If your iPhone X suddenly won’t turn on and shows a black screen after installing iOS 13, you’re probably dealing with the dreaded “black screen of death.” Don’t panic just yet — it’s often caused by a software issue rather than hardware damage. This guide walks you through all the ways to bring your iPhone X back to life, without heading straight to the repair shop.
Force Restart Your iPhone X
A force restart is the first (and sometimes only) fix you need. It can clear out minor glitches from the update.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
If your phone turns back on — great! Go ahead and update your apps to prevent this from happening again:
- Open the App Store.
- Tap the profile icon in the top-right.
- Scroll down to Available Updates.
- Tap Update All.
Restart your phone after updating to make sure everything loads fresh.
Use Recovery Mode to Reinstall iOS
If a force restart doesn’t work, the update might’ve seriously messed with iOS. Time to use Recovery Mode and reinstall the system without deleting your data.
What you’ll need:
- A Mac or Windows PC with the latest iTunes installed
- A Lightning cable
Steps:
- Connect your iPhone X to the computer.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Hold the Side button until the recovery mode screen appears (do not release when the Apple logo shows up).
- On your computer, choose Update (not Restore) when prompted.
Let your computer finish downloading and reinstalling iOS. Don’t unplug your phone until the process is done.
Try a DFU Mode Restore (If Recovery Mode Fails)
DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode is your last software-level option. This process rewrites the firmware and system software completely.
⚠️ Only use DFU mode if you’re sure your iPhone hasn’t suffered physical or water damage.
Here’s how to do it:
- Connect your iPhone X to your computer.
- Open iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina and later).
- Quickly press and release Volume Up, then Volume Down.
- Hold the Side button until the screen goes black.
- Once it’s black, hold the Volume Down button (while still holding the Side button).
- After 5 seconds, release the Side button but keep holding Volume Down until iTunes or Finder detects your iPhone.
If successful, your iPhone screen will stay black and iTunes/Finder will prompt you to restore. Follow the on-screen instructions.
To exit DFU mode if you change your mind:
- Force restart the device using the same Volume Up > Volume Down > Hold Side Button steps.
Still Stuck on a Black Screen?
If none of these steps revive your iPhone X, the problem may be hardware-related — especially if there was any impact or liquid exposure. At that point, your best move is to visit an Apple Store or authorized repair center for diagnostics.