Finding yourself with an iPhone turned off and without the possibility of turning it on and restarting it does not please anyone. But why does it happen e what to do when iPhone won't turn on? The problems can be different, both hardware and software, but there are several procedures that could fix the problem. Here are which ones.
It can happen that you find yourself with an iPhone that does not turn on or that does not respond to commands, leaving the user with nothing but a black screen that seems impossible to wake up.
Forced restart on an iPhone that won't turn on
If the screen is black or the screen is frozen, the first attempt is to proceed with a forced restart of the iPhone.
Forced reboot does not erase any content and merely reboots the entire operating system when there are software problems. This type of restart can also be performed when the screen is black and the keys do not respond to commands.
Here how to force restart on iPhone:
- On iPhone 8 or later: Press and hold and quickly release the Volume Up key, then quickly press and release the Volume Down key. Now hold down the side button until the Apple logo (white apple on black background) appears.
- Your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the Side and Volume Down keys at the same time for 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo (white apple on a black background).
- On iPhone 6s and earlier models: Press and hold the Home button and the top or side button at the same time for 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo (white apple on a black background).
At this point, iOS should reboot smoothly.
If the iPhone freezes during reboot
If there is a serious enough software problem, the iPhone is likely to hang on reboot showing the Apple logo or a red or blue screen. No fear, even in this case we can try to solve doing a forced update or, in extreme cases, a restoration.
The first thing to do is to connect the iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes on the PC or Mac.
At this point you need to force restart the device:
- On iPhone 8 or later: Press and hold and quickly release the Volume Up key, then quickly press and release the Volume Down key. Now hold down the side button until the recovery mode screen appears.
- Your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the Side and Volume Down keys simultaneously for 10 seconds, until you see the recovery mode screen.
- On iPhone 6s and earlier models: Press and hold the Home button and the top or side button at the same time for 10 seconds, until you see the recovery mode screen.
ATTENTION: do not release the keys when you see the Apple logo, but keep holding them until this image is shown (recovery mode):
At this point, iTunes will ask you if you want to restore or update. Try selecting "Update”And iTunes will try to reinstall the latest version of iOS without erasing the data. If the procedure is not successful, repeat all the operations from the beginning and then select "Restore”By iTunes.
ATTENTION: selecting Restore you will lose all the data on the iPhone, which you can recover later ONLY if you have made a backup.
DFU mode for iPhone not turning on or appearing frozen
If you are unable to bring up the recovery mode screen with the steps above, you can try the DFU mode, a procedure that bypasses the bootloader and therefore allows to overcome any software problem.
Su iPhone X and later:
- Connect the iPhone to iTunes
- Press and release the Volume Up key
- Press and release the Volume Down key
- Press the Side button (right button) until the screen goes black and release it
- Press and hold the Slide and Volume Down buttons simultaneously for 5 seconds
- Release the Side button and continue holding the Volume Down button until iTunes detects the iPhone in DFU mode.
Your iPhone 8 and 8 Plus:
- Connect the iPhone to iTunes
- Touch the volume down button, then press the power button for 10 seconds and then the volume down button for 5 seconds without leaving the power button.
- After 5 seconds, remove your finger from the power button but continue to press the volume key for another 10 seconds
Su iPhone 7 and 7 Plus:
- Connect the iPhone 7 to the computer
- Open iTunes or make sure it's already open
- Turn off iPhone 7
- Press and hold the power button for three seconds
- Press and hold the button to decrease the volume while holding down the power button
- Keep the two buttons pressed for 10 seconds (if the Apple logo appears you will have to start the procedure all over again)
- Release the power button and press and hold the volume down button for five seconds
- If the device screen remains black, the procedure was successful, otherwise if the iTunes screen appears it will mean that the device is only in recovery mode and not in DFU
On iPhone 6s and earlier:
- Connect the iPhone to your Mac or PC and wait for iTunes to open;
- Now turn off the iPhone;
- Once turned off, press and hold the Power and Home keys at the same time for exactly 10 seconds
- After 10 seconds, release the Power key and keep holding the Home key until iTunes detects the iPhone in Recovery mode
At this point, the iPhone screen will remain black: you have managed to set your phone in DFU mode and you can proceed with the Restore via iTunes.
ATTENTION: by selecting Restore you will lose all the data on the iPhone, which you can recover later ONLY if you have made a backup.
Also Read: How To Reset And Reset iPhone?
What if the iPhone won't turn on and still gets stuck?
It may seem obvious and trite, but you are sure that the battery is charged? Plug the iPhone into a power source and let it charge for about an hour.
After a few minutes you should see this screen:
If after an hour the iPhone does not turn on and the screen above does not appear, or if you see the screen asking you to connect the device to the power supply (image below), check that the power supply and USB cable are working properly, perhaps by connecting them to another iPhone (present at home or of a friend).
Alternatively, try using another power supply or cable, always Apple official or MFi certified.
If the power supply and cable are working and the iPhone won't charge, turn on or restart, then it's very likely that your device has a hardware problem. In this case, the only thing to do is to contact Apple Support.
