Your iPhone won’t turn on? Different issues can result in an unresponsive device. The good news is that many of these problems can be solved without having to immediately replace your entire device.

Let’s take a look at the steps you can take when your iPhone won’t turn on.

1. Let Your iPhone Cool Down

blue iphone pro on white surface

If you’ve ever left your iPhone in the sun on a hot day, then you may have experienced this before. When your iPhone gets too hot, it’s designed to shut down and suspend everything but the emergency call feature.

There may be cases where your iPhone won’t turn on at all and is completely unresponsive, with nothing on the screen. But sometimes, you might see a temperature warning message saying: iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it.

To let your iPhone turn on again, leave your device to cool down by placing it in a dry, cool place away from the sun. Never try to instantly cool down your iPhone by putting it in the freezer or in front of an air conditioner. This can cause condensation to form, which will damage the device.

2. Charge Your iPhone

iphone with white phone case charging on wooden surface

This might sound like the most obvious choice when your iPhone won’t turn on. But to be safe, it’s better to first eliminate excessive heat as the cause before trying to charge your iPhone.

So, in this case, the simple reason why your iPhone won’t turn on is that the battery is so low it can’t even power your device. You’ll likely see the Insert Lightning Cable icon pop up when you try to turn it on. When you plug in a charger, the icon will disappear. A red battery graphic remains while your iPhone charges.

Your iPhone will automatically turn on once it has sufficient battery power.

3. Check Your Lightning Cable

many apple lightning cables

When your cable has issues, your iPhone can’t charge at all. So if the Insert Lightning Cable icon persists even after you plug in and try to charge it, your iPhone won’t turn on no matter how much time passes.

You can try different cables of the same type if you’re encountering charging problems. Don’t overlook wall chargers either, since they have a tendency to fail too. Make sure you’re using a safe, high-quality Lightning cable without frays or damage.

If your cable is damaged, don’t just throw it away because this creates e-waste. Send it to your local recycling center instead, so that some of its materials, such as copper and aluminum, can be recycled.

4. Force Restart Your iPhone

hand holding iphone showing white screen

If your iPhone won’t turn on because it’s stuck in a boot loop, showing the Apple logo, or completing an iOS upgrade, one solution is to restart your iPhone. The exact method to do this differs based on your iPhone model, so follow our guide on how to force restart your iPhone.

After the restart, your iOS installation process can repair itself and should complete without issue on a second attempt. But if this doesn’t work, it’s time to give iTunes or Finder a shot.

5. Restore Your iPhone via iTunes or Finder

Plug your iPhone into your PC or Mac. If your device can be recognized, now would be a good time to make a backup of your iPhone. Once the backup completes, try updating your phone’s software by clicking Update. If you’re already using the latest version of iOS, hit Restore iPhone to reinstall it. You’ll be able to restore the backup you made once the procedure is complete.

itunes ios update or restore

If your device can’t be recognized, it’s time to put your iPhone into Recovery mode. Once you’ve done that, Finder or iTunes should recognize your iPhone and let you hit Restore iPhone to reinstall iOS, but you will lose anything you don’t have backed up!

6. Replace Your iPhone’s Battery

battery and other internal components of iphone

Sometimes it can take what seems like a long time for an iPhone to come back to life. It depends on how long your iPhone’s battery had been completely flat. However, if your iPhone is an old device you left in the drawer for a long time, the problem may be that the battery is completely dead.

This is likely if the above solutions don’t solve the issue of your iPhone not turning on. Therefore, you should replace your iPhone’s battery, which is a relatively easy fix in the grand scheme of iPhone issues. You can pay Apple to do it. But if you can have a warranty or AppleCare plan, remember to use those! You can also opt to get it done for cheaper at a service center of your choosing.

However, keep in mind that it might not solely be a simple battery problem. If it’s something more serious, there’s a chance that your efforts will be for nothing, especially if you use a third-party service that replaces the battery as you request, but doesn’t actually examine your iPhone. Therefore, you might need to consider investing in high-quality repair services.

7. Repair Your iPhone

black iphone with cracked screen

If your iPhone won’t turn on and shows signs of damage, such as a flickering screen or cracked display, you may have killed it. Causes of damage include dropping it, getting it wet (or exceeding the water resistance), or leaving it in an environment with extreme temperatures for a long time.

The extent of the damage will determine the cost of repairing your iPhone. Unfortunately, an iPhone that won’t turn on generally indicates there’s a problem beyond a broken display. For example, water and static electricity can cause severe damage that usually requires a new device. If this is the case, you’ll need to take your iPhone to Apple or a third-party service provider to find out about your repair options.

Solved: How to Fix When Your iPhone Won’t Turn On

Good repair centers will often be able to give you an idea about whether repairs are feasible when your iPhone won’t turn on. They should also tell you the cost before the work is carried out.

Before you shell out a lot of money, consider the price of a replacement device, and don’t forget to offset the money you can make from selling your old device. If you’re unable to sell it due to the damage, you can donate it to nonprofits so they can recycle your old iPhone to raise funds!