(Credit: A9 Studio / Shutterstock)
Chances are you prefer to keep your phone on all day, but sometimes it needs a full restart. There are many ways your phone could be acting up—maybe it's running slowly or is frozen—but knowing how to restart—or even shut off—your phone can help solve a number of problems.
Powering down a phone may sound easy and self-explanatory, but it's not as simple a process as it used to be. Now, phone makers want you to do more with the three or so physical buttons on your device. There are several different ways to go about it, depending on the model iPhone you own and the version of iOS it's running.
Turn Off Any iPhone Model
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)For years, a physical button was the only means to turn off your iPhone—until iOS 11. In 2017, Apple added the ability to power down your phone from settings. Head to Settings > General > Shut Down, then slide the button on the screen to turn off the device.
This may seem like an unnecessary option at first, but it is helpful if the physical button on the phone is not working or if you have mobility issues that prevent you from gripping the phone or holding down a physical button.
How to Turn Off an iPhone Running iOS 18
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)If you're running iOS 18, Apple has added a new way to power off an iPhone. You can now open the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen and tap the power button in the corner. This will bring up a screen with a slider at the top. Drag the slider over until your device turns off.
How to Turn Off an iPhone With Face ID
If you have an iPhone with Face ID—an iPhone X or later—the Side button is used to call up Siri, so you need to do a little extra work to turn off your phone. Hold down the Side button and either one of the Volume buttons for a few seconds. This will take you to the familiar Power Off screen, where you can move the slider to the right and shut off the device.
How to Turn Off an iPhone With a Home Button
If you need to power down an iPhone model that has a Home button—an iPhone 8 or earlier, or iPhone SE—hold down the power button for a few seconds until a message appears on the screen, then drag the slider. The location of the button you need to press varies depending on your model iPhone. It's on the top for the iPhone 5 and older, and on the side starting with the iPhone 6.
How to Force Restart an iPhone
Sometimes your phone stops working properly, and the only way to fix it is to reset things. However, if the screen is frozen, you won't be able to do anything without initiating a force reset. How you perform this action depends on your phone's OS:
iOS 16 or Later: If your phone is running iOS 16 or above, you need to quickly press and release the Volume Up button, quickly press and release the Volume Down button, then hold down the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
iOS 15 or Earlier: If you have a device incompatible with iOS 16—any model older than the iPhone 8—hold down both the Side button and the Volume Down button at the same time until you see the Apple logo. For an iPhone 6, 6s, or SE, press and hold the Home button and Sleep/Wake button.
