iPhone Not Responding? How to Force Restart or Reset It

Your iPhone is among the fastest smartphones. But like every gadget, it too has limitations. It can be bogged down with external factors, causing the iPhone to lag and stop responding sometimes. The issues can be so severe that you cannot even power off the iPhone. In events like this, a force restart helps. And when force restarting does not work, resetting your iPhone is the last resort.

What is a force restart?

A force restart is different from restarting your phone normally. Using a combination of buttons, you order the iPhone to abandon all running apps and functions immediately and shut down. This helps in restoring services to normal and brings the iPhone back to life.

How to force restart your iPhone?

iPhones running iOS 16 or later have a different force restart mechanism. Models as old as the iPhone 8 or as new as the iPhone 16e can be restarted through these steps:

— Press and release the volume up button.
— Press and release the volume down button.
— Immediately press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Release the button now and let the iPhone restart.

For older iPhones, a different method works. If you have an iPhone 7, you can:

— Press and hold the volume button and the sleep/wake button at once.
— Release both buttons when the Apple logo appears on the screen.

If your iPhone is an even older model, such as the iPhone 6, follow these steps:

— Quickly press and hold the sleep/wake button and Home button at the same time.
— Let go of both buttons at the same time after the Apple logo has appeared on screen.

How to reset your iPhone?

If force restarting does not solve glitches in your iPhone, try resetting it. Go to your iPhone Settings. Now type “reset” in the search bar and choose the “Erase All Contents and Settings.” If asked, enter your passcode or Apple account password and confirm what you want to keep, such as your eSIM profile. The iPhone will begin deleting everything on it, and when it restarts, you will need to set it up like a fresh iPhone.

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