If your iPhone won't turn on, you might think you need to buy a new phone. This may be true if the problem is serious enough, but before you decide your iPhone is dead, here are 6 ways to try to fix it.
These steps apply to all iPhone models.
This may sound obvious, but make sure your iPhone battery is charged. To test this, plug your iPhone into a wall charger or computer. Charge for 15-30 minutes. It may open automatically. You may also need to hold down the on/off button to turn it on.
If you suspect your phone is drained but won't charge, your charger or cable may be defective. Try another cable to double check. (PS, if you haven’t heard, you can now wirelessly charge your iPhone if you have an iPhone 8 or newer.)
If the battery charge doesn't turn on your iPhone, the next thing you should try is to restart the phone. To do this, press and hold the on/off button on the top or right side of your phone for a few seconds.
If the phone is turned off (not out of battery), it should turn on. If it's turned on, you may see a slider to turn it off.
If your phone is turned off, turn it on. If it's turned on, it might be a good idea to restart it by turning it off and then on again.
If a standard reboot doesn't work, try a hard reset. A hard reset is a reboot that clears more of your device's memory (but not its storage. You don't lose data) for a more comprehensive reset. To perform a hard reset:
Sometimes, the best option is to restore your iPhone to factory settings. This will erase all data and settings on your phone (hopefully you have synced your iPhone recently and backed up your data). While this may seem extreme, it can solve a lot of problems.
In some cases, you may encounter problems while restoring your iPhone, preventing you from completing the process. If you encounter this issue, learn how to resolve it by fixing iPhone error 4013.
In some cases, your iPhone may not turn on because it fails to boot or gets stuck on the Apple logo during startup. This may happen after jailbreaking or when trying to update iOS but failing.
If you encounter this issue, you need to put your phone into DFU mode, which is similar to recovery mode. This is not for the faint of heart; try this at your own risk.
If you don't have enough space to update your iPhone, you can free up space by deleting unused apps, deleting old photos, or clearing old voicemails.
Another rare situation that causes your iPhone to not turn on is a faulty proximity sensor, which dims the iPhone's screen when you hold it close to your face. This causes the screen to remain dark even when the phone is on and not close to your face.
To reset your iPhone's proximity sensor, you need to perform a hard reset first. Then, once the screen works again, tap Settings --> General --> Reset --> Reset all settings. This will clear all of your preferences and settings on your iPhone, but it won't delete your data.
If your iPhone still won't turn on after completing all these steps, the problem may be too serious to fix on your own. You need to contact Apple to make a Genius Bar appointment.
During this appointment, Genius will either resolve your issue or let you know how much it will cost to resolve it. Check your iPhone's warranty status before making an appointment, as this can save you money on repairs.
If you're just getting out of the woods and want to upgrade to a new iPhone, we won't judge.
Of course, in some cases, the opposite problem occurs: your iPhone won't turn off. If you encounter this problem, learn why your iPhone won't turn off and how to fix it.
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