What to do when your Apple iPhone X won’t turn on? [Troubleshooting Guide]

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One of the common issues afflicting smartphone users is on power problems. Any device can succumb into this dilemma regardless of whether it’s high-end or not. Even the new ones like the latest iPhone X from Apple can get you into the same trouble at any time. So what will you do then if your new hefty powerful iPhone does not power on? Given that you’re reading this content, chances are that you’re already into the situation and that you’re trying to find some means to get your iPhone back to life. Well, we’ve got your back.

iPhone won’t turn on?

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This post contains some walkthroughs on the first few things you should try to do when your iPhone X does not power on. You may give them a try on your end and then see what happens. If the problem will get fixed, then you’re good. Otherwise, you’ll need to consider trying other options. But before we jump into troubleshooting the main problem, let us first try to determine why or what might have prevented your iPhone from turning on.

Before we move on, if you have other issues with your iPhone, visit our iPhone X troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most commonly reported issues with the device. Browse through the page to find issues similar with yours. If you still need our assistance after that, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire to contact us.

ALSO READ: How to fix an Apple iPhone that won’t turn on 

Factors to consider when diagnosing an iPhone that doesn’t power on

There are only two possibilities that you need to look into in this situation. First and often the culprit is a software issue. Many people thought that when the device doesn’t turn on, the battery is probably dead or worst, the device itself is busted. But what actually happens (in most cases) is that the device or your iPhone won’t turn on because the software has crashed and needs to be reset or restored. However, there are also other cases where a hardware problem is preventing the iPhone from turning on. This is likely the issue if you’ve got your iPhone wet or accidentally dropped previously. In the case where the hardware is to blame, your option to fix it would likely be a tech service.

How to fix your iPhone X if it’s not turning on?

Your options are actually limited since what we are dealing with is an iPhone that does not power on. It is possible that what you’re dealing with is a hardware issue which apparently could not be rectified by any software-related workaround. Yet, it wouldn’t hurt to try anyway. Once you get your device to turn back on after performing any of these methods, then you can do more things to keep the device stable afterwards.

Force restart

To rule out the possibility of a software crashing, you can try to force your iPhone to restart. You might think that the iPhone won’t turn on because all you see is a black screen even when you connect it to a charger. Thus, it’s possible that your iPhone is actually stuck on black screen because the software crashed and gets your device stuck in black screen and becomes unresponsive. Note: Apple has made some changes not only in the process but also in naming some controls. The previously called Sleep/Wake (Power) button is now dubbed as the Side button on the new iPhones. So we’ll use that name then.

So here’s how to force restart an iPhone X.

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Finally, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

You may consider pressing on the Side button for about 20 to 30 seconds in case the device gets stuck on black screen due to software crashes.

If a force restart can fix your iPhone, it means that the iPhone was turned on the whole time but since the software has crashed it is displaying a black screen and not responding. This condition is almost indistinguishable from an iPhone that is turned off. Consider the next options if the force restart failed to get your iPhone X to turn on.

Charge your iPhone X

Connecting your device to the charger and allowing it to recharge for about 30 minutes can help rule out the possibility of a complete battery drain on the device. Some apps can cause rapid battery draining on any device especially when launched. When the battery is completely drained, it may take longer for the device to get recharge. So give it some more time to charge. Also consider checking your charging equipment and to rid of the possibility of faulty charging paraphernalia causing the device to not charge. If you usually use a wall charger for charging, you can try to connect your iPhone to your laptop computer, if it does not charge with the wall charger or the other way around.

Use iTunes to access your iPhone system

If your iPhone still won’t turn on after switching between charging options, try to plug it into your computer and open iTunes. If iTunes is able to recognize your device, you can create an iTunes backup of your iPhone X immediately. Doing so will give you chance to save your critical data should there be any serious hardware problem transpiring on the device. So here’s what you should do then:

  1. Connect your iPhone X to a computer then open iTunes. You can use either Windows or Mac computer that has the latest version of OS and iTunes software installed.
  2. Wait for iTunes to recognize your iPhone. If iTunes recognizes your iPhone, select the option to backup and restore your iPhone X with iTunes. Otherwise, proceed with these steps:
    • Force your iPhone X to restart while it is connected to the computer. To force restart, press and quickly release the Volume Up button, then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. And finally, press and hold the Side button. Do not release the Side button when the Apple logo appears but instead wait for the Recovery Mode screen.
    • When you see the Recovery Mode screen, let go of the Side button.
    • When you are prompted with the option to Restore or Update, select Update. Doing so will allow iTunes to attempt to reinstall iOS without erasing your data.

iTunes then instigates downloading of software for your iPhone X. The process normally takes about 15 minutes (at least). If it takes more time for the download to complete, your device will exit recovery mode and if that happens, you will need to go back to the previous steps until you get back into recovery mode and retry updating iOS.

You may also consider using an iOS recovery software to try to restore or repair your iPhone X but still there is no guaranteed fix from doing so. There are a lot of these iOS repair/restore tools available for free download online should you wish to try your luck with these alternative solutions. Otherwise, just escalate the problem to the right people instead.

Seek More Help

If none of the prior methods is able to fix the problem and that your iPhone X still won’t power on, then you should already escalate the problem to your carrier or Apple Support for further assistance and other recommendations. Also don’t forget about your warranty. You may consider opting to avail for service or replacement warranty if necessary especially if a faulty hardware is to blame. Please note though that your iPhone’s warranty does not cover liquid damage unless you have Apple Care+ but there may still be some charges. Anyway, you will be informed about all these stuff when needed.

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