Whatever the reason may be, there are a few ways you can try out in order to get it working like new again.
What Should I Do If My iPhone Does Not Respond?
The old saying “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” is so popular because of how accurate it can be. There are three levels of restarting your iPhone, namely:
Soft Reset
The soft reset option is basically turning your device off and on again. This method will not run the risk of losing any data. This solution will usually suffice if your iPhone is running slower than usual, if an app is lagging or won’t launch, or if there are minor problems with your phone’s responsiveness.
You can do this by simply holding down the Sleep/ Wake button and shutting down your iPhone once the slider shows up on screen. Once it completely shuts off, you may hold down the same button to start it again.
Forced Restart
With a force restart, no data will be lost either. This is recommended when your device is totally unresponsive – not just lagging. This could manifest in different ways such as your screen turning completely black even when the phone is on, the screen freezing for long periods, or if there are issues in startup.
How to perform a Force Restart depends on the iPhone model you have.
For iPhone 8 and later models
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button
- Press and hold the Sleep / Wake button until the Apple logo shows up on the screen
For iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
- Press and hold the Sleep/ Wake button and Volume Down button together until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
For iPhone 6s and older models
- Press and hold the Sleep/ Wake button and Home button together until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
Factory Reset
A factory reset should be your last resort as it brings your iPhone back to its original state, wiping all its content, settings, and information clean. We highly recommend using this as a last resort, or if you decide to sell your iPhone.
If possible, you may also back up all of your iPhone’s data and settings before performing a factory reset. To activate this method, simply go to Settings > General > Reset.
How To Use Recovery Mode
Recovery Mode is another method you can use when your iPhone remains unresponsive despite trying a Soft Reset or Force Restart. This can also be used in cases wherein your phone won’t show past the Apple logo anymore.
Simply connect your device to your computer and then open iTunes. Similarly, you may open a Finder window and select your iPhone from the drop down menu on the left hand side.
Follow the steps found under the Force Restart section above, except this time, a Recovery Mode screen should appear in the place of the Apple logo. Choose either Update or Restore, your iPhone should then start to reset.
Keep in mind that this method will also delete all your information on the device.
How To Restart Your iPhone By Using Siri
With iPhones running on iOS 16 or later, you can now restart using Siri. If the software allows it, you can simply switch it off and on again with a straightforward voice command – no buttons needed!
Simply tell Siri out loud “restart my iPhone” and then tap “Yes” on the screen to confirm the action. If Siri is disabled on your iPhone, turn it on by going to Settings > Siri & Search.
How Often Should You Restart Your iPhone?
Restarting your iPhone will not yield long-term negative effects. However, you don’t need to resort to it each time there is a minor problem with your phone. Sometimes, all giving your device a little more time or perhaps enough of a charge will do the trick to bring it back to peak performance.
In instances wherein a fundamental iOS service or feature is unresponsive, it would be helpful to give the operating system a refresher by turning it off for a few seconds and powering it back up. By fundamental we mean not being able to place a phone call, send a text, only having a black screen show up when opening the camera, glitches as you scroll through apps, or your notifications and sounds not working despite turning them On in Settings.
Other types of fundamental features that could use a restart are if you are having connectivity issues with either your Wi-Fi, data, or cellular service. Sometimes, these can be fixed by toggling the Airplane Mode on and off, but if that won’t work then a restart should suffice.
Problems with third party apps are often resolved through the apps themselves, such as by deleting them and installing it again.
How To Stop An iPhone Reboot Loop
Though it does not happen too often, sometimes the iPhone can get stuck in a Reboot Loop. This means that the device ends up restarting over and over again without you triggering any of it, and you are stuck seeing the Apple logo refresh on your screen to no end.
There are a few fixes you can try when your iPhone is stuck in the loop, namely:
Make sure it’s not an update
Sometimes, an update can take a while, and it could come at unexpected times if your phone has “Auto Update” on. Make sure that this occurrence is not just a normal update happening, and if it is, all you need to do is sit tight until it’s finished.
The progress bar can move at an excruciatingly slow pace when updating, but for as long as it is moving, Apple suggests waiting it out. Only when the progress bar has not moved for at least an hour should you try the other solutions mentioned below.
Force Restart
If your phone is stuck in the loop, you can also try the Force Restart method to refresh the system. You can find a step-by-step guide for this method above.
Recovery Mode
If Force Restart does not work, try putting your iPhone on Recovery Mode. You can find a step-by-step guide for this method above.
What If None of The Solutions Work?
In cases wherein the solutions above either do not work at all, or do not fix the problem for too long, it is most recommended to bring your iPhone in for a check up by a professional.
Here at Square Repair, we can run a general diagnostic test to identify what exactly is not working right within your iPhone, and should be able to give you a progress report within 24 to 48 hours after diagnosis.
We service iPhones of varying models, including the older iPhone 5s and the newer iPhone 12. Other common models we cater to include: