If your iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo and never finishes starting up, it may be caught in a boot loop or have encountered a problem during startup. This can happen after an iOS update, when the battery is critically low, because of a software glitch, or sometimes after a hardware problem.
Before assuming that your iPhone needs to be repaired, there are several things you can try. Start with the simplest solutions and work your way through the more advanced recovery options. In many cases, you can get the iPhone working again without erasing your data.
1. Give Your iPhone Time To Start
If the Apple logo appeared immediately after an iOS update, don’t force the iPhone to restart straight away.
Major software updates can take longer than usual to finish installing, especially when the device has a large amount of data. Keep the iPhone connected to a charger and give it some time to complete the startup process.
If the Apple logo remains on the screen for an unusually long time with no sign of progress, move on to the next step.
2. Force Restart Your iPhone
A force restart is usually the first troubleshooting step to try when an iPhone is frozen on the Apple logo. It does not normally erase your data.
The process depends on your iPhone model.
iPhone 8 or later, including iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and iPhone 17
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side button.
- Keep holding the Side button until the Apple logo disappears and appears again.
- Release the button when the iPhone begins starting up.
The screen may remain black for a few seconds during this process. Keep holding the Side button until you see the Apple logo again.
iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus
- Press and hold the Volume Down and Side buttons at the same time.
- Keep holding both buttons until the Apple logo appears.
- Release the buttons when the iPhone begins restarting.
iPhone 6s or earlier
- Press and hold the Home and Side or Top buttons at the same time.
- Continue holding them until the Apple logo appears.
- Release the buttons when the iPhone restarts.
After the force restart, wait for the iPhone to finish booting. If it reaches the Lock Screen normally, you don’t need to do anything else.
3. Charge Your iPhone
A severely depleted battery can also prevent an iPhone from completing startup.
Connect the iPhone to a reliable power adapter and leave it charging for at least 30 minutes. If possible, try a different charging cable, power adapter, or outlet if the iPhone does not appear to respond.
After charging, try the force restart again.
If the iPhone repeatedly shows the Apple logo and shuts down or restarts, continue with the next steps.
4. Connect Your iPhone To A Computer
If a force restart doesn’t fix the problem, you can use recovery mode to reinstall iOS.
You’ll need a Mac or Windows PC and a USB cable. On a Mac running a recent version of macOS, you can use Finder. On Windows, you can use the Apple Devices app.
First, connect the iPhone to the computer. Then put the iPhone into recovery mode using the button combination for your model.
For an iPhone 8 or later:
- Quickly press and release Volume Up.
- Quickly press and release Volume Down.
- Press and hold the Side button.
- Keep holding the Side button even after the Apple logo appears.
- Release it when the recovery mode screen appears, showing a computer and cable.
Once the iPhone enters recovery mode, your computer should detect that there is a problem with the device.
You’ll normally be given the option to Update or Restore the iPhone.
Choose Update first.
The Update option attempts to reinstall iOS without erasing your personal data. Keep the iPhone connected while the software is downloaded and installed.
If the update completes successfully, the iPhone should restart normally.
5. Try Recovery Mode Again If The Update Fails
Sometimes the software download takes longer than the recovery-mode window allows. If your iPhone exits recovery mode before the update finishes, repeat the recovery-mode process and try again.
If the Update option repeatedly fails, Restore may be the next available option.
However, there is an important difference between the two options.
Update attempts to reinstall iOS while preserving your data.
Restore erases the iPhone and installs a fresh copy of iOS.
Only use Restore if you’re comfortable with the possibility of losing data that isn’t backed up to iCloud or another location.
If you have a recent iCloud or computer backup, you can restore your data after setting up the iPhone again.
6. Check Whether Your iPhone Is In A Boot Loop
If the iPhone repeatedly shows the Apple logo, turns off, and then shows the Apple logo again, it may be stuck in a boot loop.
A boot loop can be caused by a failed iOS update, corrupted system files, insufficient storage, an incompatible software issue, or hardware problems.
Try a force restart first. If that doesn’t work, recovery mode and the Update option are the next steps to try.
If the problem began immediately after an iOS update, recovery mode can be particularly useful because it gives you a way to reinstall the operating system even when the iPhone cannot start normally.
7. Contact Apple If Nothing Works
If your iPhone remains stuck on the Apple logo after a force restart and recovery-mode update, the problem may require additional troubleshooting.
This is especially important if the issue started after the iPhone was dropped, exposed to liquid, overheated, or physically damaged.
At that point, contact Apple Support or take the iPhone to an Apple Store or an authorized service provider. A technician can determine whether the problem is related to the display, battery, storage, logic board, or another hardware component.
Avoid repeatedly trying complicated fixes if the iPhone has suffered physical or liquid damage. Professional diagnosis is the safer option.
What To Do If Your iPhone Is Still Stuck
In most cases, work through the fixes in this order:
- Wait if the iPhone is completing an update.
- Force restart the iPhone.
- Charge it for at least 30 minutes.
- Connect it to a Mac or Windows PC.
- Enter recovery mode and choose Update.
- Use Restore only if necessary and you have considered your backups.
- Contact Apple or an authorized service provider if the problem continues.
A force restart is the best place to start because it is quick and normally doesn’t affect your personal data. If the problem is caused by corrupted or incomplete iOS software, recovery mode provides another way to get the device working without immediately erasing everything.
