What to do if your iPhone won’t turn on or stuck on black screen

When a high-end smartphone like iPhone won’t turn on or not responding while being stuck on a black screen might probably have an issue with either its hardware or firmware. You would need to troubleshoot the device to be able to know what the problem really is and what needs to be done to make it work perfectly again. That’s the purpose of this article so continue reading down below as we may be able to help you one way or the other. If an iPhone won't turn on, it gets stuck on a black screen.

Reasons why your iPhone won’t turn on or start up

There are several factors that we need to consider to be able to determine what the problem with your iPhone is and why it won’t turn on anymore. But then again, if the problem is not with the firmware, then it’s probably with the hardware. The following might be the reason why a device like iPhone won’t turn on anymore and got stuck on a black screen.

  • The display may be broken or has cracks
  • The phone itself has physical damage
  • The device may have water damage
  • It might have some software-related issues
  • Or, it can be just a firmware crash

Now that I’ve enumerated the possibilities, let’s try to delve into each one of them one by one. 

Broken display – when a device has a broken display or screen, most of the time it won’t turn on. But even if it does turn on, the screen may be stuck on a black screen and thus leaving an impression that it won’t start or not responding. There are also times that only a part of the iPhone’s screen lights on while the rest may remain black. But if this is the case with your device, you would immediately know because any serious screen-related issues should leave a mark.

Physical damage – a broken display is still considered a physical damage, of course, but if you think the screen is not compromised, the problem can only be with the other components. There can be a problem with the battery or it can be a sign that the circuit is fried. 

Water damage – iPhones today are already water-resistant but still they’re not waterproof. If you leave it submerged in water for a long time, you can always expect water to find its way into your iPhone and we all know what happens next. 

Software-related issues – there are times when apps and services can encounter problems that will affect the firmware of your iPhone. That is one of the factors that you also have to look into because if that’s the case, then this problem is pretty minor and you may be able to fix it by doing one or a couple of procedures. 

Firmware crash – most of the time, when an iPhone won’t turn on style=”font-weight: 400;”> and there’s no apparent reason or cause, it’s probably just a firmware crash. It happens from time to time but it’s not really that serious. In fact, you will be able to fix such issues by doing one or a couple of procedures. 

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Troubleshooting an iPhone that won’t turn on

In this post, we will try to look into all possibilities and rule them out one after another. We need to do it to be able to determine the reason as to why your iPhone won’t switch on anymore. If ever this is a hardware issue, there’s no other option but to bring the phone to the Genius Bar, especially if it’s still under warranty. But in order to know that, you will have to perform some basic troubleshooting procedures. 

On the other hand, if this is simply a software or firmware issue, then you should be able to fix it with any of the solutions below. So continue reading this article as we may be able to help you one way or the other. 

First solution: Perform the Forced Restart on your iPhone that won’t turn on

The first thing that we need to rule out is the possibility that this is a simple issue with the software or firmware. There are times when applications go rogue and cause system issues like this. It may seem like a hardware problem because your iPhone just won’t respond or switch on when you press and hold the Power key but most of the time, if the problem is with the software or firmware, you will be able to fix it by doing the forced restart. 

ALSO READ: How to fix an Apple iPhone 11 that’s stuck on black screen of death

It is a simulated battery removal the refreshes your phone’s memory and reloads all its applications and services. More often than not, this is all you need to fix your device that may seem like having an issue with its hardware. This is how you do it on your iPhone.

For iPhone 8 and later models:

force restart iphone 8 iphone 8 plus and later iphones

  1. Quickly press and release the Volume Up button, and then quickly press and release the Volume Down button. 

  2. The moment you release the volume down button, press and hold the Side or Power key until the Apple logo shows on the screen. 

  3. When the logo shows, release the power key and wait until your iPhone turns on or boots up successfully. 

For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models:force restart iphone 8 iphone 8 plus and later iphones

  1. Press and hold both the volume down button and the Sleep/Wake button.

  2. When the Apple logo appears, release both buttons.

Force restart iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and iPhone SE

force restart iphone 8 iphone 8 plus and later iphones

  1. Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button.

  2. When the Apple logo appears, release both buttons.

If your iPhone still won’t turn on after doing the forced restart, try doing the same procedure a few more times and if the device still won’t respond, then it’s time you moved on to the next procedure. 

Second solution: Charge your iPhone and do the Forced Restart

Of course, you may have already thought that the reason why your iPhone won’t turn on is because the battery is drained but when you connected it to its charger, it wasn’t charging as well. It’s always possible that the battery was completely drained but the thing is that there are times when the system would crash just before the iPhone turns off if you allow the battery to run dry without connecting the device to its charger. That could be the case here and that’s why your iPhone does not switch on or respond even if you charge it. But you don’t have to worry too much because there are always things that you can do to rectify this problem. 

  1. Plug the charger to a working wall outlet. 

  2. Using the original cable, connect the phone to its charger. 

  3. Regardless of whether the phone shows the charging symbol or not, leave it connected to the charger for at least 10 minutes. 

  4. After which and while the iPhone is still connected to the charger, follow the appropriate steps above to force restart your iPhone. 

When it comes to iOS devices, the firmware would always help the hardware in the charging process. The firmware monitors the status of the charging process as well as display relevant signs and symbols on the screen. However, in the event wherein the battery is drained and the device cannot power on, it’s the hardware that handles all the work until such time that the firmware is ready to help. 

So even if you don’t see any charging signs when you connected the iPhone to the charger, give it a little more time before doing the Forced Restart. Most of the time, these are the only things you need to do to make your iPhone that won’t switch on. 

If your iPhone powered on but the problem reoccurs

Assuming that you were able to make your iPhone respond by doing any of the procedures above but the same issue occurs every now and then, what you need to do is create a backup of your important files and data that are locally stored on your iPhone. You may use iCloud to back them up or any cloud services just as long as they are backed up. When you’re finished the backup process, follow these steps to Factory Reset your iPhone that occasionally won’t turn on or respond…

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings. 

  2. Find and tap General. 

  3. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen, and then touch Reset. 

  4. Tap Erase All Contents and Settings. 

  5. Tap Erase Now. 

  6. If prompted, enter your security lock. 

  7. Tap Erase iPhone at the bottom of the screen.  

  8. Tap Erase iPhone again to proceed with the reset.  

  9. Now enter your Apple ID’s password and wait until the reset is complete.

After the reset, set up your iPhone as a new device. 

On the other hand, if it’s clear enough that the problem is with the hardware, for instance, if the iPhone still won’t turn on even after doing the procedures above, then setup an appointment at the Genius Bar as a technician is needed to fix the device. 

I hope that this troubleshooting guide has been able to help you one way or another. 


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1 thought on “What to do if your iPhone won’t turn on or stuck on black screen”

  1. When some iOS system problems cannot be solved by common methods, a useful iOS repair tool is a good choice. I use TunesKit iOS System Recovery. There are other tools, but I haven’t used them. This professional software focuses on solving iOS system errors, supporting the latest iOS 17.

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