When an iPhone shows the Apple logo, disappears and shows it again, it is stuck in what is often called a boot loop. It usually means the phone cannot finish starting up. The cause might be an interrupted update, full storage, or a hardware fault such as a failing battery or board component.
Step one: force restart
On recent iPhones, press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then press and hold the side button until the screen goes black and the Apple logo appears again. This clears a lot of temporary faults.
Step two: recovery mode
Connect the iPhone to a computer with Finder or the Apple Devices app and put it into recovery mode. Choose Update first, which tries to reinstall iOS without erasing your data. Restore will erase the phone, so only use it if you have a backup or the data is not needed.
Signs it is hardware
- The loop started after a drop or liquid contact
- The phone loops even while connected to a computer
- Recovery mode fails with an error partway through
- The phone gets hot or the battery drains while looping
If the software steps do not work, bring it in. We can often recover a looping phone without losing data, and we will tell you the likely cost before we start.
