Your iPhone is stuck on a black screen with a spinning wheel and you’re not sure why. Your iPhone isn’t turning back on no matter what you do! In this article, I’ll explain how to fix the problem when your iPhone is stuck on a spinning wheel.
Why Is My iPhone Stuck On A Spinning Wheel?
Most of the time, your iPhone gets stuck on a spinning wheel because something went wrong during the reboot process. This can happen after you turn on your iPhone, update its software, reset it from Settings, or restore it to factory defaults.
Although it’s less likely, a physical component of your iPhone may be damaged or broken. Our step-by-step guide below will start with software troubleshooting steps, then help you get support if your iPhone has a hardware problem.
Hard Reset Your iPhone
A hard reset forces your iPhone to quickly turn off and back on. When your iPhone crashes, freezes, or gets stuck on a spinning wheel, a hard reset can get it to turn back on.
The process of performing a hard reset varies depending on which model iPhone you have:
- iPhone 6s, iPhone SE (1st Generation), and older models: Simultaneously press and hold the Home button and power button until the screen goes completely black and the Apple logo appears.
- iPhone 7: Simultaneously press and hold the volume down button and the power button until the screen goes black and the Apple logo appears.
- iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2nd Generation), and newer models: Press and release the volume up button, press and release the volume down button, then press and hold the side button until the display goes black and the Apple logo appears.
A hard reset will fix this problem most of the time. If it did, immediately back up your iPhone to iTunes (PCs and Macs running Mojave 10.14 or earlier), Finder (Macs running Catalina 10.15 and newer), or iCloud. If this problem persists, you’ll want a copy of all the data on your iPhone!
DFU Restore Your iPhone
While a hard reset can temporarily fix the problem when your iPhone is stuck on a spinning wheel, it won’t eliminate the deeper software issue that caused the problem in the first place. We recommend putting your iPhone in DFU mode if the problem continues to occur.
A DFU (device firmware update) restore is the deepest iPhone restore and the last step you can take to completely rule out a software or firmware problem. Every line of code is erased and reloaded onto your iPhone, and the latest version of iOS is installed.
Make sure to backup your iPhone before putting it in DFU mode. When you’re ready, check out our DFU restore guide to learn how to do this step!
Contact Apple
It’s time to contact Apple support if your iPhone is still stuck on a spinning wheel. Make sure to schedule an appointment if you plan on taking your iPhone into the Genius Bar. Apple also has phone and live chat support if you don’t live near a retail location.
Take Your iPhone For A Spin
You’ve fixed the problem with your iPhone and it’s turning on again. Make sure to share this article on social media to teach your family, friends, and followers what to do when their iPhone is stuck on a spinning wheel.
Have any other questions about your iPhone? Leave them in the comments section below!
Hey David, I appreciate all that you do in regards to helping people who aren’t tech savvy or who are wanting the most privacy and functionality get the most out of their devices. I’ve watched just about every YouTube video you’ve posted and it’s saved my skin on multiple occasions. I’ve been an iPhone/iOS user since the iPhone 3G and have just recently upgraded to the iPhone 15 from the 13 mini (wish I still had) R.I.P. but I have just recently experienced something that I have never came across in any iPhone or iOS version (public or beta) and… Read more »
@David Lynch
Thanks bro. jst worked. had no money to replace my iphone 6s plus.
i have an iphone 8, its the most broken piece of garbage in the world and this problem happens every other month. nothing seems to work or doing anything at all. any more tips that mights help?
Worked for my iPhone 7. Thanks for posting this fix!
I have the same issue as others here. The phone restarts, comes to the pin page, input pin and black screen with spinning wheel. I then placed in DFU mode and attempted an update, that failed, I went back into dfu mode to restore but the Mac just hangs on “preparing phone for restore. Can’t update, can’t restore.
i have done the hard reset and it does bring me back to the screen so i can unlock my phone, but once i unlock my phone it goes right back to the spinning wheel screen.
My iPhone 7 is stuck with the spinning black screen and my iPhone volume buttons does not work.
Are the volume buttons broken?
Thank you so much, you are a life saver!
Happy to help!
I did the hard reset on an iPhone 11. The phone turns on, but after I insert the PIN the screen flashes to the spinning wheel again.
Same here! Either the spinning wheel, or apple logo then back to spinning wheel. When my home screen does appear, I type in my password and straight to spinning wheel again. Let me know if you find a quick fix.
hey what did you do to fix that because thats the same thing thats wrong with my iphone
did it ever turn back on?
I don’t know how to fix my iPhone 11 too. It does the same
mine is doing the same thing ! Did anyone find a fix ?
hello, did u find a solution cuz my iphone is doing the same thing
did you find out i really need help please
Wait for some hours, or maybe wait half a day and it will work.
Hi. My iPhone XR is still stuck on the spinning wheel, even when I tried the steps you provided. What should I do now?
My phone does too. How am I gonna fix it?
Worked perfectly. Looked up this resource on my Android for my friend who insists Apple is better. Joke’s on her!
Hi James. My iPhone 6s Plus is stuck with the spinning black screen and my iPhone Home button does not work.
Hi my phone shows a loading icon after I put in my password. Do you know how to fix it?
Thank you so much; your article was a lifesaver!
You’re welcome, happy to hear it helped you fix the problem with your iPhone!
I tried the volume and power button, but now it’s stuck on the apple logo.
Hi Bella! A hard reset can take longer than you might expect to initiate. Make sure you hold both buttons down for at least a minute! Hope this helps!
Which 2 buttons for 1 minute? Volume up or down, or side button? Sorry.
Hi Calem! To hard reset your iPhone, press and hold the Side button and the volume down button. Thanks for reading!
My iPhone X has been buffering for 2 hours.
Did you find out how to fix it?
iPhone XS is spinning on a blank screen. It vibrates every few seconds.
how do I fix Bluetooth stuck on spinning wheel(the turn on/off icon is just spinning)
Check out our other article on what to do when Bluetooth is not working on an iPhone. Those steps will help you fix the problem!
Hi I did the troubeshooting and when I hard reset I then get stuck on the Apple logo. This is my 2nd attempt. The first time it looked “fixed” but the moment I opened my phone it went black and then back to the spinning circle again.
Hi Joey, I’m sorry to hear that! Thanks for checking out our article and giving our troubleshooting tips a shot! Unfortunately, if none of our suggestions have helped your best bet would be to reach out to Apple directly. It’s possible you’re experiencing a serious hardware or software issue. If that’s the case, an Apple Technician should be able to diagnose the issue and give you a quote for repair costs. I’m sorry we couldn’t be of more help, best of luck!
Joey how did you end up fixing it? This is what mine is doing and I can’t seem to fix it at all.
Same with mine. Did you guys learn how to fix it?
Hi, did you ever learn how to fix it? Mine is the same.
This article has simply saved more lives than you know. Thank you ?
After the Apple Logo appears then what do you do?
Hi Mitchel, once the Apple logo appears during a hard reset, you can just let go of the buttons you’re holding! Your iPhone should turn back on on its own from there.
thank you so much for giving info on trouble shoot. didn’t realize that we have to restart according to model till read your article.
hard reset doesnt work for me :I its get black and after a couple seconds it just comes back :/
Have you tried a Hard Reset while plugged into a charger or computer?
Hard reset clears everything in your phone… right? So you lose all contacts photos songs etc correct?
My I phone xr is stuck with the spinning thing on my screen and whatever I do it’s not working
How did you fix it?
Did not help. Would not reset, just continued with the spinning wheel.
its happening to my iphone 6s
Thanks so much
hi
my phone is on spinning wheels and also is vibrating every 5 secondes
can you help?
thank you so much in adavnce
best
laure
Hi Laure, try a hard reset. If that doesn’t work, contact Apple for more help. It could be a hardware problem.
Hard reset worked.
We’re glad to hear it!
So glad I found your webpage. This fixed my problem with the spinning wheel in seconds. Thank you!
Glad to hear it! Thanks for reading!
Hi, unfortunately my sleep / wake button doesn’t work anymore, can I just wait for the battery to flat out?
If your iPhone is completely unresponsive that might be your best best. Once your iPhone turns back on, I’d recommend turning on AssistiveTouch, which allows you to fully control your iPhone without using any buttons. To do this, open Settings > Accessibility > Touch. Then, tap Assistive Touch and turn on the switch labelled AssistiveTouch.
Once you turn on AssistiveTouch, tap the white circle that appears on your screen, then tap Device. Here, you can lock your phone by tapping Lock Screen, or turn off your phone by pressing and holding Lock Screen.
Thank you for your help. This worked. Be safe. God bless.?
Thaaaaank you!!!! That solved the problem although I do see where you said it may be a temporary fix.
This tip corrected the problem. Thank you.
Thanks for this posting. The first time this occurred on my 6S+ I was near an ATT store. I know Apple is trying to force me to upgrade sooner than I want. ? Now to decide which one which one without having to take out a second mortgage.
My iphone 6+ was keep spinning, thanks for your post, it helped to resolve the issue