Why Does My iPhone Turn Off When I Still Have Battery Life Remaining? Here’s The Real Fix!

I’m going to tell you why your iPhone, iPad, or iPod suddenly turns off when you still have 30%, 50%, or any other percentage of battery remaining and exactly what to do to fix the problem, if it can be fixed. I’ll use an iPhone in this article, but if you have an iPad or iPod with this problem, follow along — the solution is exactly the same.

I’ll be honest right off the bat: I can’t guarantee we’re going to be able to fix your iPhone. Sometimes, issues related to iPhones randomly shutting off are caused by water damage or other unfortunate accidents. But don’t lose hope! A lot of the time, you can fix this problem at home.

I’ve Got A Faulty Battery, Right?

Not necessarily. More often than not, what’s actually going on is that your iPhone isn’t talking to the battery correctly. Your iPhone’s software is in charge of monitoring the amount of battery life remaining on your iPhone. If the software or firmware isn’t communicating properly with the battery, it’s not going to display the right percentage.

Just like apps on your iPhone, your iPhone’s firmware can have glitches, too.

Wait. Isn’t This Deeper Than A Simple Software Problem?

Yes. This isn’t your simple run-of-the-mill software problem where your battery is draining too fast because your apps are crashing. But it’s not necessarily a hardware problem either — so we need to address your iPhone’s firmware. So what is it? If it’s not “soft”-ware, and it’s not “hard”-ware, then its “Firm”-ware.

The Fix For iPhones That Turn Off With Battery Life Remaining

To fix the issue with your iPhone shutting off even though it says there is still battery life remaining, we’re going to do a “DFU Restore”. DFU stands for Device Firmware Update.

A DFU restore reloads your iPhone’s software and firmware, so it’s an even deeper type of restore than putting your iPhone into recovery mode. Check out my article to learn how to DFU restore your iPhone! Afterwards, come back here to finish up.

Your iPhone Needs Time To Recalibrate

Now that your iPhone is good as new and all your apps are downloading, give your phone a few days to recalibrate and get to know the battery again. I recommend fully charging your iPhone and letting it fully discharge a couple times before declaring the problem officially fixed or not.

When You’ve Tried Everything Else

If the issue comes back after you’ve done a DFU restore, you’ve eliminated the possibility that a software or firmware problem is causing your iPhone to turn off with battery life remaining or, in some cases, to randomly jump from one percentage to another. If that’s the case, you may need to repair your iPhone.

Repair Options

If you go through Apple, you can visit a local Apple Store (make an appointment first), or begin the repair process online. Some people try to use an external battery pack like the ones you’ll find on Amazon as a temporary stopgap, but if your iPhone is damaged, it may not help at all.

Wrapping It Up

Thanks again for visiting Payette Forward. I sincerely hope this article helped you stop your iPhone from turning off when it still shows a percentage of battery life remaining. I wish you the absolute best of luck and hope to hear from you! If you have any other questions, the Payette Forward Facebook Group is a great place to get answers.

All the best,
David P.

About Author

I'm a former Apple employee and the founder of Payette Forward, and I'm here to help you with your iPhone.

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David Loureiro
1 year ago

When I used my Iphone I looked up to Google on Safari after I finished looking at something I went back it shut down by itself again because it’s still disabled and the battery power went down to 10%. I don’t know why and I don’t know how to make it stop shutting down by itself without being disabled.

David Lourerio
6 months ago
Reply to  David Loureiro

But when an apple shape shows on it a battery shape with a charger shows on it I plug it back in it’s still charger to 100%. I unplug it it shuts off quickly and still showing an apple shape and it’s out of control.

David Loureiro
5 months ago
Reply to  David Lourerio

And when I check the battery last charge level says 68% not 100% but it’s charged. I click on battery health peak performance capability says Your battery is currently supporting normal peak performance. But still disabled I don’t when will i get a new battery for my iPhone apple 8 it’s so very hopeless I only keep it plug in so I can hear it ringing when someone calls me or text me. First of all when I plug it the apple shape shows it blinking any time.

Rachel
2 years ago

So I have an iPhone 5SE (1st generation) and whenever I try to use it when it’s not plugged in and charging, it turns off and on by itself and then it’ll suddenly have 1% or 10% battery even though it was fully charged to 100% seconds before it turned off and on. I haven’t even had this phone for a year yet. Because of this issue, I can’t even take my phone with me and use it when I leave the house. Do you know why this is happening? Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you! ^_^

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David Lynch
2 years ago
Reply to  Rachel

I’d try a DFU restore.

jeeha
2 years ago

Hi, can you help me? Lately my iPhone X always dies when the battery is under 40%. Do you know what the problem is? The battery health right now is 90%.

iPhone 11 User
2 years ago

My iPhone 11 turned off and won’t turn on, the phone is black, nothing is working, it’s not charging, it’s not ringing, just black and silent. I’ve tried the normal force restart but it didn’t work. I’ve also tried the iTunes connect force restart, it didn’t even show that the phone is connected to my Mac or iTunes when I did. What do you suggest I do?

harshani
2 years ago

I am using iPhone 7 and it turned off and I can’t get it back on. please support me on this.

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Colin Boyd
2 years ago
Reply to  harshani

Hi Harshani, have you tried a hard reset? This can resolve many minor software issue on an iPhone, such as when it shuts down automatically. To hard reset your iPhone 7, press and hold the side button and the Volume down button until the Apple logo appears on your screen. Hope this helps!

Fay
3 years ago

My iPhone x just turned off and I can’t get it back on

kushtrim
3 years ago

hi i have iphone x and when i have 15% phone starts to slow down a lot and finaly dies i have 100% battery health thanks

Liam Shotwell
3 years ago
Reply to  kushtrim

If your phone is dying around 15% instead of somewhere closer to 0-5%, I would look into getting it checked out if you can.

Areghan endurance
2 years ago
Reply to  kushtrim

My iPhone 7 turns off as well when it hits 10percent and I’m scared if the battery is the problem,pls if you’ve encountered this issue and has got it fixed,pls I do appreciate if anyone could pls send me a mail on how I can fix mine as well….

Lisa
2 years ago
Reply to  kushtrim

Why I need an answer

Benita
3 years ago

My phone keep power off I have a iPhone XS max

FARAH
3 years ago

hi why does my iphone cannot turn on while my battery is full? shut down like all of sudden!!!

Salman
3 years ago
Reply to  FARAH

Same Here!

patrick
4 years ago

please my iPhone 6 turns on but immediately I try to browse or connect it to WIFI then it goes off on turns on again ive changed the battery too

Ellen Waddell
6 years ago

EVERYONE I know who has a 5s is experiencing this issue! Every single one! This is a widespread issue and not random -unless of course Apple is only distributing faulty phones to North Carolina (highly unlikely.) Two of our family’s 5s phones are only about a year old! Not everyone desires or has the expendable cash to put out for a stupid phone. If the product is still being sold NEW, the product should be able to update without issues or at least not be loaded with software that jeopardizes its functionality! The recent lawsuits refer to “slowdown.” The battery… Read more »

Regina Stevens
6 years ago

Rita, does those steps clear out all the settings, text messages, phone contacts, or pics

Rita Bryant
6 years ago

Thank you I am up and running again 🙂

Vicki May
6 years ago

When my phone turns off, my home button gets really warm about 25C. I think it’s trying to drain the battery or then I can charge again… Does anyone else have this? I don’t have water damage or anything asking that lines I don’t even have a lot of apps…

Mimi Ama
6 years ago

my iphone has been going off on its on for more than 15 times a day and i do not know why its happening
i have tried evrything i know of phones and iphones but still no luck

Zeeshan Ali Yousafzai
6 years ago

Thanks sir for such a helpful article

Angel QG Sarmiento
6 years ago

thanks a lot it breaking my nerves when i cant turn on my iphone, then i read this article, and woola.. it works… thank a lot…

Daniel Kayfetz
7 years ago

your just so good at making everything user friendly best wishes for continued success

Villads De Cordier
9 years ago

by “damages” u also mean as simple a damage as screen cracks? or what?

Gitta Bartling
9 years ago

Maybe a stupid question, but when you say “Unplug your phone from the computer and walk through the restore process using your iPhone.”, do you mean that it is allowed to use the backup copy fom itunes to restore all the apps and data that was on my iPhone before I did the reboot? Or do I need to configure my iphone all manually again?

P.Monaco
7 years ago

Hi David, I have one big question about this procedure: After the DFU restore is complete, can an iTunes backup be used to restore the phone with all of your data, or does that negate the DFU restore? If you can clarify this point, it would really clear up the process for me! Thanks!

Pi Xo
7 years ago

Mine literally just shut off as i was reading this.. I have 16% battery left its so annoying

Santa's Little Helper (☞゚ヮ゚)☞
7 years ago

David, tell me please: Any ideas on what can I do if this isn’t going to help?

Tom Smith
7 years ago

Hi, iphone 5 switches off when the indicator shows 0%, but as soon as you connect the charger to it, it shows 30%. I have done the DFU, didn’t work, took it an apple store and they said the battery is fine. Any idea on what to do next.
Thanks Kevin

Jen
7 years ago

I accidentally left my iphone 4 in the car in the sun for a few hours 2 weeks ago. Now intermittently the phone will shut down no matter what the battery amount is. Should I try the DFU restore or am I better off just replacing the battery? Is it likely that the restore will kill the phone completely as in the case of water damage? I am sure the problem started after the overheat.

Rakesh Kay
7 years ago

Hi my phone was taken into a shop which they changed the battery it was all working fine. The shop did say that if the phones battery goes flat theres maybe a chance that the phone won’t turn back on. In my case this is what happened. The battery is fine. As I put another one In to test. Anyone help?????

Thanks.