings > Users > Switch to Guest and then back to my User. Actually I switched to Guest, it gave me a message saying "Switching to Guest" and then another message right after the first on saying "Switching to Intruder". Then everything was back to normal!
I hope this helps someone!
Cheers !