How to fix an iPhone 7 that’s stuck on black screen

A phone can get stuck on black screen due to various reasons. The most obvious reason is that the battery ran out and so the device powers down. Other factors that can cause black screen issues are firmware crashes, bad apps, update bugs, and worst, hardware damage. Before rushing to a Genius bar in your place, I’ve listed a few helpful procedures you can try to rule out software-related factors and to fix the problem on your end. Read on to learn what to do if your iPhone 7 gets stuck on black screen.

Before anything else, if you are looking for a solution to a different problem, then drop in on our iPhone 7 Help Guides page for we have already solved some of the most common problems with this device. Try to find issues that are similar with yours and feel free to use our workarounds and solutions.

First solution: Force restart.

If your iPhone was working fine and then suddenly got stuck on black screen, it’s possible that it encountered a system error. Thus, you can start ruling out the usual culprits including firmware crashes and rogue apps. To do this, force restart your iPhone 7. The positive effects of a forced restart are the same as that of a soft reset. The only difference is on how the steps are carried out.  

  • To force restart an iPhone 7, press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power (Sleep/Wake) button simultaneously and then release both buttons with the Apple logo appears.

Allow the phone finish booting up. If it successfully boots up, the next thing you should do is to eliminate the possible triggers. Try to think of what happens before your iPhone 7 gets stuck. If it occurred after making some changes to its settings, then revert those changes. If it occurred after installing a new app, then remove or uninstall that app. Performing software resets can also be considered among other possible solutions to prevent the problem from recurring. You can proceed to reset all settings or erase all content and settings on your iPhone, if needed.

  • To reset all settings on your iPhone 7, go to Settings-> General-> Reset menu then select the option to Reset all settings.
  • To erase all content and settings on your iPhone 7, go to Settings-> General-> Reset menu, then select the option to Erase all content and settings.

Please note that the latter reset wipes out everything from your device and restores its factory default settings. That said, creating a backup is recommended.

Follow the rest of the onscreen prompts to complete the entire reset process and see if that fixes the problem.

ALSO READ: Can’t restore without turning off “Find My iPhone”

Second solution: Charge your iPhone then force restart.

Black screen issue can sometimes be tied to battery draining issue. Thus it is possible that your iPhone has just run out of battery and so it powers down. And it stays on black screen because it has no more juice to power up. In this case, all your iPhone needs is a recharge. That said, plug your iPhone into its charger and give it some time to charge. Once it accumulates sufficient power, force your iPhone to restart while it’s charging. Doing so helps eliminate bad apps and/or corrupted files that might have caused the phone to shutdown abruptly.

Just refer to the above steps to force restart your iPhone but do it while it’s charging. Allow your phone to charge completely and then see if this fixes the black screen issue on your iPhone 7.

Third solution: Restore iPhone in recovery mode.

Performing a recovery mode restore usually aids in resolving major system issues that could not be remedied by the basic procedures even a factory reset or master reset. This is when you will need to use iTunes to repair and restore your iPhone system on a computer. You can use a Windows computer or Mac for as long as it has the latest version of iTunes and running on a later, if not, the latest OS version. Once everything is ready, proceed with these steps to put your device in a recovery state and start repairing and restoring iOS in iTunes.

To get started, connect your iPhone to the computer using the Apple-supplied Lightning cable or USB cable that came with it. Then turn your iPhone off and proceed to these steps to enter recovery mode:

  • Press and hold the Side/Power button and Volume Down button simultaneously and then release both buttons when the Recovery Mode screen shows up.

The recovery mode is depicted by the Connect to iTunes screen. A few seconds later, iTunes will prompt you to restore your device. Just follow the onscreen commands to restore your iPhone in iTunes.

Fourth solution: Restore iPhone in DFU mode.

Performing a recovery mode restore is usually enough to deal with complex system errors that caused an iPhone to gets stuck on black screen. But there are some instances when the transpiring symptom is able to withstand and so the problem persists. If this happens, performing a DFU mode restore would be your last option and possible solution to try on. Putting your iPhone in DFU or default firmware update mode allows it to communicate and sync with iTunes even without activating the bootloader. This makes it possible for your iPhone to get back into its normal state even if the operating system was corrupted.

To enter DFU mode in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, follow these steps:

  1. Connect your iPhone to the computer via USB cable.
  2. While the device is connected, hold down both the Side button and Volume Down button simultaneously for 8 seconds.
  3. After the elapsed time, release the Side button but keep holding down the Volume Down button.

If you’ve held the Side button for too long, you will be prompted with the Apple logo instead. Should that happens, then you will need to start all over. But if the screen remains black, your iPhone has successfully entered DFU mode and is all set for restore in iTunes.

Fifth solution: Repair iOS using iTunes alternatives.

Using iTunes alternatives can also be considered as the last resort of all else failed to solve the problem. There are actually a lot of iOS repair tools you can download and install on your computer and use them to repair even a totally bricked iOS. Among the widely used and most effective tools include PhoneRescue for iOS, FonePaw iOS System Recovery, Joyoshare UltFix iOS System Recovery, Dr. Fone – Repair, and Tenorshare ReiBoot, to name a few.

Reading previous reviews will help you determine which tool to use. Just be sure to pick that tool that’s compatible with your computer’s operating system and supports the iPhone 7 or iOS version your phone is running on. Once you’ve decided, download and install your preferred software then launch it when ready. Connect your iPhone to the computer and wait for it to sync with the software so you can start repairing any damaged system files or corrupted data that caused the device to get stuck on black screen.

Still stuck on black screen?

If your iPhone 7 remains stuck on black screen after exhausting all applicable solutions, take your device to the nearest Apple-authorized service center. Have your iPhone scrutinized by an authorized technician for any indications of hardware damage. Your device might have obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage that needs fixing.

Or you may also consider opting for an upgrade. Perhaps it’s about time to let go of your iPhone 7 and have it replaced with any of the latest models for better and smoother iOS experience. Talk to your carrier if you’re interested in upgrading your device or changing account plan.

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We are committed to helping our readers fix the problems with their phones as well as learn how to properly use their devices. So, if you have other issues, you may visit our Help Guides page so you can check by yourself the articles we’ve already published that contain solutions to common problems. Also, we do create videos to demonstrate how things are done on your phone. Visit our Youtube Channel and please subscribe to it. Thanks.


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