The new #Apple iPhone 7 Plus (#iPhone7Plus) is probably one of the best smartphones in the market today but it’s not perfect. In fact, we’re starting to receive complaints about it from our readers and one of the most commonly reported issues is the black screen (Black Screen of Death) wherein the iPhone 7 Plus won’t turn on.
Depending on what the real issue is, the fix to the problem can either be very simple and easy or very complex that you need an Apple technician to take care of it for you. That’s what we’re going to determine in this post and I will walk you through it.
Below is a simple, step-by-step troubleshooting guide you can follow but let me tell you, before anything else, that we are simply troubleshooting to know what the problem is. If, by any chance, it’s a complex hardware issue, then we really cannot do something about it since we are not authorized to pop the device open and doing so will void the warranty. However, if the issue is with the firmware, there are things we can try to bring the phone back to life. But at the end of the day, if the problem remains, then it is necessary for you to bring your phone to an Apple Store and have it checked.
Troubleshooting iPhone 7 Plus that won’t turn on
You can immediately tell if the problem is caused by either physical or water damage (yes, water-damage is always possible with the device with IP67 rating) because as owner, you would know if your iPhone fell or got dipped in water. If none of these instances occurred and your new device won’t turn on, then it could be just a minor firmware issue. Here’s what you need to do to troubleshoot it.
Step 1: Verify it’s not just a system crash issue
Firmware crashes all the time and they occur more often if you have a lot of apps installed on your phone and many of them are running in the background. When the firmware crashes, you may not notice any symptoms at all; the phone may just stop working or won’t respond with its screen black.
So, when your iPhone’s screen stays black no matter how long you press the Power key, try this procedure to see if you can bring it back to life…
- Press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power key (sleep/wake button) together for 15 to 20 seconds.
- If there’s enough battery left to power the device on, the white Apple logo will appear.
- When this happens, release both keys and wait until the device reboots completely.
If you ever heard of the term “Soft Reset” before then this is how you do it. Basically, it’s hardwired so the phone should respond when you press the appropriate buttons together. However, if the device remains unresponsive after doing the procedure above, then the next step might help.
Step 2: Make sure there’s enough battery to power up your iPhone 7 Plus
Battery is important when troubleshooting a smartphone. So, if your new iPhone 7 Plus remained unresponsive with a black screen after doing the simple procedure in step 1, it’s time to make sure the device has enough battery to power up its components.
It is imperative you do this step because I’ve encountered similar issues before wherein a customer walks in the shop bringing his/her phone complaining it won’t turn on but when I plugged it in, the phone powers on a few moments after. So, in this step, all you gotta do is plug the charger to a power source and then connect it to your phone. If there’s no issues with the phone’s hardware, it should respond to the charger; it would display the usual charging icon and powers up the device.
However, if the phone doesn’t respond to it, then you need to do a few things to make sure it’s not an issue with the charger or the cable. Why is it necessary? Because at this point, we don’t know for sure if the handset just drained it’s battery so it won’t power up. But since it couldn’t charge, it would remain as is. It is imperative we know what the problem is in order to fix it. So, try these…
- Physically check the cable for breakage
- Look into the port on your charger for lint, debris or corrosion that may prevent charging
- Try to check the pins to see if one of them is bent
- Check the charging port of your phone for debris and corrosion
- Try using a different charger
You may also want to check one of our post that tackles the “not charging” issue with the Apple iPhone 7 Plus.
Step 3: Make sure your iPhone 7 Plus isn’t physically- and/or water-damaged
When it comes to electronic devices, physical and water damages could be mean the end for them. That’s the reason why you need to make sure that none of these things happened when you’re troubleshooting a problem such as the one we’re tackling here.
It’s easier to know if the problem is caused by physical damage because an impact that could affect the phone’s performance would surely leave a dent or mark on the outside. Physically inspect your phone for those dents because if there are indeed an evidence of physical damage, you don’t have to waste your time troubleshooting. Instead, you just have to bring your phone to an Apple Store and have it checked.
As to the water damage, it’s not that easy to determine because first, it doesn’t leave dents or marks and second, it has an IP67 rating, which makes the phone water and dust-resistant (but not water-proof). You must have a personal knowledge that the device got dipped in water or any liquid for that matter to even consider water-damage a possibility but nonetheless, it’s a possibility.
If one of these caused the phone to not power on, then the device is in a deeper mess than you think because physical and liquid damage aren’t included in the warranty.
Step 4: Call Apple tech support or go to the store and have it checked
I’m afraid there’s nothing more we can do about your iPhone 7 Plus that won’t turn on if steps 1 to 3 failed to bring it back to life. At this point, you really need a professional to check your phone for damages and fix it if possible.
You may call Apple tech support for more information or instructions on what to do about about one of their devices that doesn’t power on. You may also try to set an appointment just before you go to the store.
For owners, however, who want to have their questions answered immediately, it’s better you go directly to the store and consult the technician about the problem. When you do so, make sure you provide all necessary information about the phone and the problem so the tech can easily diagnose the problem. It’s for your own convenience, by the way.
I hope that this troubleshooting guide can help you troubleshoot a problem with your iPhone 7 Plus. We recommend you try to fix the problem on your own first before sending the phone in for repair as we all know it takes weeks before the device will be returned to you and/or how much technicians charge for their services nowadays.