iPhone 6 Not Turning On? Try These Fixes First

ByFelix Updated on iPhone
44 Comments

If your iPhone 6 won’t turn on, don’t panic just yet. Whether it’s a drained battery, a glitchy update, or something more serious, there are a handful of fixes that can bring your phone back to life. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to help you troubleshoot before heading to the repair shop.

1. Plug It In and Let It Charge

The most common reason your iPhone won’t power on is a dead battery.

Try this:

  • Use your original Apple charger and cable.
  • Plug it into a wall outlet—not a computer or USB hub.
  • Let it charge for at least 30 minutes.
  • Then press and hold the Sleep/Wake button to turn it on.

If nothing happens, try a different cable and charger. Also check the charging port for dust or debris—use a soft brush or toothpick to clean it carefully.

2. Force Restart Your iPhone 6

A software crash might be causing the screen to stay black even if the phone is technically on.

To force restart:

  • Press and hold both the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button.
  • Hold them for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo.

This won’t erase your data. It’s a safe and easy fix for many startup issues.

3. Look for Signs of Physical or Water Damage

Your iPhone might not be turning on because of hardware failure.

Check for:

  • Cracked screen, dents, or impact damage.
  • Moisture or corrosion inside the SIM tray.
  • A red Liquid Contact Indicator (inside the SIM tray) means water exposure.

If you spot any of the above, skip to the last step—your best bet is to contact Apple.

4. Try Recovery Mode (If You See the Apple Logo Flash)

If your phone tries to turn on but freezes on the Apple logo, you can try using Recovery Mode.

Here’s how:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer via USB.
  2. Press and hold Home + Sleep/Wake until you see the Recovery Mode screen.
  3. On your computer, iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina+) will prompt you to Update or Restore.
  4. Choose Update to reinstall iOS without wiping your data.

5. Use DFU Mode for a Clean Restore

If nothing else works, DFU Mode gives you one last shot to revive the phone.

Steps for DFU Mode:

  1. Connect iPhone to your computer.
  2. Hold Sleep/Wake + Home for 10 seconds.
  3. Release Sleep/Wake but keep holding Home until your screen stays black and iTunes/Finder detects a device in DFU mode.
  4. Choose Restore to install a fresh iOS version.

⚠️ DFU Mode erases all data. Only do this if you’ve tried everything else and are okay with starting fresh.

6. Still Dead? Call Apple Support

If none of the above steps get your iPhone 6 to turn on, you’re probably dealing with a hardware problem—most commonly a failed battery, power IC, or logic board.

What to do next:

  • Visit Apple Support.
  • Schedule a Genius Bar appointment or send it in for repair.
  • If you have AppleCare+, you may get it fixed at a reduced cost.

44 Comments

  5. My phone went blank. At first i could receive phone calls and but not able to answer ‘cos I cant see anything. Then I read some article online to push Home and Wake Button then release it not even seeing an Apple Logo. As of now, issue is not yet resolved.

  6. please help.
    i was taking a picture with the flash and suddenly it became blackout. i tried pressssing the home button and the wake button but it still doesnt work. i also tried charing it but it wont on. PLEASE HELP

  7. Hi, my iphone 6 plus is working fine, but apparently, when i locked the screen or whenever the screen goes off if ever i turned it on most of the time the screen will just lighten slightly from black to light black indicating that the home button or any button that i pressed is working fine. Then i will repeat it for a couple of times and hurray it will open. sometimes it will open immediately for just 1 try but most of the time i have to do it a couple of times before i could open it. P.S. the buttons (Home Button/Lock Button) is functioning properly. the problem just occurs whenever the screen is off. Could you give me some advice? Thanks

  8. Hello,I upgraded my phone to the lastest version and it has been giving me problem since then,it will hang while pressing and reboot while pressing and not pressing the phone at times , the phone hang up and then I was force to restart the phone, after I restart, the phone shut down and won’t power up till now, can this be fixed please, I notice all this after I upgraded my iOS version…. Please and I have files I don’t wanna lose .

  9. when my phone turn on displays the apple log then goes block and turned off stage away !!!!!. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!

  11. Can you please help me? My iphone 6 screen is black but when plugged into computer, it recognized my iphone. but i cant select the option “trust this computer” because of the black screen issue. I need to transfer all my data and photos. How is it possible to unlock the black screen and trust this computer?

  13. help me please. My iPhone 6 won’t turn on but I did while charger 24 hours and iPhone won’t turn on still black screen display just PLEASE

  14. help me please. My iPhone 6 won’t turn on but I did while charger 24 hours and iPhone won’t turn on still black screen display just PLEASE HELP?

  15. “(Press and hold the Power and Home buttons simultaneously for 20 seconds until the Apple logo appears)”. It worked. Thanks boss

  16. My iPhone 6S was on charger screen went black and holding on/off button doesn’t work neither does power button or holding together is there something else to try

  17. Mine has the same issue when I updated the software. It shut down. And when I tired to power it up it the logo appear but it went on off (repeat) with some red/yellow line. I tired holding the home and on/off button simultaneously till the restore screen appear. Then I open up itune using my computer and connect my iphone using USB cable to the computer. When the phone is connected, message pop out asking you to update or restore. I select update and it will take some time to update it. After the updating is completed. You will then have to disconnect the iphone from your computer and press the on/off and home button simultaneously again till the restore screen appear then connect it to the itune in your computer. Then a message will pop out and you will then have to click restore and update. Once again this take a few min to start up. After it completely update and restored, your iphone will turn back to be the blank screen. Then press the on/off and home button simultaneously till the apple logo appear. it will start to load. After loading, it will then direct you to the page just like a brand new phone. (Sadly , all my data was erased)

  18. i need ur hepl i have iphone 6s when i turn it on apple logo appears n after 5 sec it goes away i m not able to start my phone

  19. Hi my name is Emmanuel Ijioma, I am a Nigerian…my iphone6 won’t come on. So I saw this tip on google to hold the lock and home button simultaneously and not to let go even after seeing the apple logo. but accidentally I let go of buttons after seeing the apple logo and it came on fine…

    I´m glad it worked at least I saw a useful information that helped me.

    Thanks to your team.

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