How to turn off an iphone when screen is frozen

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

My iPhone Is Frozen and Won't Turn off or Reset - 5 Essential Fixes

"It seems like acting a little glitchy. My iPhone Home screen is frozen and it won't let me to turn it off or reset. I hold the button for several minutes but I never get the power off slide to shut it down. Full charge. Latest iOS version. Buttons still works. Can anyone explain this?"

To put it straight, most "iPhone is frozen and won't turn off or reset" problem primarily source from five aspects: faulty apps, update bugs, software errors, broken power button and a not responding screen. But the sticky part starts after you get these hints: How to resolve it?

Fix a Frozen iPhone That Won't Turn off

Several measures are effective in remedying this problem, with some of them capable of retaining all content and settings on your device during the repairs. Navigate through this breakdown to give them a shot to before forking out hundreds of dollars to an Apple specialist.

Like all troubleshooting, we'll start broadly and progress into some advanced tricks to get iPhone to unfreeze and turn it off then back to on. No matter you're using an iPhone X, XS, 11, SE (2nd generation) or newer model, or an iPhone 7, 6, or earlier model, just work your way down until the unresponsive device with not working TURN OFF button comes back to a stable state.

Solution 1 - Try Turning It Off and On Again

There's no need to get upset right away when you try to turn off an iPhone that's frozen or stuck but fail once, as there might be something temporarily blocking the transmission of shutdown command to the operating system and the hardware. Restart the device one more time to see if it persists.

You can also see Apple's support page on restarting an iPhone.

• On an iPhone X, XS, 11, or newer: Press and hold both the Power button and either of the Volume button. When a red slider appears, drag it all the way to the right. Then, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo shows up.
• On an iPhone SE (2nd generation), 8, 7, or 6: Press and hold the Power button. When a red slider appears, drag it all the way to the right. Then, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo shows up.
• On an iPhone SE (1st generation), 5, or earlier: Press and hold the Top button. When a red slider appears, drag it all the way to the right. Then, press and hold the Top button until the Apple logo shows up.

Solution 2 - Force-restart a Frozen iPhone That Won't Restart

Loads of phones give users little notification on hard reset, but it does come in play where a reboot doesn't make a difference. With it, you can refresh iPhone that has a frozen screen, doesn't respond when you touch it and won't shut down after update via a quick button combination.

This is nothing more than powering it off then back on - only you force it to shut down, so you won't lose any data or information from the handset. Follow the wizard below to force restart an iPhone that becomes responsive when you turn it off.

• On an iPhone 8, X, 11, SE (2nd generation) or later： Quickly press then release the Volume Up button. Quickly press then release the Volume Down button. Then press and hold the Power button until you see the Apple logo.
• On an iPhone 7 (Plus): Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down button at the same time until you see the Apple logo.
• On an iPhone 6 or earlier: Press and hold both the Home and the Power buttons until you see the Apple logo.

Tips: If your iPhone with frozen screen can't turn off or reboot only when you open one specific app, reinstall it first. In case this problem continues to surface, delete the faulty app to fully fix it up.

If you've attempted all shut-down techniques - move the power off slider to the right, go to Setting > General and click "Shut Down", and hard reset - but none of them works, keep reading.

Solution 3 - Make Sure There Are No System Bugs

Balky software system could also mess with the basic operating environment and the booting sequence, rendering that an Apple iPhone screen become frozen or unresponsive and won't turn off as normal, or even everything goes dead.

Though it's hard to figure out where the software glitch lies, iOS System Recovery has several weapons against it - a powerful scanner leaving all bugs uncovered, an extensive iOS firmware database for download, and a robust repair function to patch up bugs that might bedevil the device.

One more appreciated feature is that this trustworthy toolkit boasts of sorting out problems quickly and automatically without causing data loss. Be it frozen iPhone that won't slide to power off, not responding black screen or any other iOS & iPadOS system issues, it'll take care of the rest itself in the background once you've tweaked a few buttons methodically to trigger its FIX feature.

Now that you've mastered all basic information, it's time to get hands-on with the problem. Start by click the for Windows or for MacOS button to download the utility, then:

Step 1: Connect your phone to a computer

Launch the program and plug the phone into the computer.

Once the tool recognizes your device, click on "More tools". In the results, select "iOS System Recovery" located on the upper right of the panel.

Step 2: Select "Standard Mode"

At this stage, click on the Start button with your left mouse button. On the next window with the device information displayed, hit Fix button in the middle.

You'll then see two modes for troubleshooting.

The "Standard Mode" attempts to repair most of "iPhone freezes and won't turn off" problems, without affecting your files or applications.

The "Advanced Mode" aims to clear up everything on the device and restore it back to factory settings - aka. a DFU restore. (Make sure you've got BACKUPS first!)

Choose the "Standard Mode" and apply changes by clicking on Confirm button.

Step 3: Download iOS software corresponding to your device

When you see the firmware displaying on the screen, highlight the latest version of iOS software and navigate somewhere easy to find to save it. Once confirmed, press Next button.

The tool will take care of the download process itself. Just wait until it finishes.

See More: Why Is My iPhone Dead and How Can I Fix It

Step 4: Fix an iPhone that wouldn't respond and unable to turn off

A "Download complete!" window appears when all is done. All that's left to do is to click on Fix button.

Now, your iPhone that would not power off and was frozen should start working fine again.

Video Toturial: Fix Any iPhone Frozen and Won't Trun Off or Reset

Solution 4 - Place iPhone into Recovery Mode

Recovery mode is an Apple's dedicated troubleshooting mechanism to fix rock-ribbed software problems. Whether your iPhone is completely frozen and has no capacity to turn off or it fails to shut off but stuck on the emergency SOS screen instead during restarting or force-rebooting, it'll restore the device to its default settings to get it back on track.

Before proceeding, you should verify if you've backed up your phone recently.

Putting your phone into recovery mode relatively simple. Just follow the given steps to do that:

1. Attach your device to a computer.

2. On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer, run Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, or on a PC, run iTunes.

3. Put your phone into recovery mode.

• On an iPhone 8, X, 11, SE (2nd generation) or later：Instantly press then let go of Volume Up button and instantly press then let go of Volume Down button. Then, press the Power button and keep holding until you see the recovery mode screen.
• On an iPhone 7 (Plus): Press both the Power and Volume Down buttons, and keep holding until you see the recovery mode screen.
• On an iPhone 6 or earlier: Press both the Power and Home buttons, and keep holding until you see the recovery mode.

4. A window will open on iTunes or Finder. Click Restore.

The Finder or iTunes will download software for your device. If it takes 15 minutes or more, the device will exit recovery mode. You'll need to repeat the steps to restore again. After the restore, check out Apple's resource to set up device from a backup in iCloud or on your computer.

Solution 5 - Consult Apple Genius Bar

At this point, you've verified that the operating system just works fine. Though it's rare to occur, an iPhone that won't turn off and stuck on white Apple logo screen could also be attributed to some hardware glitches:

• The screen is damaged.
• A button (Home/ Power) is broken or stuck.
• The phone is dropped into water.

If you suspect this, an experienced tech support from either an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider is qualified to help you out. If you've holding your phone for one year or more, there'll be an extra pay for the out-of-warranty repair service.

Now we're all done. No matter what causes your iPhone to be frozen and not turning off, hopefully you can iron out the problem and continue with your normal life to act fun.

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