How can I make my iPod Touch home button more responsive?

I am finding that lately, quite often pushing my iPod Touch's home button doesn't generate any response - I have to push it again really hard. I'm not sure if it's an issue with the OS or with the hardware.

I haven't jailbroken, and my iPod touch is a new 4th Gen 8GB model bought in September 2011.

Any help is much appreciated.

The unresponsive iPhone/iPod Touch home button is a known problem. I had an iPhone which started with the same problem as yours. At first the home button worked with just a soft touch, and from any angle. Then it started to work only with a hard press and not at all from certain angles. Finally, it either completely ignored presses, or responded to a single press as if it had been pressed twice (multitasking bar appeared).

It was still inside the one-year warranty, but I bought AppleCare anyway, figuring that it might recur. I took it to an Apple Store and the guy played with it for a minute, told me I had a faulty device and gave me a brand new iPhone. The home button can't be replaced, so they just give you a new one.

My advice it to take it to an Apple Store if there's one nearby, or if not call Apple and report the problem. Most likely you'll get a new, working iPod Touch.

This should not be the case.

If this is not responding as it should, and providing you have not got it wet (which will often cause a poor response form home button) you should take it back to the shop you bought it in and have them replace it.

The option they have is to either replace or repair it. This is really where you should go first.

However Apple have a very good customer service policy, and their stores are owned by Apple and not franchised distributers, which means that you are dealing with the manufacturer directly and they are very likely to just replace the device for a new one, or a refurbished one.