How to fix an iPhone 8 Plus that keeps crashing or shuts down unexpectedly after installing an iOS update [Troubleshooting Guide]

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System crashes, lags, and other performance issues in mobile devices are often tied to insufficient or low memory. However, these symptoms can also be triggered by some other factors like software bugs and malware. This is likely the case for some new and high-tiered smartphones that are acting up after upgrading platforms or operating systems to the latest version.

In fact, system crashes and random restarts have emerged among other post-update issues affecting some iPhone 8 Plus variants, following the iOS 11.4 update rollout. And this is the main issue tackled in this post. Read on to find out how the new update had triggered such a powerful iOS handset to act up and what workarounds can be regarded as potential solutions. You can refer to the following walkthroughs to troubleshoot and fix this issue on your new iPhone 8 Plus, when needed.

Now, before anything else, if you have other issues with your phone, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already provided solutions to hundreds of problems reported by our readers. Odds are that we may have already provided a solution to the problem you currently have so try to find issues that are similar with yours on that page and feel free to use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

First solution: Quit all background apps.

Background apps when corrupted may affect other apps, if not the entire system operations. While keeping apps running in the background can benefit users in terms of multitasking or reloading of same apps, it’s still necessary to clear them from time to time. Aside from preventing them from causing conflict to other apps or phone system, clearing background apps can also free up space of your phone’s internal memory. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Press the Home button twice quickly. A new screen containing a list of all your recently used apps will open. These apps are in standby mode and still running in the background.
  2. To close individual apps swipe up on an app to close it.

After clearing background apps, use your device as you normally do. If it still crashes or turns off by unexpectedly, move on to the next applicable solution.

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Second solution: Soft reset/Force restart your iPhone 8 Plus.

A soft reset or device restart is by far deemed the simplest yet most effective solution to various types of software issues transpiring in mobile devices. Restarting the iPhone also dumps cache or temporary files from the internal memory.

  1. Press and hold the Power button until the Slide to Power Off command appears.
  2. Drag the slider to the right to turn your iPhone completely off.
  3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears and then release.

Alternatively, you can do a force restart if your iPhone is unresponsive.

  1. Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
  2. Then press and release the Volume Down button.
  3. Finally, press and hold the Side/Power button until the phone reboots.

Both a soft reset and force restart won’t affect any data and personal information saved in the internal memory, so no need to worry of losing critical files.

Third solution: Manage internal memory of your iPhone 8 Plus.

Even if what you’ve got is a new device with bulky storage capacity, it’s still important to check the current status of the internal memory. Doing so will ensure that the problem is not attributed to memory-related issues on the phone. There might be some apps that have gone rogue when the new platform was installed. That said, it’s still possible for certain apps to unusually take up more storage than they’re supposed to get. To rule this out, check the current status of your iPhone 8 Plus and free up some space if necessary. Just follow these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap iPhone Storage.
  4. Navigate to the iPhone section at the top to view how much storage space is used of the total available memory.

To free up extra storage space, remove or delete unused items from the device including unnecessary messages, apps, music, photos or videos. Also be sure to clear Recently Deleted media files from your device as they also used up storage.

Fourth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone 8 Plus.

New updates can mess up your current settings, which then could result to your iPhone going rogue. Reverting the changes back to how they were previously configured will likely resolve the issue but determining which settings or options to modify is difficult. Resetting all settings on the iPhone would be a simple alternative solution you can try on. Here’s how:

  1. Navigate to the Home screen then tap Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll to and tap Reset.
  4. Select Reset all settings from the given options.
  5. If prompted, enter the correct passcode for your device.
  6. Then tap the option confirm settings reset.

Reboot your iPhone when the reset is finished. When it has booted up completely, activate necessary features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other options to use them again on your iPhone.

Fifth solution: Restore your iPhone 8 Plus in iTunes.

Performing an iOS restore would be necessary if none of the aforesaid solutions is able to fix the problem and your iPhone 8 Plus is still crashing or shutting down by itself. The problem could be attributed to some complex software bugs that can only be cleared by wiping the iPhone system. Note that this will delete all your data and personal information from your device, hence optional. But if you wish to proceed and take chances in this method, be sure to back up all your important files beforehand. Then follow these steps to restore your iPhone 8 Plus in iTunes via recovery mode.

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer using the supplied USB connector or Lightning cable.
  2. Launch iTunes on your computer then wait for iTunes to recognize and connect to your iPhone.
  3. While your iPhone is connected, press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side/Power button until you see the Recovery Mode screen or Connect to iTunes screen.
  4. If prompted to Restore or Update, choose Restore.

Then allow iTunes to download software for your device. If the download takes more than 15 minutes, your device will exit recovery mode. If this happens, you will need to go back to the previous steps to enter recovery mode again. Wait until the process is finished and then set up your device to use it again.

Other options

Report the issue to your device carrier or Apple Support for other options and official recommendations. Given the fact that your iPhone 8 Plus started to act up after implementing an iOS update, it’s very likely due to an update bug that requires a fix patch.

Or you may also bring your iPhone to the nearest Apple Genius bar for it to be examined thoroughly by an Apple technician. There might be some other factors that caused your iPhone to crash or power off by itself, like a damaged component. Should there be any sort of physical or liquid damage, then that should be taken care of immediately. If your iPhone is still covered by warranty, then don’t forget to avail for warranty be it for service or unit replacement.

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