How to restart iPhone when frozen

Introduction

Performing a force restart won't delete any data, but can be helpful if your iPhone 11 is frozen, won't turn on, or needs troubleshooting.

• Quickly press and release the Volume Up button (1).

• Quickly press and release the Volume Down button (2).

• You really have to press very briefly

• Finally, press and hold the side button (3) until the Apple logo appears, and then release.

• The screen will temporarily go dark as the iPhone shuts down and reboots. Keep holding the button until you see the logo.

Conclusion

​You're done!​

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Taps on the screen go unnoticed. Panicked swipes aren't registered. Frantic button presses are ignored.

When your iPhone's screen is black or frozen and not responding, a normal restart might not work for the simple reason that your iPhone has gotten itself in such a state that it fails to recognize you holding down the power and volume buttons -- or your silent prayers. If your iPhone is unresponsive and won't restart the usual way, then a force-restart can bring it back to life. Fear not: a force-restart does not erase anything on your iPhone.

From the iPhone 6s to the iPhone 12 and all models in between, here's how you can bring back a stuck iPhone with a force-restart.

Force-restart an iPhone 12, iPhone 11, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone SE (2nd gen), iPhone X or iPhone 8

Force-restarting an iPhone released in the last four years is a three-button procedure:

1. Press and release the volume-up button.
   
2. Press and release the volume-down button.
   
3. Press and hold the side button until the screen turns off and then turns back on. You can release the side button when the Apple logo appears.
   

Force-restart an iPhone 7

Press and hold both the volume-down button and the side button until you see the Apple logo.

Force-restart an iPhone 6s or iPhone SE (1st-gen)

Press and hold both the sleep/wake button and the home button until you see the Apple logo.

Last option: Reinstall iOS

If your iPhone is really messed up and just won't start, you may need to reinstall its operating system. To do that, connect your iPhone to your computer and start iTunes. Next, perform a force-restart of your iPhone but don't let go of the button(s) when the Apple logo appears. Instead, keep holding until you see the recovery mode screen -- the screen with the iTunes logo and Lightning connector. 

When you see this screen on your iPhone, you should then see a window in iTunes on your computer to Restore or Update your iPhone. Click Update and iTunes will reinstall iOS -- and will do so without erasing your settings, apps and data.

If Update doesn't work, then you'll need to opt for Restore, which will erase all of your data and reinstall iOS and then prompt you to restore a backup in iTunes or iCloud that you hopefully created in the recent past.

Here's what you can do to restart your phone now, plus tips to prevent another crash in the future.  

Many iPhone users have been here before. You’re scrolling through social media, watching a video, or even texting, when suddenly your iPhone freezes. It’s undoubtedly frustrating, and all you want to do is get it working again. Luckily, learning how to restart an iPhone can help get it back to normal in no time.

You don’t need to know any hidden iPhone hacks and tricks to restart an iPhone—it’s pretty simple to learn. Read on to learn how to restart a frozen iPhone, and why it froze in the first place. Then, read up on what to do if your iPhone is disabled, how to factory reset and save battery life on iPhone as well as unlock your iPhone when you forget your password—you never know when the information will come in handy.

How to force restart your iPhone

“If your iPhone is completely unresponsive (frozen) and you cannot power it off normally, try forcing it to restart,” Joshua Sutton, uBreakiFix Training and Development Manager, tells Reader’s Digest. “This process varies depending on the model of iPhone you are attempting a forced restart [on].” Sutton recommends the below steps for the specific iPhone models:

rd.com, Getty Images

For iPhone with Face ID (X and up), iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus, Sutton recommends:

1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.
2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.
3. Press and hold the side button.
4. Release the button when the Apple logo appears.

For iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, Sutton recommends:

1. Press and hold both the volume down button and the Sleep/Wake button.
2. Release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.

For iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE (1st generation), or older models, Sutton recommends:

1. Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button.
2. Release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.

What causes your iPhone to freeze?

There isn’t always an obvious reason as to why an iPhone freezes. “There are many possible reasons why an iPhone may freeze or become unresponsive, and they are generally the same as what causes a computer to freeze,” Sutton says. “After all, these are at their core, scaled-down mobile computers.” Similar to computers, did you know that some iPhones can get viruses, too?

Sutton says that iPhones freeze due to four main reasons:

• Low available storage space
• Infrequent iPhone reboots
• Uninstalled updates
• Problematic or “buggy” apps

If you only have 10 percent to 15 percent of storage space available, Sutton recommends storing some photos on the Cloud and deleting apps you no longer use. Here are more hacks to free up storage space on your iPhone.

If you always leave your iPhone on, it may be time to (safely) turn it off. In fact, this is how often you should restart your iPhone. Sutton also recommends checking iOS updates regularly and as well as always making sure an app is legitimate and operating properly before downloading it onto your iPhone. If you’re looking for a more clutter-free home screen, here’s how to hide apps on an iPhone.

What happens if the iPhone doesn’t restart?

If restarting your iPhone doesn’t fix the problem, or if the phone doesn’t restart at all, don’t panic. “If a forced restart does not resolve the issue and the device freezes again upon booting, then you may need to completely restore iOS,” Sutton says. He recommends going to your local repair technician. “If a complete iOS restore does not resolve the issue, or an iPhone iOS restore continuously fails, then you may be experiencing an issue that requires hardware repair.” Here are some warning signs it’s time for a new cell phone.

What iPhone users should know about a frozen iPhone

It’s important for iPhone users to know that a freezing iPhone could result in data loss. “Make sure you always have an iCloud backup enabled and check regularly to make sure that backups are occurring,” says Sutton. “While a freezing iPhone is often an easily addressed issue, there are some situations where you cannot retrieve data through conventional means (iCloud backups, iPhone data recovery software, etc). Data recovery in these situations, while not impossible in most cases, can be a costly ordeal.” Next, here are the things you’re doing to your iPhone that Apple experts would never do.

Source:

• Joshua Sutton, uBreakiFix Training and Development Manager