Why does my iPhone SE keep restarting by itself and how to fix it? [Troubleshooting Guide]

Want to know how you can fix iPhone SE keep restarting problem? Read through this post and learn how.

Apple’s special edition iPhone dubbed as the iPhone SE has been here for over a year now. Considering the period of its existence, it’s expected for the first users to experience performance issues including lags or sluggishness, random freezes, system crashes, and booting errors. Things like these usually occurs to aging devices regardless of how powerful they may be when first launched.

Tackled in this post is a relevant issue on the iPhone SE that keeps restarting by itself. Should you landed into this page while searching for some information or solutions to a relevant issue on the same iOS device, this post might be able to offer you some help. Keep reading to find out what causes your iPhone SE to constantly reboot by itself.

Now, before we proceed with our troubleshooting, if you have other concerns with your new iPhone SE, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already published some guides and tutorials. You may also contact us by completing our iPhone issues questionnaire. This is a free consultation servicer we offer and all we need is information about the problem. So please give us that so that we can help you better.

Common factors that can cause iPhone SE keep restarting or random restart issues

Among the most common triggers of iPhone SE keep restarting issue or unexpected reboots (bootloops) are faulty apps, bad battery, bad firmware sectors, software bugs, memory issues, and worst, hardware damage.

Majority of boot loop issues transpiring in iOS devices like the iPhone SE are associated with a faulty software. Yet there are also some in which a hardware damage is to blame. Consider yourself a bit lucky if the bootloop issue you are currently dealing with is tied to a software. Otherwise, you will have no choice but to opt for service. Unless you would decide to go for an upgrade to iPhone 8, 8 Plus or iphone x. But before you get decided, you may take your chances, try some workarounds, and attempt to fix the problem on your end so as to get your iPhone SE back up and running smoothly as it was before. It may not be that really smooth but at least performing flawlessly again.

Potential solutions and workarounds to fix your iPhone SE that keeps rebooting by itself

Before you proceed and perform any of the following methods, examine your device for any signs of physical or liquid damage. Again bootloop issues can also denote a hardware problem on the iPhone. If you are certain that it’s not the hardware, then you may start troubleshooting the software with these subsequent solutions.

Force restart

A force restart does the same with the soft reset or reboot but varies in the process. A force restart is an alternative solution to reboot an unresponsive or frozen device. Thus if your iPhone is stuck on certain screens and couldn’t get to operate normally, a force restart is a recommended remedy. Here’s how it’s done:

Press and hold down the Power button and the Home button simultaneously for a few seconds or until the Apple logo appears.

Let go of the buttons when you see the Apple logo and wait until your device completes its booting sequence.

Boot into Safe Mode

Booting your iPhone SE into safe mode can help you diagnose apps and determine whether or not the problem is triggered by a third-party app. All third-party apps and services are bypassed or disabled in this state so it will be easier for you to isolate the problem. Try to run your device for a while in Safe Mode and see if it still reboots by itself. If it doesn’t, then it means that a third-party app is the main culprit. The problem will most likely be fixed by removing the faulty app from your device. Finding out which from your downloaded apps would be your next challenge to undertake. To help you decide, try to think of when the problem started or which new app was installed before your iPhone started to reboot by itself. Uninstalling or disabling suspected apps is the key towards obtaining the solution. Here’s how to boot your iPhone SE into safe mode and diagnose apps:

Reboot your iPhone by holding down the Power button until the Slide to Power Off screen appears. Then drag the slide to Power off.
Press and hold down the Power button to turn it back on.
As soon as you see the Apple logo, hold down the Volume Up button until the phone has completely rebooted.

At this point, your iPhone is already running in safe mode.

Try using your device in this mode for a while to see whether or not bootloop still occurs. If it doesn’t, go to Cydia and remove the offending package. It’s most likely the recent package you’ve added before the first bootloop symptom occurs.

Test your device after removing an app or service. If the problem persists, try removing the next suspected package. Once you’re done diagnosing apps in Safe Mode, restart your iPhone to go back to normal state.

Update iOS (if applicable)

If you haven’t already, try to install the latest iOS version available for your iPhone SE. Doing so will help rid of any bug that might have affected the system functions particularly the phone’s booting up routine. Software updates usually contains bug fixes that might be the key to rectifying any glitch on the iOS. You can check for available updates through your iPhone settings menu.

Navigate to Settings-> General-> About menu. You will see an update notification if a new firmware update is available for your device. Review the software version details, backup your data then follow the onscreen instructions Download and Install update.

Just make sure that your iPhone is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, has ample of power, and storage space to allocate and install the update file without bumping into any trouble.

Or if you would prefer, you can update iOS using iTunes. You will need a computer with the latest version of iOS and iTunes software installed in order to proceed with this method though.

See if updating iOS can bring positive outcomes and get rid of the bootloop problem completely.

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Factory reset or master reset

A master reset will wipe all your data stored from your device and restores it to factory defaults. All your personal information, downloads, and customized settings will be erased. So if there are any corrupted segment or data on your iPhone storage that triggers the device to restart by itself will likewise be wiped out. Afterwards, your iPhone will have a clean fresh start. It’s going to be a tedious process though especially if you already have stored a lot on your iPhone. But should this really be necessary, backup your iPhone SE then proceed with the factory reset or master reset. Here’s how to get started.

Backup your iPhone through iTunes or iCloud. To back up to iCloud, go to Settings-> iCloud-> Backup then make sure that the feature is enabled.
Tap Back Up Now option to instigate the backup process to iCloud.
To reset through your iPhone settings, go to Settings-> General-> Reset-> Erase All Content and Settings.
If prompted, enter your passcode to proceed then tap Erase iPhone to confirm reset.

Factory reset through iTunes

If you want to use iTunes, you will need to plug your iPhone into your computer (Windows or Mac) using the supplied USB or Lightning cable. Then open iTunes on the computer and wait until it recognizes your iPhone. Once your iPhone is recognized, follow the instructions found on iTunes menu to backup your device to iTunes on the computer then select the option to Restore iPhone to wipe your iPhone completely and then restores to its factory default settings.

DFU Mode restore

If nothing else worked and you still have the iPhone SE keep restarting issue or your iPhone still keeps on rebooting by itself, your last option to consider would be a DFU mode restore. DFU mode puts your device in a state where it is still able to communicate with iTunes on Windows or Mac without activating the boot loader for iOS. This will allow your device to be restored from any state and fix any complex bugs in the system. While this can potentially solve the problem, it may also cause your device to brick especially when something goes wrong and the DFU restore process gets interrupted or not completed. Should you wish to give it a shot, backup your iPhone if you can and follow these steps:

Plug in your iPhone to your Mac or Windows computer.
Open iTunes on the computer.
Power off your iPhone if necessary.
Press and hold down the Power button for 3 seconds.
Then press and hold down the Home button while still holding down the Power button.
Keep holding down both buttons for 10 seconds. If you see the Apple logo, it means that you’ve held the buttons too long and that you need to start all over again. If you don’t see the Apple logo, continue to the next step.
Release the Power button but keep holding down the Home button for about 5 seconds. If you see the Plug into iTunes screen, it means that you’ve held the button too long so you’ll need to start again from the start.

If the screen stays black, it means that you have already entered DFU mode and now all set to perform a DFU mode restore on your device.

At this point, you will be prompted with an iTunes alert saying that it has detected your iPhone and will allow it to be restored. Then see if that fixes the bootloop problem on your iPhone SE. Otherwise, consider some other options.

Seek more help to fix iPhone SE keep restarting problem

At this point, you may consider taking your iPhone SE to an authorized service center and have a technician diagnose possible hardware problems. Otherwise, contact your device carrier or Apple Support to escalate the problem if none of the prior methods is able to fix it. The problem might be too complex that already requires advanced tools for troubleshooting. Or you may also opt to take a trip to an Apple Genius bar and have your iPhone SE checked by an Apple technician for possible damage repair, if needed.

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