Why won't my iPhone turn on, and what can I try before paying anyone? A black screen has a short list of causes, so check them in order when your iPhone wont turn on. Allentown, PA owners usually find the cause is a drained battery, a charging port packed with lint, a frozen system that a force restart clears, or a part that has actually failed. You can test the first three at home with a wall charger and about an hour of waiting. Work through the steps below in order, with charging first, because it rules out the cheapest cause. If the screen is still black after a clean charge and a proper force restart, stop and bring the phone to CPR Cell Phone Repair on Mill Creek Rd.
The kit and the one thing that ruins it
You need a wall adapter, a cable you trust, a flashlight, and a wooden toothpick. That is the whole kit.
The thing that quietly ruins this whole routine is a bad power source. A frayed cable or a weak power bank can look like it is charging while it pushes almost nothing into the phone, so an hour passes and you learn nothing. Use a wall outlet. Use the cable that came with a phone that works.
Know your model too, because the force restart is different on an iPhone 7, an iPhone 6s and an iPhone 8 or newer. Cold matters in Pennsylvania winters. A phone left in a cold car can shut itself off and refuse to start, so bring it inside and let it warm up before you plug it in.
Seven steps for an iPhone that shows nothing
- Plug it into a wall outlet and leave it alone for up to an hour, since a battery that ran all the way down needs time before the screen will react.
- Swap the cable and the adapter for a second set if you have one, because a dead cable is the most common thing people blame on the phone.
- Shine a flashlight into the charging port. Lint packs in from pockets and bags, and it stops the plug from seating all the way. Scrape it out gently with a wooden toothpick, never metal.
- Force restart while it is still plugged in. On an iPhone 8 or newer, press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the side button.
- Keep holding that side button after the screen goes black. Let go only when the Apple logo shows up.
- Watch the screen for any sign of life: the logo, a charging icon, a vibration, or a picture of a cable pointing at a computer.
- If you see that cable picture, the phone is in recovery mode. Connect it to a computer and pick Update, not Restore, because Restore erases what is on the phone.
On an iPhone 7, hold volume down and the side button together instead. On an iPhone 6s or the first iPhone SE, hold the Home button and the top or side button together.
Where people lose the force restart
Almost everyone lets go of the side button too soon.
During a force restart the screen goes black first, and it feels like nothing worked, so people release the button and try again. That resets the clock every time. Keep your thumb on it until the Apple logo appears. It takes around ten seconds, which feels long when you are standing there with a dead phone.
You will know you did it right when the logo shows. If you got that far and the phone still will not finish starting, the problem is probably not the button sequence anymore.
The second mistake is hitting Restore in recovery mode. Update keeps your photos and messages. Restore wipes them. If you are unsure, choose Update and see what happens.
If you would rather have someone watch the process once, here is how a repair works at our stores.
Time per part: mostly waiting
Most of the time is waiting. The work itself is a few minutes.
| Part | Time | What you are looking for |
|---|---|---|
| Charging on a wall outlet | Up to an hour | A charging icon or the Apple logo |
| Swapping the cable and adapter | A couple of minutes | Any change at all after the swap |
| Checking and cleaning the port | A few minutes | Lint that the plug was sitting on |
| Force restart | About ten seconds of holding | The Apple logo |
| Recovery mode with a computer | Varies with your computer and connection | The Update option on screen |
Plan on a bit over an hour if the battery was fully drained. Plan on much less if the culprit was lint or a frozen screen.
When it is time to hand it over
Stop at home if the phone gets hot while it is plugged in. Stop if the screen is lifting off the body, which can mean a swollen battery. Stop if it went in water or took a hard fall before it died.
Also stop when you have done a full hour of charging on a good cable and a correct force restart and you still get nothing. At that point the likely suspects are the battery, the charging port or something on the board, and none of those are a home fix. A tech can tell which one it is quickly by testing, instead of guessing at parts.
What moves the price is the model and which part failed. A battery or a port is a different job from a board problem, and a newer iPhone costs more to fix than an older one. That is why we put an iPhone repair page up where you can pick your model first.
On an older phone, ask whether the fix makes sense at all. Our post on whether an old phone is worth repairing walks through that call, and the steps for an iPhone upgrade in Allentown are there if the answer is no.
What it looks like at the Allentown counter
The Allentown store is CPR Cell Phone Repair at 1091 Mill Creek Rd, Suite 7A, and the phone number is (610) 969-6769. Wireless Kinect covers the cell phone repair there along with tablets and computers.
Walk in with the phone and the cable you were using. Tell the tech what you already tried, including the force restart and how long it charged. That saves everyone from repeating the free tests, and it shows whether the cable was the problem.
Get the quote on the website first if you want a feel for the job before you leave the house. You pick the brand and the model, and the quote comes back for that phone.
If the phone is the only copy of your photos, say that up front. It changes which repair makes sense.
The store has its own page with the address and hours, and you can start there when you are ready to drive over. The CPR Cell Phone Repair page for Allentown has the details.
FAQ: iPhone that will not turn on
What should I do if my iPhone refuses to turn on?
Charge it on a wall outlet with a cable you trust for up to an hour, then force restart it. If the screen stays black, bring it in.
Why isn't my iPhone turning on all of a sudden?
Usually a drained battery, a charging port packed with lint, or a frozen system. A hard drop or water can also do it.
How do I force my dead iPhone to turn on?
On an iPhone 8 or newer, press volume up, then volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. Older models use a different button combination.
How do I fix a black screen on my iPhone?
If the phone vibrates or makes sound but the display stays dark, the screen itself may be the part that failed. Try the force restart first, then have a tech look at it.
Will I lose my photos if the iPhone will not turn on?
Not from charging or a force restart. Only Restore in recovery mode erases the phone, so choose Update.
Can water damage make an iPhone not turn on?
Yes. If the phone got wet, do not charge it, and bring it in. Charging a wet phone can make the damage worse.
Can cold weather stop an iPhone from turning on?
Yes. A phone left out in the cold can shut itself off. Bring it somewhere warm, wait, then charge it.
Is it worth repairing an older iPhone that will not turn on?
Sometimes. It depends on the model and which part failed, so check the quote against what you would pay for a replacement phone.
Ask for a quote on your iPhone
If your iPhone still will not turn on in Allentown after these steps, get an instant repair quote for your model, or call the store at (610) 969-6769.