Before we proceed with learning how to force iPhone to restart, let’s learn how the regular restart or shutdown works on iPhone since even that isn’t straightforward if you are new to iPhones.
How to Restart an iPhone the Regular Way
If you have an iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, or iPhone 14, you would know that there is no Home button anymore, resulting in users needing to use different button combinations to access various functions compared to the earlier models. To restart iPhone X and later, press and hold the volume button and the side button until the power-off slider appears. You can then drag the slider to let your iPhone turn off (shut down).
To restart/turn off iPhone 6, 7, 8, or SE (2 and 3), press and hold the side button until the power-off slider appears. Then drag the slider to turn the device off. The real problem occurs when the iPhone is frozen, and you can’t turn it off or restart it the regular way.
How to Fix Frozen iPhone by Force Restarting iPhone
The most common cause of frozen iPhones is a software crash, especially if you recently installed a new app or update. It also happens when the phone is cluttered with other apps and processes, so it struggles to keep up. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to fix this problem. By performing a forced shutdown or a forced restart, you can reset your iPhone without deleting your data or content. Follow the steps below to force restart your iPhone, depending on your model:
Force Restart iPhone 8 and Later (including iPhone SE 2)
First press and release the volume up button, and then press and release the volume down button. Immediately press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
Force Restart iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
Press and hold the sleep/wake button and volume down button at the same time until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
Force Restart iPhone 6s and Earlier (Including iPhone SE 1)
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and home button at the same time until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
If you follow the above steps, you can restart your iPhone in case of a sudden freeze. After the forced restart, you should be able to use your device as usual.
Uninstall Freezing Apps!
Once you have restarted your iPhone, the next thing you should do is uninstall any apps you have recently downloaded that are causing the freeze. If you can not identify the freezing app, then you can restart your iPhone in safe mode. In safe mode, all third-party apps and services are disabled. So if the problem stops in safe mode, it means that one of the apps is the cause. To do this, turn off your iPhone and then press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Volume Down button at the same time until you see the Apple logo. When the iPhone has booted up, you will see the Safe Mode message on the screen. Now you can proceed to uninstall any apps that seem to be causing problems. You can also restart your phone in normal mode to check if the problem is fixed. Once you identify and remove the culprit app, your iPhone should run smoothly without any freezing issues. If the problem persists, you should contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store for further assistance. Also, it is advisable to regularly backup your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes so that you can quickly restore it in case of data loss.
How to reset an iPhone?
One can reset an iPhone in a few different ways. The quickest way is to use the AssistiveTouch Menu and select the Restart option. If the iPhone is unresponsive, one can try using the Force Restart or Hard Reset options. To restart an iPhone, one can either do it via settings or by pressing certain buttons. A soft reset is a much easier process than a hard reset.
What are the differences between a force restart and a factory reset?
A force restart merely refreshes the memory that apps run in, while a factory reset erases all data on the iPhone. A force restart restores all of the settings that were in effect when the device was last Offlined or when it was last powered off, while a factory reset removes all user data and restores the settings to their factory defaults.
