Many devices could end up frozen from major update and even new and powerful devices are not exempted. Just like what happens to some iPhones following the recent iOS 13 update implementation. If this happens to your iPhone as well, then you can refer to this troubleshooting guide for additional inputs and resolution. Read on to find out what to do if your iPhone gets stuck on the white Apple logo after the iOS 13 update installation.
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Troubleshooting an iPhone that’s stuck on white Apple logo after iOS 13 update
Apparently, the underlying cause of the problem is software-related since the symptom instigated after installing the latest iOS update. Unless your iPhone has already obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage, the chance of fixing the problem is higher. Follow these steps to eliminate software-related triggers.
First solution: Force restart your iPhone.
Apps that have gone rogue from the recent iOS update are usually the main culprits. As these apps start to misbehave, the entire system functions may become affected. This is when adverse symptoms instigate. Often times, apps that end up going rogue from an update are those that were left open or running in the background during the update installation. This denotes the need to clear out all background apps. With that said, performing a forced restart can be considered as the first possible solution to try.
If you’re using an iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X series, follow these steps to force restart the device:
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button then press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Finally, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
On an iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, performing a forced restart is done this way:
- Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds.
- Then release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.
If you’re using an iPhone SE, 6s, and 6s Plus, follow these steps to force restart:
- Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button for at least 10 seconds.
- When you see the Apple logo on the screen, release both buttons.
Wait and see if the phone is able to boot up to the Home screen.
ALSO READ: How to fix iPhone XR iOS 13 delayed touchscreen response issue
If your iPhone managed to get past the white Apple logo screen after performing a forced restart, perform the following procedures to eliminate common triggers. Otherwise, skip to the second solution.
- Update your apps. Display issues like unresponsive or stuck screen are usually attributed to some rogue apps. Apps that are acting up from the recent iOS update might have adversely affect your iPhone’s behaviour. It is also possible that any of these rogue apps is halting the start-up process and thereby results in your iPhone unable being stuck on the white Apple logo. Such problems can be taken care of by installing pending app updates on your phone. These updates likely contain dedicated fix patches created by the software developer to keep apps performing smoothly on the recently installed platform.
- Check and manage iPhone storage. Another possible reason as to why a device often gets stuck or frozen is because of low storage. This is usually the case if your iPhone storage is already shrinking before you install the update. The iOS 13 file size is more than 2 gigabytes, so you may need to double the required storage space to avoid performance issues after the update installation. If you failed to check the available memory of your iPhone before updating, then you better do so to rule out low storage from the underlying cause.
- Reset all settings. If the recent iOS update overrides your system settings automatically, there’s a good chance that some of these automatic settings overrides had caused conflicts to any of your existing settings or any customized options. And these conflicts may lead to some system inconsistencies and thus random display issues and/or boot-up errors are transpiring. To clear this out, you will need to reset all settings on your iPhone to erase all customized settings including those that were overridden by the update.
See if the problem is resolved by any of these basic procedures. If your iPhone remains stuck on the white Apple logo, more advanced solutions are needed.
Second solution: Erase and restore your iPhone in iTunes.
Your device might have obtained some fatal system errors that ruined its boot-up sequence and eventually caused your iPhone to fail booting up to the Home screen. To deal with major system errors that result in stuck displays, wiping and restoring your iPhone through iTunes would be necessary. Just follow these steps:
- Open iTunes on your computer, if you haven’t already.
- Connect your iPhone to the computer using the USB cable and Lightning cable that came with it.
- Wait for your iPhone to show up in iTunes and then click on its icon to select it.
- Scroll to the Summary section then click the Restore [iPhone] button.
- If prompted, click the Restore button again to confirm.
This should serve as a hint for iTunes to start erasing your phone and then installs the latest firmware/iOS version.
When your phone restarts, that denotes that the restore process is complete. All settings are then restore to factory defaults so you’ll need to set everything up as new.
ALSO READ: How to fix iOS 13 ghost touch bug on your iPhone, screen reacts even when untouched
Third solution: Perform a recovery mode restore to fix your iPhone that’s stuck on white Apple logo in iOS 13.
When your phone stops on the white Apple logo and it stays on that same screen, it means that it gets stuck during start up and therefore needs a forced restart. If that couldn’t be rectified by a forced restart and your iPhone is still unresponsive, that’s when performing a recovery mode restore is needed. This puts your device in a recovery state for system restoration and repair. A recovery mode restore is usually the next recommended procedure to deal with major system flaws that a factory reset could not resolve. And this requires the use of a computer system either a Windows PC or Mac computer to get started. Just be sure to use the latest version of iTunes software to avoid bumping into some sort of system conflicts. If you wish to proceed and try restoring your iPhone in recovery mode, simply refer to the following procedures.
The steps in putting an iPhone in recovery mode vary between device models. To begin with, connect your iPhone to the computer using an Apple-supplied USB cable/Lightning cable. While your phone is connected, launch the iTunes app on your computer and then proceed to any of these subsequent procedures.
On an iPhone 8 or later model:
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Then, press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Finally, press and hold the Top button until the reboot process instigates.
- Keep holding the Top button until the recovery mode screen (Connect to iTunes screen) appears.
- Wait until you see the message prompt asking you to restore or update your device.
- Select Update if you want iTunes to reinstall iOS on your phone without erasing any saved data. Otherwise, choose Restore to erase your device and restore from a recent iOS backup.
On an iPhone 7 and 7 Plus:
- Press and hold the Top/Side and Volume Down buttons simultaneously.
- Keep holding both buttons until the recovery mode screen appears.
- Wait until you see the message prompt asking you to restore or update your device.
- Select Update if you want iTunes to reinstall iOS on your phone without erasing any saved data. Otherwise, choose Restore to erase your device and restore from a recent iOS backup.
On an iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and SE:
- Press and hold both the Home button and the Top/Side button simultaneously.
- Keep holding the buttons until the Recovery Mode screen appears.
- Wait until you see the message prompt asking you to restore or update your device.
- Select Update if you want iTunes to reinstall iOS on your phone without erasing any saved data. Otherwise, choose Restore to erase your device and restore from a recent iOS backup.
Wait for iTunes to finish downloading the software for your device. The download process normally takes 15 minutes. If it isn’t completed in 15 minutes, your phone will exit recovery mode. If that happens, you will need to go back to the previous steps to enter recovery mode again.
Last resort: Repair and restore iOS via DFU mode.
The last option you’ve got if a recovery mode restore still failed to fix the problem is the deepest type of system restore called DFU mode. DFU stands for Device Firmware Update mode, a special state that allows iTunes to sync and communicate with your iOS device without activating the bootloader. Only a few end-users would dare to carry out this process as it constitutes some risks of bricking the device, especially if physical or liquid damage is present. If you wish to proceed however, I’ve mapped out the standard procedures on how to put an iPhone in DFU mode and execute a DFU mode restore using iTunes.
To get started, connect your device to the computer using the supplied USB cable/Lightning cable. While your device is connected, follow these steps to enter DFU mode.
On an iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and SE, simply follow these steps:
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and Home button simultaneously for about 8 seconds.
- After the elapsed time, let go of the Sleep/Wake button but keep holding down the Home button until you see the iTunes prompt saying that “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.”
- Release the Home button if you see the message prompt.
Your iPhone screen will then become completely black. This means that it has successfully entered DFU mode. If you see any logo or texts, it means that your phone failed to enter DFU mode and so you’ll have to start all over from the beginning. Once your device is in DFU mode, use the given commands to restore it in iTunes.
On an iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, entering DFU mode is done through these steps:
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and Volume Down button simultaneously for about 8 seconds.
- After the elapsed time, let go of the Sleep/Wake button but keep holding down the Volume Down button until you see the iTunes prompt saying that “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.”
- Release the Volume Down button if you see the message prompt.
Then follow the rest of the onscreen commands to restore your iPhone in iTunes.
On an iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iphone x series, follow these steps to enter DFU mode:
- While your device is connected to the computer, quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Then quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Finally, press and hold the Side button until the screen turns black.
- As soon as your phone display turns black, press and hold the Volume Down button while keep holding down the Side button for another 5 seconds.
- After 5 seconds, let go of the Side button but keep holding the Volume Down button until your iPhone appears in iTunes.
You can release the Volume Down button once you see your iPhone in iTunes. This denotes that your device has successfully entered DFU mode and is therefore all set for a thorough iOS repair and restoration using iTunes.
ALSO READ: How to fix a problem on the iPhone X swipe up that’s not working in iOS 13
Is your iPhone still stuck on white Apple logo after the iOS 13 update?
The problem might be due to some complex system errors like a stubborn iOS bug that ruined your iPhone boot-up system. If iTunes could not rectify this flaw, then resorting to alternative repair solutions can be your next best move. There are actually a lot of third-party repair and restoration software that are used to fix major system issues including post-update errors that could not be handled by iTunes. Among the most reliable tools that serve this purpose are Joyoshare UltFix, Dr. Fone – Repair, Tenorshare ReiBoot, FonePaw iOS System Recovery, and PhoneRescue for iOS, to name some. These tools come with free versions that can be downloaded and installed on a compatible computer right away. Complete versions usually require purchase but guarantee one-stop solution.
If all else failed to resolve the problem and your iPhone remains stuck on the white Apple logo in iOS 13, then you might as well consider escalating it to Apple Support already. Doing so will let Apple become aware that such a post-update problem exists and if necessary, develop a permanent fix.
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