Power issues on smartphones that suddenly refuses to power on can be attributed to major system errors and hardware damage. When the phone suddenly shuts down and gets stuck on blank or black screen, that’s usually due to major system crashes. And usually these symptoms lead to a general conclusion that the phone doesn’t turn on.
The fact that these symptoms are attributed to software problems or hardware damage, new devices may also give into them. In case you will get to encounter this same trouble with your Apple iPhone XS handset, I’ve mapped out some suggested workarounds that are used to rule out system errors from the underlying cause. Read on to find out what to do when your iPhone XS suddenly gets stuck on blank or blank screen and refuses to power on.
Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit.
What to do with iPhone XS that shuts down on its own and won’t turn back on
Before you carry out any troubleshooting procedure, charge your iPhone XS. The most obvious possible reason as to why your iPhone doesn’t turn on is simply because it ran out power. And this also denotes that your phone needs charge. That being said, plug it into the charger and then let it charge for at least 30 minutes. That should be enough time for the phone to accumulate sufficient power to boot up. Just make sure it’s charging properly or else you will need to deal with no charging or intermittent charging first. If your phone managed to recharge, then perform these subsequent workarounds to rule out system errors that might have caused the phone to abruptly shut down.
First workaround: Force restart your iPhone XS.
To clear errant background apps and services that might have caused the phone system to suddenly crash, force restart your iPhone XS with these steps:
- 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 the Apple logo appears.
Performing a force restart also clears cached files from the phone memory and refreshes the operating system. Any personal data saved on the internal memory won’t be affected in the process, hence backing up of files wouldn’t be necessary.
Second workaround: View and manage battery usage for your apps.
Rapid battery draining issue on the phone can also be considered among the causing factors. When the battery drains, the iPhone shuts down and won’t turn on until it’s charged. To rule this out, viewing the phone’s battery usage information can help you obtain some clues on what’s could have caused your battery to drain so quickly. Here’s how to access this information.
- Go to your iPhone Settings-> Battery menu. Then scroll down to the Battery Usage section to view more details of the battery consumption for the Last 24 Hours or Last 10 Days.
To view which app is using how much of the phone’s total power in the specified period of time, select the desired tab then scroll down to the Activity By App section.
If you see any unusual power consumption by an app, try to manage that application. This app might have gone rogue and caused massive battery drain, thus the phone abruptly shuts down and unable to power on again unless it’s charged again.
Third workaround: Update phone software to the latest version available.
Keeping the device software up-to-date is also recommended to ensure optimal performance. It also helps keep bugs and malwares causing major system problems at bay. If your device has stable Internet connect and at least 50 percent battery life, then you can update its software in a few minutes via over-the-air. Here’s how to get started:
- Tap Settings from your Home screen.
- Select General.
- Tap Software Update.
If a new update is available, you will see an update notification containing the software version and other relevant information. Whenever you’re all set, select the option to Download and Install new update on your device. Simply follow the onscreen instructions to complete the entire update installation.
Installing all pending app updates can also help especially if the problem is attributed to outdated apps that have gone rogue or corrupted. To check for pending app updates on your iPhone XS, simply follow these steps:
- Tap App Store from the Home screen.
- Scroll down to and then tap the Updates tab to show the list of apps with pending updates.
- Tap the Update button next to the name of the app to update apps individually.
- Tap the Update All button on the upper-right to update all apps simultaneously.
Reboot your iPhone when the update is completely installed. Doing so will ensure all new system changes are properly applied and likewise to clear all junk files cached into the internal memory.
Fifth workaround: Reset and restore factory default settings on your iPhone XS.
If the problem recurs and persists after applying the previous workarounds, then you are most likely dealing with fatal system error, if not, hardware damage. To rule out fatal system errors, you may resort to a full system reset or master reset on your iPhone XS. This will erase everything from your phone system including complex system errors, bugs and malware that might have corrupted the phone’s battery or power system. While this method offers a higher chance of fixing complicated system problems, it affects saved information on the phone memory. To evade from permanent data loss, back up all your important files beforehand. Then follow these steps whenever you’re all set to reset your iPhone XS and restore its factory defaults:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down to and tap Reset.
- Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
- If prompted, enter your device passcode.
- Then tap the option to confirm full system reset.
You can also restore your iPhone XS to its factory defaults using iTunes on a computer.
Other possible solutions that can be deemed among the last options are recovery mode restore and DFU mode restore. These methods are usually applied when dealing with major system problems that could not be remedied even by a factory reset. Both these methods are carried out using iTunes.
Seek more help
You may have to escalate the problem to your carrier’s customer care to ask further assistance and recommendations. Let them know exactly of what happened or how your iPhone XS suddenly ended up refusing to power on.
Or you can just take your device straight to the nearest Apple-authorized service center in your place and ask an iPhone technician to run some thorough assessments to rule out any possible damaged component. If your phone is still covered by warranty, you should avail for warranty then, either for service or new unit replacement.
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