Have you been looking for ways to force restart iPhone XS, XS Max or the XR when it hangs? This is for you. Most smartphones are quite reliable these days with the improvement in operating system and hardware compatibility, iPhones particularly are notorious for their reliability [cough until a new iPhone is coming out cough], they are so reliable that it is easy to take for granted how reliable iPhones generally are, so much that one can be forgiven for getting panic attacks at a rare event of one’s iPhone freezing up, perhaps due to a bad update or a buggy app.
So, even though it isn’t a knowledge that will be constantly applied, knowing the basics of troubleshooting an iPhone is a handy skill to have, like knowing how to shoot a gun. Knowing how to force restart iPhone XS, XS Max or the iPhone XR is still a useful skill to learn and is usually the first tactic to employ when your phone freezes up.
In a few ways, knowing how to perform a force restart can be a necessary tool to have in your tech savviness box, especially when new devices are involved, like in this case, Apple’s latest flagships, seeing as they utilize the highly advanced but unproved A12 processor that’s based off 7nm architecture.
See also: iPhone XR, XS & iPhone XS Max Tips and Tricks and Fast Hacks
Basically, what we are saying is, these are new phones with new technology inside them. Knowing how to give it the technological slap in the brain to bring it back to its senses is a valuable skill to have, so your base is covered against any hardware or software related hiccup.
Shutting Down the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR
Shutting Down the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR
Unless you are moving to an iPhone XS, XS Max or XR from iPhone X where the process is the same, you might find it is tricky to just simply shut down the device. To shut down the device, you either have to
open your iPhone’s Settings app and hit the Shut down button or
press the side button and at the same time as either the volume up or down button
Force Restart iPhone XS, XS Max, or XR
Force-restarting (also called hard reboot) in the latest iPhones is similar to how you would force-restart in older iPhone models. So how do you force restart iPhone XS, XS Max, or XR? Well, as we mentioned earlier, it is the same process as on the iPhone X.
Must Read: How to Show Battery Percentage on iPhone XS Max, XS and XR
Quickly press and release the Volume Up button, then do the same for the Volume Down button. Up next, press and hold the side button for about 10 seconds or until the display abruptly shuts off. Keep the side button pressed and only let go once your iPhone powers back onto its Apple boot screen. If you prefer to read this in list form, the process is:
Press Volume Up button
Press Volume Down button
Press and Hold Side button for about 10 seconds
Release Side button when you see the Apple boot screen.
When you’ve successfully performed a hard reboot, your iPhone will boot normally, and leave all your information intact. You don’t have to worry this will wipe off your data. It is protected.
Related: How to Activate Siri on iPhone XS Max, XS and XR
If you are curious, you can now further troubleshoot your iPhone and figure out by tracing your steps what caused your phone to freeze up or malfunction. It could be a glitch in the OS or a rogue app installed on the phone. A glitch in the OS might necessitate an update or a software restore through iTunes.
It is a simple process that is sure to keep you and your phone from the hands of malicious engineers.
Good luck.
