iPhone 6S Won’t Boot Past Apple Logo? Here’s How to Fix It

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If your iPhone 6S won’t start up — it just shows the Apple logo and then shuts off — you’re not the only one. This kind of boot loop or startup crash is common in older iPhones, especially after deleting apps, installing updates, or dealing with storage issues. Thankfully, if the cause is software-related, you can usually fix it yourself.

Let’s walk through what you can do to get your iPhone working again.

What’s Going On?

If your phone restarts endlessly or gets stuck at the Apple logo, it’s usually one of these:

  • A failed app installation or update
  • Low or completely full storage
  • Corrupted iOS system files
  • A software crash from a manual reboot or power off

In rare cases, it could be hardware — especially if the phone was dropped, got wet, or had a battery issue. But assuming there’s no physical damage, you can likely fix it using DFU mode recovery.

How to Fix an iPhone 6S That Won’t Boot

You’ll need:

  • A computer (Mac or Windows)
  • The latest version of iTunes or Finder (if using macOS Catalina or later)
  • A Lightning cable

Step 1: Put Your iPhone in DFU Mode

This is a deep recovery mode that skips the iOS boot process — perfect when your iPhone won’t start up normally.

  1. Close all apps on your computer and open iTunes (or Finder if you’re on a Mac with no iTunes).
  2. Turn off your iPhone:
    • If you can, hold the Power button and slide to power off.
    • If you can’t, let the battery drain completely, then charge it for at least an hour.
  3. Connect your iPhone to the computer via USB.
  4. Do the DFU button sequence:
    • Hold the Power (Side) button for 3 seconds.
    • While holding Power, press and hold the Volume Down button.
    • Hold both for 10 seconds. If you see the Apple logo, you held too long — start over.
    • Release the Power button but continue holding Volume Down for another 5 seconds.
  5. If the screen stays completely black and your computer detects a device in recovery mode — you’re in DFU mode.

Important:
If you see the Apple logo or the “Connect to iTunes” screen, you’re in the wrong mode — repeat the steps above.

Step 2: Restore Your iPhone Using iTunes

Once in DFU mode, iTunes or Finder should prompt you to restore the device.

  1. Click Restore.
  2. Follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall iOS.

This will erase your data. If you have a backup in iCloud or iTunes, you can restore it later during setup.

When the restore is complete, your iPhone should boot normally.

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