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My iPhone Won’t Turn On: Here are a Few Solutions

Oct 23, 2011 by Uzair 37 Comments

Apple iPhone is an expensive precious device one would never want to loose, and sometimes this misfortune does  hit some people. Many people complain that there iPhone won’t turn on without knowing the proper reason behind this condition. There are a lot of things you can do to your iPhone before concluding that your iPhone is dead and it needs to be replaced.

1. Hold and Home Button

In many cases this simple method has proved successful and has saved pockets and hearts of many people when the Silver colored Apple just pops up on screen before booting. To execute this,Hold down the Home and hold button simultaneously for 10 seconds and if you are lucky this might do the trick. You may also continue holding these buttons for 20-30s but if you iPhone doesn’t show any response in first fifteen seconds then there is a probability that it won’t show it even in hours.

2. Restore Factory settings

Although this option erases all the data and settings on your phone but it is a better option than just seeing your iPhone dead. Normally, Restore factory setting is done by syncing your iPhone with iTunes and then clicking restore. But since your iPhone is not turning on, you’ll need a different technique.  Start by connecting your iPhone’s USB cable to Dock connector (Not computer) . Now, hold down the home button and connect the other end of the USB to you computer which will automatically launch iTunes from which you can put your iPhone into recovery mode and you will restore you iPhone within no time.

3. DFU

If your iPhone gets to the Silver logo but restarts from there again and again then it is an indication of problem with the booting system. This often results due to Jailbreaking or updating your iPhone to latest iOS without enough battery life. You can fix this easily by entering into DFU Mode.

A DFU mode stand for Device Firmware Update mode which helps you to make small changes to the software that is exactly responsible for running your device. It is most often confused with Recovery Mode but it is very comprehensive than that.  To enter into DFU mode follow these steps

Step1: Connect your iPhone with Computer

Step2: Since your device is turned off  you need to  hold down the sleep/power and Home buttons at the same time for atleast 10 seconds. Be patient in this step and make sure you hold these buttons for exactly 10 seconds because otherwise you will enter into recovery mode.

Step 3: After 10 seconds have passed, let go of the sleep/power button, but keep holding the Home Button.

Step4: Now Apple Logo will appear on you iPhone but you should not stop holding the home button until recovery warning pops up on your iTunes.

Step 5:  A difference between DFU and recovery mode can understood by observing your iPhone screen. If it is black then you are in DFU mode and if shows  a cable connecting to the iTunes icon then you are in recovery mode. The latter cases you will need to repeat all the steps and this time you should lay more emphasis on Step 3 and Step 4. It is normal if you don’t get there in first few tries.

Once you are in DFU mode you can downgrade your iPhone iOS in case the new version has created the problem.

4. Proximity Sensor Problem

A proximity sensor is a small sensor on iPhone which helps it to lock the screen when it is near you face. A malfunction in this sensor would simple mean that you phone will be locked even if it away from your face which is a very rare but possible condition.  If you’re facing this issue, it can usually be solved through software.. In this case, hold down the Home and Hold buttons as outlined above to restart the phone. When it restarts, the screen should be working. If it is do the following: Tap the Settings > General> Reset>Reset All Settings. This erases all your preferences and settings on the iPhone, but won’t delete your data.

Filed Under: iPhone Resources Tagged With: iPhone Tips

Comments

  1. heath confer says

    May 3, 2012 at 3:45 am

    my home button does not work what else this there to try

    Reply
  2. Bridey says

    May 13, 2012 at 6:04 pm

    My iPhone will not turn on & nothing seems to work with troubleshooting tips. Is there any answers pls

    Reply
    • Uzair says

      May 14, 2012 at 11:57 pm

      If the above mentioned steps aren’t helping, you might want to take it to the Apple Genius Bar.

      Reply
  3. dante says

    Jun 16, 2012 at 8:39 am

    I accidentally spilled a beverage and it leaked into my iphone. The next day when I attempted to use the phone, it was completely dead! I was heartbroken and since this was a b’day gift from my dad, i was terrified that he’d find out about it. I tried to get the ‘Genius’ at Apple to fix the device, but they don’t cover liquid spills. I did a quick search online and found a site called irepair.com. They were very responsive and in no time I had my iphone fixed and back in action. The best part, the cost was so low that I paid for it with my allowance and my parents never found out. I’m so happy, I just wanted to share my experience.

    Reply
  4. Christine says

    Aug 23, 2012 at 4:55 pm

    Thanks so much for your help! I didnt know to hold the two buttons down and it worked! I thought my phone was dead! So pleased!

    Reply
  5. Massiel says

    Sep 13, 2012 at 12:17 am

    Thanks so much for showing me how to go DFU on my Iphone 4. All of a sudden it turned off and did nothing when trying to charge, or turn on; I thought i’d lost it and was sooo devastated, but then found your article and tried it out.

    As i’m writing this, iTunes is recovering my phone to factory settings, and unless I leave an update feedback saying it didn’t work, I’ll be chatting and talking over my fully functional precious iPhone in the next 2 hours (or less)

    Thanksss!!!

    Reply
  6. natalie says

    Sep 15, 2012 at 10:49 am

    i tryed to jailbreak and unlock phone to all networks, it didnt work, so i thourght would just pay for it then update; so started updatind and it wouldnt update cause of the jail break app that i cant delete. so i tryed to delete it manully, got to the red line and now the phone wont work. trying your method now and the cable come up but to restore, i need to update too. and it wont update becaue i have a stupid jailbreak app that i cant get rid of. if in any way got good advice, please.

    Reply
  7. jat says

    Sep 29, 2012 at 11:57 pm

    my iphone updated and said to connect to itunes when i did it said my iphone was in recovery, when i tryed to restore my iphone it said the restore failed. i tried a hard reset and connecting bck to itunes i even tired charging on both the wall chager and computer adaoter but nothing will work! please help

    Reply
  8. alex says

    Oct 26, 2012 at 7:01 pm

    same problem my wont turn on tryed everything single trick on the net nothing works

    Reply
  9. Muni says

    Nov 27, 2012 at 6:08 pm

    My phone got automatically switched off when I kept it in my pocket and did not restart after charging and trying it many times to restart.
    Then followed your suggestions and to my relief it worked. Thanks a lot for helping and relieved my tension.

    Thanks for your suggestions.

    Reply
  10. ? says

    Nov 29, 2012 at 8:30 am

    Update to the latest version of iTunes than restore

    Reply
  11. Dalayzia says

    Dec 22, 2012 at 12:45 pm

    My iphone turns on to the apple logo and the loading bar is up there.But it want move from there.Can you please help me please?

    Reply
  12. Lyn says

    Dec 27, 2012 at 12:09 am

    I thought I had a dead iphone in my hands, BUT holding down the hold & home buttons together for about 15 seconds worked and the silver apple logo appeared!! Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  13. Ella says

    Jan 3, 2013 at 9:16 am

    I did this and it worked but when I tried to see if it still works if I off ed it so I did but after that it offed again what do I do ?

    Reply
  14. Jorge says

    Jan 14, 2013 at 7:55 am

    Thank you u saved my ipad

    Reply
  15. jade says

    Feb 3, 2013 at 6:34 am

    My phone has the logo but it wont turn the rest of the way on…please help me! I was in the middle of a press call when it shut off. I knew it wasnt dead because it was on 89%.

    Reply
  16. sheriff says

    Mar 1, 2013 at 10:33 pm

    i got a iphone 4s and i am stuck the iphone its keep restarting i have jailbroken it and it wont turn on it just restarts.I downlaoded something from cydia i pressed restartspring bord and since yeasterday the phone its keep restarting any help pls i am scared as hell

    Reply
  17. Kelly says

    Mar 7, 2013 at 12:02 pm

    I have an iphone 4, And it isn’t turning on. I’ve tried pretty much everything and nothing is working. I’ve tried several different motherboards and nothing has worked, still a black screen. I also replaced the screen and put the old screen on a different phone and it worked. What the hell is going on?? Please help

    Reply
  18. Dalewhizkid says

    Mar 7, 2013 at 4:29 pm

    You may think this sounds simple and it sort of is but I had these problems and tried all these suggestions and nothing would work thought my phone was completely shot then decided to disconnect the battery leave it for a couple of seconds then reconnect once back in hold the home and power buttons in together until the screen shows the apple logo this kicks the phone out of the previous state simple method so try this it should help 😉 and not a lot of people know this

    Reply
  19. Al says

    Mar 15, 2013 at 12:53 am

    And how is one supposed to get the battery out the phone is sealed……….

    Reply
    • Uzair says

      Mar 15, 2013 at 11:44 am

      You can open the iPhone using a suitable screw-driver.

      Reply
  20. Tushar Mahajan says

    Mar 26, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    thanks alot!! you really made my day..

    Reply
  21. Thais says

    Mar 28, 2013 at 9:14 am

    I really helps!!! I cannot believe it! ME HAPPY 🙂
    thanks!

    Reply
  22. Shal says

    Apr 8, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    Thanks for the helpful info. My iPhone fell onto the geound and refused to turn on. I had given up and was ready to take it to the genius bar. My sister showed me this website. Within 10 seconds of holding the home and hold button together, voila… Working phone! Saved me a lot o heartache and money ofcourse. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  23. atyler says

    Apr 12, 2013 at 6:15 am

    I just got a iphone 4s off my friend and i can’t get anything to pop up no matter what i do my friend i got it from told me that it’s jailbroke does that have anything to do with it or is it just the phone……

    Reply
  24. Banky heymousdino says

    Apr 17, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    I mistakingly restarte’d my iphone 4s and wen restoring,it cldnt go any forder wen it gets to network issues. Any help plz???

    Reply
  25. Kshitij Dhungana says

    May 5, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    my I phone 4G is automatically switch off i have many time try to turned on but it doesn’t turn on please massage me how i have turn to my phone

    Reply
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