Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter
Question from Joan: I got my first iPhone a few weeks ago. It’s a used one that my sister gave me after she bought a new one.
It seems to be ok but last night it froze up on me. I couldn’t figure out how to restart it like I could with my previous Android phones.
The battery was pretty low so I ended up just letting the battery die on it.
I turned it on after the battery finished charging and it seems to be working ok now.
My question is, how can I make it restart if this ever happens again? I’ve heard that it’s bad to let a phone battery die completely.
Rick’s answer: I’ll be glad to help you with this, Joan.
For the most part, iPhones tend to be fairly reliable and stable devices, but as you’ve discovered they can still freeze up and become unresponsive at times.
Luckily, Apple has provided a way to “Force Restart” a frozen iPhone with just a few button presses.
While this procedure doesn’t work 100% of the time, the occasions when it doesn’t are almost as rare as sunbathers on the icy coasts of the Arctic.
You didn’t mention which model of iPhone or which version of iOS you have but this Apple Support page has instructions for all of them.
If for some reason the above procedure doesn’t work, that’s likely an indication that your phone has a serious issue that needs to be addressed either by contacting Apple Support or by taking advantage of one of the options on this page.