Tackled in this post is a problem on the iPhone13 mini that’s stuck on black screen. Read on to learn how to deal with the Apple iPhone 13 mini black screen of death issue.
iOS 15 Black Screen of Death
Black screen of death is a display issue in mobile devices. It’s depicted with a symptom in which the device suddenly stops working and gets stuck on black screen even after rebooting.
If you happen to bump into the same scenario on your new iPhone 13 mini, then you can try some workarounds to eliminate software-related factors that might have caused the problem.
Possible Causes
Contrary to a common notion that a black screen of death is due to hardware damage, most cases of black screen issue among smartphones are actually attributed to some serious system errors. It turns out that the device can get stuck on black screen due to fatal system errors inflicted by stubborn software bugs and malware, errant applications, corrupted files and memory problems.
Thus, here are the common factors that you should consider ruling out when dealing with the black screen of death issue on your iPhone 13 mini:
- Battery-related issue – an iPhone might have been stuck on black screen because it ran out of battery. This is often the case when rapid battery draining issue is transpiring on the device.
- Software bugs and malware – when the black screen of death occurs after installing a new update, software update or downloading online content, chances are that a software bug or malware is to blame.
- Errant apps – apps that have gone rogue from an update can also halt the core system functions. The same thing can happen when a recent app installation or updating was not successful or interrupted.
- Data corruption – system files that have been corrupted including residual files can also trigger adverse system behaviours that eventually result in black screen of death or frozen display.
- Memory problems – black screen of death can also occur among other performance-related issues on the phone. This is usually what happens if your iPhone storage is running low.
- Hardware damage – this is by far the worst possible cause of black screen of death. This is often the case if you’ve got your iPhone exposed to some sort of liquid or accidentally dropped it.
In rare cases, a black screen of death can also be tied to some third-party accessories like a protective casing or screen protectors installed on the iPhone. Some non-Apple accessories aren’t just a perfect fit for the iPhone and eventually trigger adverse screen behaviors.
If you’ve managed to figure out the root cause of the problem and it’s software-related, then you can immediately fix it by eliminating the main trigger. Otherwise, you will need to go through a trial-and-error approach to eliminate every possible culprit.
Troubleshooting iPhone 13 mini black screen of death issue
The following solutions are typically used when dealing with complex iOS problems that result in random to frequent system crashes, lags, and frozen. Any of these procedures can help eliminate software-related factors that might have caused the black screen of death issue on your iPhone 13 mini.
Feel free to try these methods before rushing to the nearest Apple genius bar in your place.
Solution #1: Charge your iPhone and then force restart.
As mentioned earlier, the device can get stuck on black screen simply because it completely run out of power. It’s possible that some apps on your phone is using up much power and eventually cause massive battery drain and system shutdown.
To rule this out, connect your iPhone to the power source and let it charge for at least 30 minutes. Be sure to use OEM or Apple-supplied charger and plug it into a power source. Normally, your iPhone should boot up as soon as it accumulates sufficient battery to power the system up.
While your iPhone is charging, perform a forced restart to forcibly end erratic services and clear out errant files that are stored temporarily in the system cache.
For starters, just follow these steps to force restart your iPhone 13 mini:
Step 1: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
Step 2: Then, press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
Step 3: Finally, press and hold the Side/Power button for a few moments and then release it when the Apple logo appears.
If your iPhone managed to boot up to the Home screen after a forced reboot, carry out the next solutions to rule out other factors that might have triggered the iPhone system to crash, freeze and get stuck on a black screen.
Solution #2: Optimize your iPhone storage.
If the black screen issue occurs and recurs while your device is on low memory, then it’s a direct indication that you need to free up space. This is a must do if the available storage on your iPhone is already below 2GB.
So here’s what you should do to free up storage space on your iPhone 13 mini:
- Delete Old Files. Messages, photos, videos, documents and other old files saved on the phone must be removed to free up storage. When accumulated, these old files will adversely affect the phone’s overall performance, especially when any of these files gets corrupted. Thus, be sure to clear out all obsolete files from your iPhone
- Offload/Uninstall Unnecessary Apps. Aside from deleting old files, uninstalling unused apps is also recommended. These apps might have used up a huge portion of your iPhone’s memory and eventually caused other apps and the operating system to slow down.
Offloading unused apps is also another way to free up storage space on your iPhone 13 mini. This will delete all unused apps without deleting the apps data.
Moving some of your important data from your iPhone to other storage media including iTunes and iCloud storage is also an option. This way you’d still be able to access and retrieve your files when needed.
Solution #3: Reset all settings.
Restoring all system settings without deleting important data from the iPhone storage is often recommended before performing a factory reset to deal with complex system issues.
You can trigger this reset by heading over to your iPhone settings with these steps:
- Go to your Home screen and then open the Settings app.
- Scroll to and tap General.
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone to proceed.
- Then tap on Reset.
- On the succeeding menu, tap Reset all settings to proceed.
- Enter your passcode if prompted.
- Tap the option to confirm all settings reset on your iPhone.
- Follow the rest of the onscreen prompts to complete the reset process and let your iPhone reboot by itself.
System settings and other relevant information will then be deleted and the default values and options are restored.
In order to use necessary features that are disabled by default, you will need to re-enable them individually.
Solution #4: Do a factory reset (optional).
Performing a complete system reset or factory reset is often deemed as the last resort when dealing with recurring issues inflicted by complex system bugs and malware. This process wipes all your iPhone data including downloaded files, apps, custom settings and personal information saved on the phone. That said, creating backups of all critical data is highly recommended beforehand.
Once everything is set, you can go ahead and instigate a factory data reset through your iPhone 13 mini settings menu with these steps:
- Go to your Home screen and then open the Settings app.
- Scroll to and tap General.
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone to proceed
- Erase All Content and Settings
- Continue
- Enter passcode, if prompted
- Tap Erase Now.
The phone will then start wiping all saved information including downloaded apps, saved photos and videos and other added contents.
After the reset, your phone is restored to its factory state. By then, you can start setting up your device as new.
Solution #5: Restore your iPhone in iTunes.
Alternatively, you can use iTunes to restore your iPhone to its factory default settings on a computer. This method is often applied when performing a factory reset via iOS settings isn’t possible. In order to proceed, you will need to have the iTunes app installed on your Windows or Mac computer.
Important Note:
To avoid bumping into some errors due to system conflict, be sure to use the latest version of iTunes app on your computer. Once you’ve got everything set, you may proceed with the iTunes restore through these steps:
- To get started, connect your iPhone to your computer using the Apple-supplied USB cable or lightning cable.
- While your device is connected, launch iTunes on your computer and wait for it to detect your iPhone 13.
- Your iPhone will show in the iTunes app when it’s recognized. By then, just click the Device button near the top left of the iTunes window.
- Then, click Summary.
- To proceed with a factory reset, click the Restore button and follow the rest of the onscreen instructions. All your iPhone settings and information will then be erased.
- Once your iPhone is completely restored, you can disconnect it from iTunes. But before you do so, be sure to click the Eject button to safely eject your device.
By then, you can proceed with the initial setup process and set up everything on your iPhone system as new.
More Advanced Solutions
Aside from the standard iOS restore, you may also resort to more advanced iOS restore methods if the problem continues. There are two advanced system restore you can do on your iPhone 13 mini, namely a recovery mode restore and DFU mode restore.
Both of these methods require iTunes, so better have the app ready on your computer should you wish to continue.
A. Restore iPhone in Recovery Mode.
A recovery mode restore will put your device in a recovery state and then wipes and restores all system defaults in iTunes. Any complex iOS problems including recurring symptoms inflicted by stubborn bugs and malware will be rectified in the process. If possible, try to back up all your important files in iTunes beforehand so you’d still be able to retrieve your files afterwards.
Just follow these steps whenever you’re all set to perform a recovery mode restore in iTunes:
- Connect your iPhone to the computer via USB/lightning cable then launch iTunes.
- While your iPhone is connected, press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then, press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until you see the Connect to iTunes screen.
- When you see the Connect to iTunes screen (Recovery Mode screen), it means that you’ve successfully put your iPhone in recovery mode.
- At this point, iTunes will prompt you with a message saying that it has detected a problem with the iPhone that requires it to be updated or restored. When you see that prompt, just click the Restore button and follow the rest of the onscreen instructions.
Just wait for iTunes to complete the iOS repair and restoration procedures then see if that solves the problem.
B. Restore iPhone DFU mode.
DFU or Device Firmware Upgrade mode restore works by putting your device in a state in which it’s still able to communicate with iTunes without activating the boot loader or iOS. This method is often used by iPhone technicians when fixing fatal issues on an iPhone, particularly those that are attributed to a corrupted iOS.
Just like a recovery mode restore, performing a DFU mode restore also requires the use of iTunes on a computer. And likewise, this method also results in permanent data loss as everything in your iPhone system will be deleted in the process.
Important notes:
Performing a DFU mode restore is discouraged if hardware damage is present on your iPhone. So if you’ve previously dropped or got your iPhone wet before it succumbed to black screen of death, better take it straight to a service center. But if you think it’s free from any sort of physical or liquid damage, you can proceed with these steps:
- First, plug your iPhone into the computer via USB/lightning cable then open iTunes app.
- While your iPhone is connected, press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then, press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until nothing is shown on the screen.
- When the screen goes black, press and hold the Volume Down button while holding/pressing on the Side button.
- After 5 seconds, release the Side button but keep holding the Volume Down button for another 10 seconds or until your iPhone appears in iTunes or Finder.
- On the iTunes pop-up window, click the OK button and then click Restore to instigate iOS restore in DFU mode.
If your iPhone screen becomes completely black, it means that it has entered DFU mode successfully. By then you can start restoring iOS through iTunes.
Meanwhile, if you see any logo or iTunes popup window or something like the Recovery mode screen, it means that you’ve entered Recovery mode instead. In this case, you’ll have to repeat the first steps to enter DFU mode and restore the iPhone in iTunes.
Third-party iOS Repair Solutions
Many serious iOS issues are often addressed with an iTunes restore but there also some that are already beyond iTunes capacity to resolved. Thus if the iPhone screen remains black and the black screen of death symptom continues after restoring iOS in iTunes, your next options are as follows:
A. Third-party iPhone Repair Tools
There are a number of third-party developed apps to repair complex system issues in iOS devices including stuck on Apple logo, frequent system crashes, lags, boot loops and black screen of death linked to some stubborn bugs, malware and data corruption.
Among the most popular and highly recommended labels include AnyFix iOS system recovery, PhoneRescue for iOS, iMyFone Fixppo, Tenorshare ReiBoot, Dr. Fone and JoyoshareUltFix, to name some.
These tools can be downloaded and installed on a Windows or Mac computer for free or via one-time purchase.
Once you’ve got your preferred tool ready, you can connect your iPhone to your computer just like what you did when restoring in iTunes. Once your device is connected, launch the software and then you can go ahead and start repairing your device using the tools integrated commands.
B. iPhone Technician
If your iPhone screen remains stuck on a black display after performing all the above procedures, then you’re more likely dealing with a hardware issue. Thus, taking a trip to a service center should be the next option to consider.
You can take your iPhone to the nearest Apple-authorized service center and ask a technician to diagnose and/or repair your device.
Contact Apple Support
You may also opt to escalate the problem to Apple Support especially if the black screen symptom instigated from an iOS update. In this case, the symptom is likely triggered by an iOS bug that would require a dedicated fix patch.
Hope this helps!
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