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How To Fix a FROZEN iPhone (The #1 Simplest Method)
Is your iPhone frozen, lagging too much, or hung? If it is, follow these simple steps to fix it – we’ve included a bunch of options and one will almost certainly fix it!
Occasionally your iPhone may freeze or hang during an operation – old-timers would call it a crash – and won’t respond to the home buttons, sleep button or the touchscreen. Don’t worry this happens to even the best iPhones.
If this happens there are two solutions you should try first:
#1 Best Option How To Restart iPhone A Frozen iPhone
- iPhone X or newer: press and hold either volume button and the side button for at least 6 seconds. When the power off slider appears, swipe it. In most cases, this should shut down the unresponsive phone and return you to the home screen when it restarts.
- iPhone 6, 7, or 8: press and hold the side button for at least 6 seconds. When the power off slider appears, swipe it. In most cases, this should shut down the unresponsive phone and return you to the home screen when it restarts.
- iPhone 5, SE, or earlier: press and hold the top button for at least 6 seconds. When the power off slider appears, swipe it. In most cases, this should shut down the unresponsive phone and return you to the home screen when it restarts.
#2 Option: How To Restore iPhone To Factory Settings
If the option above does not fix your unresponsive iPhone then you should connect it to your Mac or PC and launch iTunes, or if you’re running macOS Catalina, open the iPhone window in the Finder. Click on the Summary tab and then click on the Restore button.
- MAKE SURE YOU BACK-UP YOUR iPHONE FIRST!
This will restore your iPhone to its factory settings and install the latest version of the iPhone operating software. It will also erase all the songs, videos, calendar and contact information on the iPhone. (Though it is easy enough to reinstall that info by syncing with iTunes when the iPhone is fixed).
iPhone Recovery Mode
Putting your iPhone in recovery mode is basically the nuclear option, your last-ditch attempt before going to an Apple Store to speak to a genius. Nine times out of ten, recovery mode will fix all but the most nefarious of issues, so all of the above didn’t work, this one should…
- How To Put iPhone Into Recovery Mode
- Connect Your iPhone To iTunes on Your PC/Mac
Once Your iPhone is Connected, Follow These Steps, per Apple’s official advice:
- iPad models with Face ID: Press and hold the Top button and either volume button until the power-off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off your device. Connect your device to your computer while holding the Top button. Keep holding the Top button until you see the recovery-mode screen.
- iPhone 8 or later: Press and hold the Side button and one of the volume buttons until the power-off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off your device. Connect your device to your computer while holding the Side button. Keep holding the Side button until you see the recovery-mode screen.
- iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPod touch (7th generation): Press and hold the Side (or Top) button until the power-off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off your device. Connect your device to your computer while holding the Volume Down button. Keep holding the Volume Down button until you see the recovery-mode screen.
- iPad with Home button, iPhone 6s or earlier, and iPod touch (6th generation) or earlier: Press and hold the Side (or Top) button until the power-off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off your device. Connect your device to your computer while holding the Home button. Keep holding the Home button until you see the recovery-mode screen.
And if none of the above things work, it’s time to go to an Apple Store.