Cleaning the Click Wheel

My iPod nano's Click Wheel is a little bit dirty with some grime/dirt/whatever on the click wheel, making it less white than it used to be. Know any tips to clean it? Preferably things I could do with stuff I'd find at home, no specialized stuff.

Turn off your iPod and clean the click wheel with a slightly damp cloth. After that use an eraser to make the click wheel whiter (just don't press too hard where "MENU", play/pause,etc. are, in order not to erase them...) Also be careful and don't let the residues of the eraser get into the iPod.

Similar Messages

  • The infamous problem of the Click Wheel getting frozen

    Since I've read a lot of stuff on the internet about this very common problem, and that nobody has found a solution, I wanted to start this topic in order to solve it through different experiences in the community.
    I live in Spain, but bought my iPod nano in Canada last October, and I noticed the click wheel problem since the very beginning. Sometimes it got frozen, so I used the Hold Button to “reset” it and it worked again, but I have to say that it was very annoying to get this stuff stucked from time to time.
    But in December, it started to get frozen more frequently, and now it happens every time I turn the iPod on. It responds to shaking, so I shake it and start listening to it in random play, and after some minutes (may be an hour, or may be never), and after many “Hold Switch slides”, I get it back working properly again. It normally keeps working fine for a while, but suddenly it can get frozen again.
    Here is a list of observations I’ve made, despite the problem seems to be very randomly (sometimes it fixes 2 min before turning on, sometimes it gets an hour, sometimes it never unfreeze):
    -Some people have said that it’s a moisture problem. Well, it is happening here, where humidity is high, but I was in a very dry place for Xmas and it happened the same way. But the fact that it works when it is hot rather than when it is cold is in support of this hypothesis.
    -Some people say it’s some dirt between the wheel and the contacts. I tried cleaning the borders of the wheel and it didn’t worked.
    -If I charge it full, it works immediately, but for a while
    -Sometimes I turn it on and immediately touch the wheel and it works, but 1 sec latter it isn’t working again. Sometimes I turn it on and it doesn´t work at all.
    -Of course I tried the “5 R’s” and a full restore. Reinstallation and updates of iPod software doesn’t work either.
    SO:
    1- Any suggestions?
    2- Is Apple going to do something with this? (the problem is here since iPod Nano 2G). I’ve read somewhere that their policy is to tell you that the iPod is so cheap that you can buy another one (but it seems that is a serial problem so that irrational answers will not work)
    Message was edited by: federoy

    Some points to ponder:
    It is very difficult to determine from Internet reports how common a problem really is for any product with a very high sales volume. If millions are sold, hundreds of reports still just represent a tiny fraction of them. Generally, if a problem really is inherent in its design or manufacture, a very high return rate follows & the maker is forced to correct it to stay in business.
    Internet reports also suffer from the problem of not always providing enough info to determine if the issue is exactly the same in each report, or if it has the same cause. Quite often there are a number of "me too" reports that list no details or are too vague to determine much. Sometimes a follow up reveals that user error, abuse, or post-manufacturing damage is involved in some of the reports.
    This is not meant to imply that real problems in design or manufacture don't exist, only that it isn't a good idea to make overly broad assumptions about commonality without sufficient information.
    You have provided a lot of useful info about your own experience, enough to rule out some of the theories & to make others seem much less likely. But it is still important to consider that those theories may explain some of the reports & that the same symptom does not mean the same cause must always be involved.
    With that out of the way, here is what I see as a synopsis of the symptoms you observe:
    • The frozen scroll wheel problem was intermittent but occurred from day one of ownership
    • It got worse over time & now occurs every time the iPod (Nano?) is powered up
    • Toggling the Hold switch repeatedly seems to temporarily cure the problem
    • Performing the 5 R's has no effect
    • Cleaning the borders of the wheel has no effect (details?)
    • The problem doesn't occur if the iPod is fully charged (details?)
    • Weather effects may be involved somehow but not in an obvious way
    If this is accurate, it would be useful to know how many other users see any of the same things, or if they see something substantially different.
    Also, note that the participants in this forum are just users & cannot know what if anything Apple will do about this issue. The terms of use prohibit our discussing Apple policy so all we can do here is try to uncover as many facts as we can about when the symptoms occur & what does & doesn't work to resolve them.

  • Is there a trick to using the center of the click wheel on my ipod nano 5th generation?

    I just bought a used (only 5 hrs playtime) from someone and I cannot get the center of the click wheel to pick up my touch very well...it takes forever to scroll thru and its frustrating! Is it normal for it to be that difficult to use or do I just need to get used to it?

    It is not normal, there is something wrong with the click wheel.

  • Using the click wheel quickly pulls up a letter...but the WRONG LETTER

    OK, this is funny and somewhat topical. I am afraid it is a predecessor to future problems though.
    When using the click wheel rapidly in song selection we all know that letter pop up to help you scroll quicker. Well, the series of letters for me goes something like this:
    A B T B C D E T E F G H T H I J K L T L...you get the idea. Yes, it repeats the letter "T" over and over.
    Does anyone have any ideas about this? I have reset the iPod, but am leary about restoring it because I have 45 episodes of The Office and 6700 songs to mess with.
      Windows XP Pro  

    I am going to post, no so much an answer, but an observation. Here is what I noticed. The letter 'T' pulls up whenever there is the word "the" in the title. So, I am thinking that with the new iTunes, it updates the iPod not to recognize the word "the" when alphabetizing, but it recognizes the letter 'T' when scrolling.
    Example: Bananarama - Venus would come first, then the next song is The Band - Acadian Driftwood. So, Band comes after Bananarama if you omit the word "the", but the letters recognize the 'T' in the. Make Sense?
    Anyone have any thoughts on this? Does anyone know where I can tell Apple about it?
    Apple needs a section that we can click on called "stupid things we seem to overlook" and then fill out opinions on dumb screwed up options like this.

  • Troubles with the Click Wheel (or whatever the "technical term" is) HELP!

    My iPod works pretty well, except for the click wheel (or whatever you wanna call it). It scrolls fine, but when it comes to trying to press the menu button, or even sometimes when I try to press the play, forward or backward button, it seems to think I'm pressing the center select button instead, selecting something on the screen instead..
    If anyone can help, I'd really appreciate it! (I posted one earlier but I'm new at this and was told I should make the subject more specific..
    Thanks!
    *Ace
    (P.S. It's not the iPod with the four buttons across the top- it's one with just the wheel and the center select button)

    I still need help please!
    When restoring the iPod, that erases everything on the iPod, correct? Would I then have to do all that stuff you have to do when you first get the iPod, like registration type stuff? Does this mean that everything in iTunes will be erased as well? (I have purchased a lot of music that is not on a CD..)
    sorry, many questions in one... thanks for the help though!

  • Removing the "Now Playing" sign when the click wheel is moved...

    Is there anyway to disable the "Now Playing" sign from appearing when the click wheel is moved?
    ... I like to use my ipod (20 gig 4G) as a watch when i'm walking home at night. I have the clock display setting on so that the time will be displayed on the top of the screen. My problem, however, is that when I move the wheel to turn on the light, the displayed message changes from the time (which I want to see) to the phrase "Now Playing" (which I have no use for).

    If you select the clock from the "Extras" menu, you'll get a large digital clock on the screen which will stay there until you remove it. This might be more fitting for the purpose you describe?

  • TS1425 OK so I finally got it to turn on but now the click wheel is messed up.

    The click wheel isn't working now. I already tried what Apple put up but it didn't work. Any suggestions?
    Thanks, Dean Winchester

    Try here:
    iOS: Not responding or does not turn on
    If yu can't turn it off, then let the battery fully drain. After charging for at least an hour try again.
    If still not successful that indicates a hardware problem and service is required.

  • My 4th gen nano has locked up and the click wheel doesn't function, is it dead?

    Hi my 4th gen nano stopped working, the screens ok with no error messages but the click wheel no longer functions other than reseting. I've set it back to default ok but still no good as it's stuck on the language page. Is it dead??
    Pete.

    Hi jim,
    If you are having issues resetting your iPod Nano, you may find the following article helpful (it should be listed under iPods with click wheels):
    Apple Support: How to reset iPod
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1320
    Regards,
    - Brenden

  • I have an older Ipod with the clicker wheel. w

    I have an older ipod with the clicker wheel.  Once I have imported a CD to iTunes, how do I get it to transfer to the iPod by Artist or Album instead of only each individual song?  When I import to my ipod and click on Artist or Album, it still shows the entire list of songs.  Thanks

    A 15GB iPod would have to be a 3rd gen iPod.  It has a touch (not click) wheel with four touch buttons in a row that glow orange during use, correct?  That model needs to be connected using FireWire, because it cannot charge over USB. 
    If your new Mac has a Thunderbolt port, you can get an adapter for FireWire
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapte r
    plus an adapter for FireWire 800 to FireWire 400
    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/FIR1369AD/
    Another way, if you have the square white FireWire power adapter that came with your iPod, is to get a special docking cable that Apple used to sell a long time ago.  It has both USB and FireWire connectors.  Here's a listing for a third-party version on eBay
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Vanco-iPod-Dock-Connector-to-1-USB-1-FireWire-Cable-/2 71074766489?pt=US_MP3_Player_Chargers_Cradles&hash=item3f1d50ae99
    (Search on "FireWire USB iPod docking cable" to see other listings.)
    What you do with this thing is plug the USB connector to your Mac's USB port, the FireWire connector to the FireWire power adapter, and the dock connector to the iPod.  iPod can then sync over USB while getting power over FireWire.
    I would go with that special cable, to avoid using a series of adapters (which adds complexity and unreliability) and tying up the valuable Thunderbolt port for just your iPod.

  • The click wheel is not working

    my click wheel is not working, i cannot select my music because i cant change it..... can you guys help me !!!!!!!!!!

    hey and whops about dropping your ipod...
    heres what i think but im not an ipod know it all so what i say might not help but any way...
    And it connected and updated and everything was okay, instead of the Click wheel control!
    well this sound okay so it probly isnt anything to do with the hard drive if it is updating ect...
    I think it would have to do with the fact that the hold lock was on... have you tried jigling the hold switch back and forward a bit? that often helps...other wise i think you should take it to an apple store and see what they can do.
    Hope it fixes

  • I have a IPOD classic late 2009 160gb ... Only my play/pause buttons doesn't work ? Do I need to replace the click wheel ?

    I have a IPOD classic late 2009 160gb ... Only my play/pause buttons doesn't work ? Do I need to replace the click wheel ?
    May try DIY due to cost
    Just wondering if anyone's had this fixed how much it costs
    Or if it's another problem before I order parts

    I have found the solution for myself for the above.  I use a specific scripting program which is accessed by Control A. To pause it, you need to use Control B. not sure if this would work for any other application but it resolves my dilemma after hours of trying!

  • I dropped my Ipod and now the click wheel is not working anymore

    Hey! I hope you can help me! I dropped my Ipod today, and now the Click wheel doesn't work anymore! The IPod broke open, but I put it together again! When I came home I connected it with the computer to see if "its" alive. And it connected and updated and everything was okay, instead of the Click wheel control! When it dropped there was "Hold" and now I can't deactivate "Hold". So I think, maybe the click wheel doesn't work because "Hold" was activated the moment the ipod dropped! BUt I don't know! Maybe something inside the ipod a soldering joint got torn apart, or something, I don't know! I just know the click wheel doesn't work, anything else seems to be okay! Can anyone help me???

    hey and whops about dropping your ipod...
    heres what i think but im not an ipod know it all so what i say might not help but any way...
    And it connected and updated and everything was okay, instead of the Click wheel control!
    well this sound okay so it probly isnt anything to do with the hard drive if it is updating ect...
    I think it would have to do with the fact that the hold lock was on... have you tried jigling the hold switch back and forward a bit? that often helps...other wise i think you should take it to an apple store and see what they can do.
    Hope it fixes

  • How much will it cost to replace the click wheel on my ipod nano 4th gen?

    how much will it cost to replace the click wheel on my ipod nano 4th gen?

    Depends on whether you have Apple do it or a third party repair company (which will be much cheaper).  Here are Apple's repair quotes.
    http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/service/prices/
    B-rock

  • Does the click wheel scratch?

    I've had an iPod nano for 2 months now, and it has been fully covered with a full body protector, so it is basically scratch free. But the clickwheel has been very hard to use and it gets very annoying having it covered. I'm thinking about cuting out the clickwheel part. But, I just want to know, does the click wheel scratch? I'm aware that the center button scratches but I don't care. I just mean the circular donut part.

    Not from what I can see compared to the scared look of the rest of my Nano.

  • Does the Click Wheel get scratched?

    Hi, I'm new to the iPod scene and have a quick question.
    Some cases and film protectors don't cover the click wheel on the Nano and I'm wondering if the click wheel gets scratched? Like is it easily scratchable as the rest of the Nano people are usually complaining about?

    Andrew
    welcome
    from my own experience, no, the clickwheel is not scratchable, but, I take care of mine....
    its really up to you about the case or film - I have a case and I also have a set of clear protectors all for a total cost of about $25.00

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