The other day, my iPhone locked up and just displayed this dim screen with a wait cursor, an alert that I had missed a call and the regular background. I tried to get it to get out of that state using the regular means but it was stuck. It was really frozen! Fortunately, this was the first time it happened but unfortunately I didn’t know what to do. Then I remembered how rebooting an iPod works and tried to map it to the iPhone controls. Here’s what to do to reboot your iPhone:
1. Hold down the Home button (that’s the big button in the lower front) and the Sleep / Wake button (that’s the little button on the top right) down.
2. Keep holding until you see the screen go black and then the Apple logo appear.
3. Voila! Your iPhone has been rebooted. Resume your blissful life and forget that anything bad happened with your iPhone.
I found your info to be very helpful. the main issue i had was updating the software on my iphone. it seemed to go a bit mad after each time. using your method above then plugging it into iTunes again prompted the recovery mode to be launched and eventually sorted it out. if the iphone wasnt so darned good, i would get annoyed….
Dude, you rock! This is golden and you made a couple of us iPhone users VERY, VERY Happy. Thanks for this post. BTW, I found this using google search “rebooting frozen iPhone”.
Just the information I needed. I had a frozen phone a while back and was so worried I had ruined it. At the phone store I had it rebooted, but couldn’t remember exactly what he told me to do. Your information was just what I was looking for to fix it this time and any in the future. Thank you for taking the time to post this info.
thank you o wise one…
Thank you! Great advise, worked a treat.
Good tip – here’s another one. If you just press those buttons, instead of holding them down, you’ll take a screenshot that will be saved in your photos.
Thanks. You need to hold the button first then hold the other one. not at the same time. when i was charging it the battery life showed red and after i rebooted it decided to work the way it should.
Thanks for the info! Very helpful in a time of panic :)
thaaaaaaaaaanx alot;lol ive been to every website imaginable lol.
Thanks!!! You Rock!!! Hope you have an Amazing week!!!
Thanks worked great
Neat. I google this and found yours. Just reboot my iphone. Thanks,
much appreciate the help. Thank you and to everyone who has contributed.
Top Dog!!! Thought my iphone had died.
Cheers mate!
You are the Oracle. Thank you.
A big THANK YOU! from me too.
love love love thank you!
I just wanted to thank you for this post.
Pretty neat! Thanks a ton!
Bought my iPhone 3GS 8 days ago went clubbing and it decided to kill itself, so googled how to reboot checked your answer and it fixed itself! Now i don’t have to go back to my Blackberry Storm thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you are an angel, i was getting so frustrated and now my apps are where they should be and i can waste as much of my time playing them as i possibly can, your the best x x x
yipee!! :) thank you for that.
Thanks a bunch for saving a lot of trouble. My iPhone froze with the music on and was not able to receive any call. Thanks again!
This is a hard reset, not a soft reboot. It’s good advice when the device has frozen, but if the device is NOT frozen (just acting up or running slow) then a soft reboot is better.
For a soft reboot, hold down only the power button (on top) until there’s a red slider; slide it and the device shuts down nicely, cleaning up some files in the process (this is the benefit compared to a hard reset!). When the screen turns blank, press the power button again.
I found your suggestion very helpful.
My iphone has gone black screen but was still working (receiving calls etc.) with no way to send any command.
I rebooted it and voila! it is back again.
thanks for leaving this info to the community
Good one. Thanks, I can sleep again :-)
Thanks a TON! Sure do appreciate the practical help! Thanks to Torben, too, for the soft reboot info…
Thank you!!
Thank you sooooo much!! I could not have found a better genius than you at this time of crisis. I just rebooted my iphone and now all I have to do is forget that I dropped my iphone. All is wellllll :-))
YOU ARE AN ANGEL AND LIFESAVER!!!!!!!
Thanks, worked a treat!
THANKS!!! It’s so simple, but there are those of us who have no idea what the difference is between “rebooting”, or just shutting off the phone & turning it back on! THANKS THANKS THANKS! =) Merry CHRISTmas!!
Thank you thank you thankyou!!!!!
Thanks!! Worked like a charm.
thx !
It worked!!! Awesome!!! Thanks!!!
Thanks a million…for a second i thought i lost my phone and was about to restore the whole thing until i read your post and now my apps are where they supposed to be :)
Great tip, sorted my phone out very quickly.
Thanks !!! Just did it with my Iphone4. And phone back to normal. Thank you again.
Thanks! Your tip worked as advertised. Appreciate you writing it down for all of us…
thanks………..omg it works
You are a life saver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love you!!! You are my hero! My phone froze and I am getting on a plane in 12 hours and didn’t have time to go get it fixed!
THANK YOU! brilliant xx
Great! It worked! Thank you very much.
Thanks man!!! Saved me life!! :)))
thanks a lot! you are a life saver!
hey.. my phone works faster nw.. thanks loads… can see the difference man.. cheers
Thank you very much for the info!! Spent several hours with a dead phone until I saw your “fix”! Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks… all the way from sunny Cyprus!
Thanks heaps mate from Sydney Australia, I thought it was gone but now back to normal.
Thanks! Worked like a charm ;)
This was really helpful. I was going crazy just holding down the top button only. I’m glad I found this site. Thanks
Thanks brudda !
you saved my life :D
I had heard of this and done it before, but forgot the procedure. Was letting go after the slide to turn off showed up so I wasn’t getting it right. I also tried holding both on power up. But, finding your site got me going straight!
So helpful! I am an RN and I do staffing, was waiting on calls back for my night shift. My iphone froze on me. Your info saved the day!
thanks very much!!
Thanks. I was panicking!!! You are the bomb!
Thank you :-)
What a great piece of easy to follow advice. Agreed, you have made a lot of iphoners happy and won me brownie points with the boss who obviously failed to read his manual.
thanx man!!!! this was very helpful….
my iphone was getting stuck on and off…
Thank You!
Oh.. its so easy to reboot dead i phone. I took my i phone to one mobile shop , for its repair, he rebooted my phone in couple of minutes. when asked him how?, he refused to answer. he charged me whooping Rs.1000/-… i jus had to pay.. but was happy to see life back on my i phone..
MASSIVE THANKS!!!!! xxx
Genius mate!
Thanks,its very helpful
THANKS MAN. HELPED A LOT ^^
It tried a bunch of things on the apple website and the only thing that worked was your suggestion. Thanks so much
Thank you wise one. Bless You
Thank you your suggestion really worked!