How to fix an iPhone 8 that keeps crashing, shutting down randomly after installing the latest iOS version [Troubleshooting Guide]

Problems concerning frequent crashes and automatic shutdown are often attributed to fatal system errors. This can be due to some corrupted apps, intricate system bugs and malware. In mobile devices, these symptoms may also occur among other post-update issues that are considered major or complex. Any device can give into such problems and Apple’s new iPhone flagship smartphone, particularly the iPhone 8 is no exception. Although software updates are generally aimed at improving a device performance, there are instances when you’d end up having the opposite. So instead of having a better iPhone, you ended up having a troubled iPhone.

This post highlights a few simple solutions and workarounds that are used to deal with similar issues on the iPhone 8. Read on to find out what to do if your iPhone 8 suddenly keeps crashing or is shutting down by itself after installing the latest iOS version.

Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, then feel free to contact us by filling up our iPhone issues questionnaire.

How to troubleshoot iPhone 8 that keeps crashing and shutting down

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Before you begin troubleshooting, check and ensure that your iPhone has sufficient memory space. Frequent crashes and random restarts are among the common indicators of memory issues in mobile devices. While your iPhone is new, to run out of memory is not impossible especially if you’re fond of downloading complex apps and multimedia contents. Aside from bulky downloads, rogue apps are also among the probable culprits. If necessary, clear up some space of your iPhone’s internal memory by deleting old messages, unnecessary apps and contents. If the memory status is good but still your iPhone is acting up, then you can now start troubleshooting and eliminate software errors.

First solution: Force restart your iPhone 8.

A force restart is similar to soft reset in terms of output but differ on how it’s executed. It’s a simulated battery removal procedure that is used as an alternative restart when a device becomes unresponsive or frozen. Doing so force closes background apps, dumps the internal memory from cached files and corrupted data, and refreshes the operating system. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Finally, press and hold the Side/Power button until the Apple logo appears.

Wait for your iPhone to finish booting up and then test to see how it performs. Your device should be working fine by now, if the rogue apps are the trigger. The new iOS update might have caused some apps to become erratic and that eventually halted the entire system functions of the phone.

Second solution: Install pending app updates.

Updating apps can also help if bugs and system incompatibility are the underlying causes. When the new iOS version was installed, the minimum system requirements for apps to work on your iPhone must have been changed. Thus, it’s possible that some apps ended up no longer compatible with the current platform. To make sure this isn’t what’s giving you such trouble, check for any pending app updates to install. Here’s how:

  1. Tap to open the App Store page from the Home screen.
  2. From the App Store main screen, tap the Updates icon at the bottom right. A list of apps with pending updates then shows up on the screen.
  3. Tap the Update button next to an app to update individual applications.
  4. Tap the Update All button on the upper right of the screen, to install all app updates at once.

App developers usually push updates for their apps as soon as the new iOS version is rolled out. This is to ensure that their apps continue to work smoothly with the new platform. App updates also contain bug fixes to get rid of any glitches inflicted by minor update bugs.

Third solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone 8.

If the new iOS update alters your current settings automatically, then there’s a chance to end up having conflict. As a result, some services or iPhone functions may fail to work or complete their usual routines as they’ll encounter an error. To clear this out, you can reset the settings to their original values and then configure necessary options individually. This reset won’t result to data loss as it won’t affect any data saved on the internal memory. Here’s how:

  1. Open Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll to and tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Reset all settings. This will reset system settings, restoring the defaults without affecting your iPhone data.
  5. Enter your device passcode, if prompted.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm settings reset.

When the reset is finished, your iPhone should restart automatically. As soon as it completely reboots, you can set up your device and enable necessary options and features according to your preferences.

Fourth solution: Reset your iPhone 8 to factory defaults.

Among the last options to consider if the problem continues after performing all prior methods is a factory reset or master reset. This reset will wipe everything from your device including your customized settings, apps, messages, and personal information. Any bugs and malware that might have caused system errors will also be wiped out in the process. As a result, you’ll have a clean, same as new iPhone. The only downside though is that you’ll lose all your personal information. For safekeeping, be sure to back them up to iCloud or iTunes beforehand. Then continue with these steps whenever you’re all set to wipe and reset your iPhone 8:

  1. Open Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll to and tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Erase all content and settings. This will wipe everything from your device including personal information.
  5. If prompted, enter your device passcode to continue.
  6. Then tap to confirm factory reset.

Your iPhone will restart automatically when the reset is finished. As soon as it’s completely rebooted, you can proceed with the initial setup process.

Fifth solution: Restore your iPhone 8 in iTunes.

Most software issues in mobile devices are usually taken care of by a factory reset. Yet there are some instances when a more advanced system wipe out is necessary. And this is where an iOS restore plays its part. There are two types of iOS restore you can try on — a recovery mode restore and DFU mode restore. Both these methods require the use of a computer and iTunes software. And both likewise result to data loss. Should you wish to continue, back up all your critical data for safekeeping. You can back them up on your computer through iTunes before performing an iOS restore.

You can start with a recovery mode restore first and if that won’t work, proceed with a DFU mode restore. A DFU mode restore is deemed as the deepest type of system restore done on an iPhone. It puts the device in a state wherein it’s still able to communicate with iTunes without activating the bootloader or operating system.

A more detailed walkthrough on how to perform a recovery mode restore and DFU mode restore can be found on our iPhone 8 tutorials. Should you wish to refer to the steps, visit our iPhone 8 Troubleshooting page, navigate to the Tutorials section, then find the title or keyword.

Seek more help

Take your iPhone 8 to the nearest Apple Genius bar if it continues to crash or restart randomly after exhausting all possible solutions on your end. Your device might have obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage and the symptoms just emerged after installing the latest iOS update. Hence, it’s possible that the problem you’re dealing with is on the hardware rather than software error. For other options and official recommendations, you can reach out to your device carrier or Apple Support. There may be some advanced procedures that must be performed as resolution.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the Apple iPhone 8 smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone 8. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

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