How to fix an Apple iPhone XR that is stuck on black screen [Troubleshooting Guide]

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Performance issues in mobile devices are often depicted by symptoms like frequent lags, random system crashes and unresponsive or stuck displays. These symptoms usually occur in early devices particularly those that are running low in memory storage. They also emerge among other symptoms of wear-and-tear. Nonetheless, these symptoms can likewise sometimes be seen in new devices and the new iPhone XR is no exception.

There are many factors that can trigger performance symptoms to occur early even on powerful devices. The underlying cause could either be a complex system error or worse, hardware damage on the phone. But before rushing to a service center, there are a few workarounds that can be utilized to rule out software-related factors from the possible triggers. Highlighted below are some suggested methods to troubleshoot and fix an iPhone XR that’s suddenly stuck on black screen. Read on for more detailed solutions.

But before anything else, if you have another issue with your phone, drop by our troubleshooting page as we have already addressed hundreds of issues reported by the owners. Odds are that there are already existing solutions on our website or at least, there are similar problems we already fixed. So, try to find ones that are similar or related to your problem. If you need further assistance, however, feel free to contact us by filling up our iPhone issues questionnaire.

First solution: Force restart while charging.

Stuck iPhones are usually remedied by a force restart. Hence, it’s considered the first possible solution to try whenever your iPhone gets stuck on Apple logo, white screen, black screen, or simply not responding. A force restart works similar to that of a soft reset when it comes to rectifying system errors from random app glitches and system crashes. It doesn’t cause permanent data loss, so it’s definitely a safe method to try on first. For starters, a force restart on an iPhone XR is done this way:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Then, press and hold the Power button on the side of the phone and then release when the phone restarts.

If nothing happens after performing a force restart, then connect your iPhone to its charger then let it charge for a few minutes. Your device might have ran out of power completely and therefore couldn’t boot up. To rule this out, charge your phone first. And while your iPhone is charging, perform a force restart again and see if your iPhone is able to boot up this time. If your phone is able to run properly again after a force restart, install all pending updates for apps and iOS, reset all settings, or carry out a factory reset to clear out all possible triggers and to prevent your device from acting up and getting stuck again. If the problem started after installing an app, then that app is likely the culprit and therefore needs to be deleted.

Second solution: Restore in recovery mode.

A recovery mode restore is usually carried out when dealing with major system problems in iOS devices that could not be resolved by a master reset or factory reset. This puts your device in a recovery state and then repairs damaged system files that prevented your phone from working properly. In order to get this done, you will need to secure a computer either a Windows PC or Mac that runs on a later or latest operating system and has the latest version of iTunes installed. If possible, back up all critical files from your iPhone before performing a recovery mode restore through iTunes to prevent permanent data loss. Whenever you’re all set, follow these steps to start restoring your iPhone XR in recovery mode:

  1. Plug your iPhone in to your computer using the original Lightning cable to USB port.
  2. While it’s connected, press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  3. Then quick press and release the Volume Down button.
  4. Next, press and hold the Side/Power button and continue to hold as it restarts. Don’t release the Side/Power button when the Apple logo appears as you need to put the device in a recovery state.
  5. Release the Side/Power button when you see the Connect to iTunes logo on the screen.
  6. Go to iTunes then you should see a message saying that your connected iOS device is in recovery mode and prompts options to update or restore.
  7. Choose the Restore option to wipe everything from the phone system and then restore iOS through iTunes.

Follow the rest of the onscreen instructions in iTunes to complete the system restore. You may opt to restore from a previous backup or set up your iPhone as new.

Third solution: DFU mode restore.

This is the last possible solution you have to try on when dealing with major system issues on an iPhone. DFU stands for Device Firmware Update mode. It puts your device in a state wherein it’s still able to communicate with iTunes on a computer even without activating the boot loader like when your iPhone system has been totally corrupted. Performing this restore however is only advisable if your iPhone is totally free from hardware damage, particularly liquid damage. Restoring a liquid-damaged iPhone in DFU mode may result to an even more fatal problem like a bricked or totally dysfunctional phone. If you’re certain that your iPhone doesn’t have any sort of physical or liquid damage, then you may proceed and carry out a DFU mode restore with these steps:

  1. Connect your iPhone to the computer using the supplied Lightning cable or USB cable.
  2. While your iPhone is connected, quickly press and release the Volume Up button, then quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
  3. Then press and hold the Side/Power button until the screen becomes black.
  4. As soon as your iPhone screen turns black, press and hold the Volume Down button while continuing to hold the Side/Power button.
  5. After 5 seconds, let go of the Side/Power button but keep holding down the Volume Down button until your iPhone shows up in iTunes.
  6. Release the Volume Down button as soon as it appears in iTunes. Your iPhone should now be running in a DFU mode state. At this point, refer to the onscreen instructions to restore your iPhone XR in iTunes.

To exit DFU mode, simply force restart your iPhone XR.

Fourth solution: Use third-party iOS repair software.

You can always resort to using other iOS recovery and repair tools whenever Apple’s very own iOS management tool fails to fix complex system errors on your iPhone. Just search for the most credible and effective software that’s compatible with your computer and iOS device. Like iTunes, you can download and install your chosen tool on your Windows or Mac computer. Once you have it set up, connect your iPhone to the computer using the Apple-supplied USB cable or Lightning cable, run the software and then start repairing your iPhone. These tools are generally designed to be as user-friendly as they possible to make it easier to utilize by novice users.

Among the most reliable and powerful iOS system recovery and repair tools that are often used to fix an iPhone that’s stuck on Apple logo, white screen or black screen would include Tenorshare’s ReiBoot iOS system recovery software, U.Fone iOS system recovery, and iMyFone iOS system recovery, to name some.

Just pick the tool that would best compliment your computer’s platform and the one that supports the iOS 12 platform.

Other options

Although it may sound odd for a new iPhone to succumb into hardware damage at this very early stage, it is inevitable especially with prior liquid exposure or accidental fall. For thorough hardware assessment and/or repair, you can visit the nearest Apple genius bar in your place and ask an iPhone technician to check your device.

If your iPhone XR is still eligible for warranty, then you should contact your phone provider first for more information on how to avail for it.

I hope that this how-to post has helped you one way or another. Please help us spread the word by sharing this post to your friends or people who may also have similar problems. Thanks for reading!

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