iPhone won't turn on or has a black screen
Distinguish no activity, sounds with a black screen, a repeating logo and low battery. Use your model’s restart procedure and the charging path that matches its result, without looping attempts.
Try this first
1 quick checks · ~3 min
Find your situation
See all the clues. Choose the one that matches what you observe.
No signs of activity
Black screen and no observable response: try the model-specific restart, then the charging path.
Sounds or vibrates, but no image
It is partly operating; do not treat it only as an empty battery or conclude the display is broken.
Shows the logo or restarts again
Startup activity is present. If it cannot progress, do not keep forcing restarts or erase it blindly.
Low-battery symbol appears
The screen can show a charging state: check accessories and follow the 30-minute branch.
Diagnostic signals
- ObservationCalls, sounds or vibration with a black screen
- This points toward a display or startup-presentation problem rather than total lack of power, without identifying a component or cause.
Step-by-step solutions
Observe how the iPhone responds
Without repeatedly pressing buttons, check for a logo, low-battery symbol, sound or vibration. If you already noticed incoming calls with a black screen, it is partly operating: an entirely empty battery becomes a less useful explanation. No sound does not prove lack of power either; the phone may be silenced.
Do not continue charging through a liquid alert, damaged accessories or abnormal heat; address that condition first. For missing image without those signs, follow the model-specific restart. If a low-battery symbol is already visible, go directly to its charging branch.
Record a logo that repeatedly appears and disappears. A visible logo does not mean startup has completed; failure to progress after the indicated attempt calls for startup assistance rather than repeated restarts.
Advanced checks
Continue if the earlier steps did not help. Read each procedure’s precautions first.
Force restart using the correct model procedure
For iPhone 8 or later, including second- or third-generation iPhone SE: quickly press and release volume up, then volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. This can take longer than 10 seconds.
For iPhone 7/7 Plus, hold side and volume down together until the logo. For iPhone 6s, first-generation SE or earlier, hold Home and the side or top button until the logo. Do not mix combinations for different models.
If the screen returns and startup completes, unlock with your passcode and protect important data. If the logo stays stuck or startup repeats, stop looping attempts and contact Apple. If it still will not turn on, follow the one-hour charging branch. Report continuing sounds with no image separately; that does not prove a broken display.
Choose charging based on the previous result
If the restart did not turn it on and there are no charging warning signs, connect compatible power with an undamaged cable and adapter for one hour, then retry your model’s restart once.
If a low-battery symbol appears, check the cable, adapter, outlet and connections without forcing the port. Apple specifies 30 minutes of charging or until startup for that state. Do not keep testing damaged accessories or charge through a liquid alert.
If it starts, protect your data and observe recurrence before changing more settings. If it does not start after this sequence, or still makes sounds without an image, seek service. Describe its response: replacing parts based only on a black screen is not a diagnosis.
Still not working?
If startup fails after the sequence or activity continues without an image, contact Apple with the model, observed signs and restart/charging results. Ask to preserve data before authorizing a restore. Use the liquid guide only for that alert.
Sources
Documentation behind this guide. Editorial recommendations are identified separately.
- Apple SupportOfficialIf your iPhone will not turn on or the screen is black
- Apple SupportOfficialForce restart iPhone
Source review: . A documentation review, not a physical hardware test.