Black screen of death issue has been one of the most dreaded problems on smartphones. This is a situation where you almost lost hope of using your phone again. Few common factors that could cause the issue includes hardware failure, fatal system error or a complex software bug.
If you have an iPhone XS Max stuck on black screen of death after iOS 13 update, I’ve mapped out some effective solutions to handle the issue. To deal with software inflicted problem, you’ll need to perform these advanced solutions and make sure that they’re executed the right way. Read on and find out how.
Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you happen to find this post while looking for a solution to a different problem, then visit our iPhone XS Max Help Guides page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this device. We may have already published articles that could help you fix your problem. Find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our solutions.
First solution: Perform a force restart on your iPhone XS Max to fix black screen issue.
Occasionally, minor software bugs attached on the recent software update might be causing your phone to be stuck on black screen of death. Performing a force restart will eliminate those bugs that triggers the issue. This process has the same result to a soft reset, but the difference lies on the execution as you’ll use hardware keys to carry out a force restart. This will forcibly shutdown and reboot unresponsive device. Here’s how it’s done:
- Press and release the Volume Up button quickly.
- Press and release the Volume Down button quickly.
- Lastly, press and hold the Side button for a few seconds until you see the Apple logo.
If the issue has been caused by firmware crash, you might need to wait at least 20 seconds before the Apple logo appears. Just keep on pressing the Power button a little longer.
If you’re phone can boot up, make sure to update apps that may have caused your iPhone to experience the black screen of death. Simply follow these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap on App Store to open it.
- Tap on Today tab at the bottom.
- Then tap on the user profile icon on the top right corner of the screen.
- You should see the account details.
- Scroll down to the Available Updates section.
- Tap on Update next to the app to update individual apps.
- Tap on Update All to update all apps simultaneously.
Just reboot your phone after updating all apps to implement necessary changes and to prevent the black screen of death issue to happen again.
ALSO READ: What to do if you cannot set up email on your Apple iPhone XS Max, email setup error?
Second solution: Charge your iPhone XS Max.
You might be skeptical as this sounds an odd procedure to perform, but black screen of death can be caused by a totally drained battery. If the apps have gone rogue after iOS 13 update, they might consume battery on a higher rate and could cause a sudden battery drain. To ensure that your phone has enough juice to run a power, connect it to the power outlet and let it stay connected for at least 30 minutes or until you’ll see the screen lights up as an indication that it’s charging. Make sure that you’re using the Apple-supplied charger or any compatible chargers you have in possession.
If you don’t see any indication that your phone is charging after quite some time, execute the force restart procedure while it’s connected to a power outlet.
Third solution: Restore your iPhone XS Max via iTunes.
If you’re still having the black screen of death after performing those procedures, restoring your iPhone via iTunes might do the trick. This is one of the advanced solutions which offers a higher success rate in dealing with issues caused by major software problem. This process allows you to restore a previous backup or the recent one you’ve created before updating to iOS 13.
In order to carry out this process, you’ll need to prepare a Mac or Windows computer with the latest iTunes installed. Also ensure that your computer runs on the latest operating system that is compatible with your iPhone XS Max. If all requirements are met, connect your device to the computer using the Apple-supplied USB/lightning cable. Then allow iTunes to sync with your iPhone and backup files, if possible. Once the backup is secured, follow these steps to put your iPhone XS Max in recovery mode and then restore iOS in iTunes:
- Press and release the Volume Up button quickly.
- Press and release the Volume Down button quickly.
- Then press and hold the Power/Side button once prompted with Connect to iTunes screen. Do not release the button when Apple logo appears as you will need to enter recovery mode state.
- Once you enter the recovery mode, you’ll see either Update or Restore option.
- Select Restore if you want to reinstall and download iOS on your device without erasing data.
Do not disconnect your phone and keep it connected until the entire restore process is finished.
If your iPhone is still not responding, try the next solution.
Fourth solution: Perform a DFU mode restore to fix your iPhone XS Max with black screen problem.
DFU or Device Firmware Update mode restore is your last option in dealing with fatal software error that may have been causing the black screen of death issue. This is the strongest system restore process that could eliminate complex system glitches that’s preventing your device to function properly. If you wish to give this a try, make sure that your phone has not incurred any type of physical or water damage as it might cause a bricked or totally dysfunctional iPhone. This method is optional and if you’re willing to take the risk, here’s how:
- Connect your iPhone XS to the computer using the supplied USB/Lightning cable. Once connected, open iTunes on your computer.
- Press and quickly release the Volume up button.
- Press and quickly release the Volume down button.
- Press and hold the Side/Power button until the screen goes black.
- After the screen turns black, press and hold the Volume down button while keep holding down the Power/Side button.
- Wait for 5 seconds then release the Power/Side button but keep holding the Volume down button until your iPhone XS shows up in iTunes.
- Release the Volume down button once you see your iPhone in iTunes then follow the rest of the on-screen instructions to start restoring your iPhone through iTunes.
You’ll have to start all over again if you see the Plug into iTunes screen as that means you have not entered DFU mode successfully.
Those procedures should be good enough in handling your iPhone XS Max that’s stuck on black screen of death after iOS 13 update. If none of those fixed the problem, your next option is to contact Apple support for official recommendations. It is also best to bring your device to the nearest Apple service center for proper checking. If your iPhone is still on warranty, you might want to ask them for a service repair or replacement depending on the warranty coverage.
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