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My iPhone Keeps Shutting Off! Here’s The Real Fix.

    David Lynch
  • 5 years ago
    • Categories: Power

Your iPhone is shutting down randomly and you’re not sure why. All of a sudden, your iPhone just turns off without giving you any warning. In this article, I’ll explain why your iPhone keeps shutting off and show you how to fix this problem for good!

Hard Reset Your iPhone

One of the most common reasons why your iPhone keeps shutting off is because it’s stuck in a restart loop, constantly shutting off, turning back on, shutting off again, and so on. By performing a hard reset, we may be able to break your iPhone out of that loop.

How Do I Hard Reset My iPhone?

The process of hard resetting an iPhone varies by model:

  • iPhone 6s, SE, and older models: Press and hold the power button and the Home button at the same time until the screen turns black and the Apple logo appears. Release both buttons once the Apple logo appears on the display.
  • iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus: Simultaneously press and hold down the volume down button and power button. Let go of both buttons when the Apple logo appears on the screen.
  • iPhone 8, X, XS and newer models: First, press and release the volume up button. Second, press and release the volume down button. Finally, press and hold the side button until the screen turns black and the Apple logo appears.

Does The Battery Need To Be Recalibrated?

Does your iPhone keep shutting off even when it says it has battery life remaining? It’s possible that your iPhone’s battery percentage indicator has become inaccurate and unreliable!

A lot of the time, this is the result of a software problem, not a faulty battery! You can read our other article with more specific details about why your iPhone turns off even when it still has battery life, or you can keep following the steps below. Both articles will help you address the deeper software issue that could be causing this problem!

Update Your iPhone To The Latest iOS

Apple frequently releases new versions of iOS, the iPhone operating system, to fix troublesome software issues and introduce new features. A new software update could solve a potential software problem that’s making your iPhone shut down unexpectedly.

Check for a iOS update by opening Settings and tapping General -> Software Update. Tap Download and Install if a new software update is available! Take a look at our other article if you run into any problems when updating your iPhone.

Put Your iPhone In DFU Mode

A DFU (device firmware update) restore is the deepest type of iPhone restore. If a software problem is causing your iPhone to keep shutting off, a DFU restore will fix the problem. Check out our DFU restore article to learn how to put your iPhone into DFU mode!

Exploring Your iPhone Repair Options

If your iPhone is still shutting down randomly after you’ve completed a DFU restore, it’s time to explore your repair options. My first recommendation is to head to your local Apple Store, especially if your iPhone is covered by an AppleCare+ protection plan.

Make sure to set up an appointment before you go into your local Apple Store! Without an appointment, you may have to spend a lot of time standing around and waiting for an Apple tech to become available.

I also recommend the services of Puls, an on-demand phone repair company. Puls can send a technician to you in as little as sixty minutes. Puls repairs are sometimes cheaper than the Apple Store and come with a lifetime warranty!

Shutting The Door On This iPhone Problem

You’ve fixed your iPhone and it’s no longer shutting down on it’s own. I hope you’ll share this article on social media to teach your friends and family what to do if their iPhone keeps shutting off! Feel free to leave any other comments or questions you have down below — I’ll answer them as quickly as I can!

Thanks for reading,
David L.

View Comments (121)

  • I have started this and I am waiting for results. If this helps, Thank you! I am updating and I have a IPhone SE 2020.

  • My Husband has the iPhone 11 and it did the newest software update. Now it won’t turn on. The apple logo just flashes on the screen and that’s it.

  • My iphone keeps shutting off by itself when it's disabled again without stopping when I was looking at some apps I plugged it in and charge againthe battery went down to 10%. I really don't know how to fix it and make it stop shutting off by itself and disabling all the time no matter what.

  • Hi David this is David 2 from South Africa 🇿🇦 and just wanna say you’re amazing 🤩 to watch you regularly on You Tube I have a problem with my iPhone 8 cause I put in1gbon 4june and today7june my prepaid cellular data is finished. Please tell me for this to happen. Kind regards David too

  • my iphone 6 keeps turning on and off and when i try to install the new update it turns off before i even finish and i have to start over, whats going on????

  • The problem is every time I try and update my iOS the phone will restart before I gets done and so I have to start again

  • I am grateful for this walkthrough because it helped me to resolve the issue on my iPhone that keeps shutting down.

  • My iPhone 7 keeps turning on and then back off and it keeps doing that repeatedly any idea what's going on?

  • I'll be on my phone then after a couple minutes it “dies.” It cuts back on and repeats over and over. Any suggestions? Its really aggravating 

  • My XR will be working fine then it shuts off and won’t come back on until the next day or 2. Then works fine for a few months then does it again. Any idea why?

  • My phone takes days to charge, then it says 100 finally, so i take it off the charger and right away it powers off. then it either says its dead. or turns back on to 10 percent. what do i do?

  • my phone just doesn't want to turn back on no matter what I try to do. it'll turn on with the apple showing and then turn back off?

    • Your best bet is to try to DFU restore your iPhone. If that doesn't work, you'll need to get your phone repaired. Search YouTube for Payette Forward DFU Restore and you'll find a video specifically about how to put your iPhone into DFU mode. Hope this helps! David P.

  • i need help ...i follow all steps but nothing is happening my iphone 7 is not starting since 7 days

  • I changed my iPhone xs max screen guard and come back home and plug it,when I went inside to get the phone I saw an apple logo,since march 12 my iPhone keep shutting on and off.. I haven't been using it since then. I change the main screen and battery even upgraded it and flash the phone yet nothing change... Please help me out

  • The hard reset isn’t working for my iPhone XS Max, what do I do ? I really need help with fixing the issue with my iPhone constantly switching on and off.

  • I'm using iPhone 6s plus now and the screen keeps going off while I'm typing or using the phone...tried put the auto lock on never but it still happens...please help me out

  • I left my iphone to update for at least an hour , and it was taking longer than expected so I fell sleep and woke up about 2 hours later and then from there it kept turning on and off. I tried your method for my iPhone 6s and it’s still doing the same thing. Please help!

  • I have a Iphone 8 plus and my phone keeps shutting off then ill come back on.. only to the apple screen when it first comes on then it'll shut back off and do the same thing over and over while its on the charger.

  • II was watching a movie on Netflix and went to the kitchen. I left my phone charging and when I returned, the apple logo was on the screen and it kept going in and out. I've never had this problem before. This has been the case for the past 45 minutes.

  • My phone screen keeps going black with the little spinning loading icon on the screen, like it's about to die. It has also been on 55% battery for the last three hours, even though I've been using it for that whole time.

    • It's possible your iPhone's battery is starting to go bad. If you are using an older iPhone, it might be time to get your iPhone replaced or upgraded.

  • So i had a iphone 7 plus and i would always use the type c wall plug charger with it,now my phone wont even turn on or it sometimes showed the apple logo?what can i do to fix it

  • I have opened up my 6s and made sure all wires are connected properly, and its still having this issue where the phone has plenty of battery left but phone shuts off. I have noticed that it seems to get hot not from where the battery is located, ?
    pleasw rply me as soon as possible my phone is not even working without charger ?!

    • Hey, Areeba! Sounds like you have a bad battery. The iPhone 6s is pretty old now, having been released in 2015. That makes it about five years old! It's time to upgrade. Getting a new iPhone will cost less in the long run because you won't have to spend a ton on repairs. There is also better software and hardware support from Apple. UpPhone's cell phone comparison tool is a great way to find a phone that aligns with your budget. You can filter phones by manufacturer, price, screen size, and more!

      My personal recommendation is to get either the second-generation iPhone SE if you are on a budget or the iPhone 12 if you have the money to spend. I hope this helps! ?

  • I can never thank you enough! The first time I had this problem I got a battery change. I wish I'd read this earlier. I had like 2 minutes window before my phone looped so got this fix in 3 restarts.
    ?

    • If your phone won't turn on at all, then it sounds like you'll have to explore your repair options. Before that though, I recommend trying a different charging cable, power brick, and outlet just to make sure that your phone is able to be charged. If it still won't work, look at reaching out to a nearby repair shop. If your phone is getting old, I always recommend upgrading over repair because it will cost you less in the long run. UpPhone's cell phone comparison tool is a great way to find a phone that meets your needs without breaking the bank. You can filter for stuff like storage capacity, price, manufacturer, and more. I hope you are able to find a solution!

  • I made a back up on my iphone XR then I did not have the latest version so I restored the backup and now the iphone keeps turning on and off on a constent loop how do I fix it?

  • My phone got wet and it broke so we took it to a place and they fixed it but now it works fine then it goes slow then turns off it turned off like 1min ago and I’m redoing this comment anything to help?

  • My Iphone 8 plus died and it turned on so quick and then it died and it keeps doing it it shuts off when it says searching and then it says no service at the top and then it shuts off and repeats every time i tried to restart it so many times but it does not work.

  • My iPhone6s keep shutting off even when it’s at 100 percent I don’t know what to do and this recently started happening when I got the iOS 14 update or something like that but I just need help

        • same here! I have opened up my 6s and made sure all wires are connected properly, and its still having this issue where the phone has plenty of battery left but phone shuts off. I have noticed that it seems to get hot not from where the battery is located, but from area where the logic board is located. Maybe its a software issue that causes cpu to overheat??

  • My iPhone 7 has been randomly shutting off lately ( while charging or not) , I put my phone in the charger and left it for around 3 hours (I was out of the house) then I came back and it was off, it wouldn't start at all, I tried plugging it in the charge again but it didn't show anything then I tried holding the power button and the volume down button and the apple logo appeared and the iPhone opened again. it kept shutting off by itself and I tried to hard reset it, I updated it to latest version of IOS, I checked the battery health ( currently supporting normal peek performance) but the issue still persists, every time it shuts by its own I would have to hold the power button and the volume down button again and again . how do I fix this please

  • My iPhone keeps turning off and on can you tell me what is wrong. Do I need to take it to the apple store

  • My Iphone XS keeps shutting down and turning back on every 5 minutes. And I don't have enough time to download the newest IOS update. Nothing on my phone loads. I have tried these things and don't work what do I do.

  • my i phone x keeps shutting off and turning itself back on again , it wont stay on long enough to update it or reset it

  • Greetings. Thank you for the valuable informations. I have iphone 5SE. How do i turn it on when it shuts off at it is own -- or shall i wait until it is on again? Thanks again

  • Hi um do you know why or how to fix my phone my screen is popping out and don’t wanna pop back in

    • Hey! I had an iPhone 6 Plus and this happened to me once. In my experience what had occurred was that the battery inflated and it caused the screen to pop up, the solution to it was getting a new battery

  • my iPhone s6 keeps turning on and off since this morning and i have tried the DFU method but still no change, anyone with help please it will be highly appreciated

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David Lynch: David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.