You can't turn off your iPhone without its screen, only force-restart. Now, the force-reboot process differs on the iPhone model. On newer models with Face ID, you just need to press and let go of the Volume Down and Volume Up buttons, then hold down the Power button until you see the Apple logo appear.
I've been an iOS user for as long as I can remember. So, I've dealt with my fair share of iPhone screens acting up. To get them up and running again, I always tried force-restarting. I've looked at how to turn off iPhone without screen and some additional information below.
- How Do You Turn Off iPhone Without Screen?
- How Do You Turn Off iPhone Without Using Buttons?
- Using Phone Settings
- Using Assistive Touch
- FAQ
- How Do I Fix an Unresponsive Screen?
- 1. Force Restart
- 2. Charge Handset
- 3. Enter Recovery Mode
- 4. Enter DFU Mode
- 5. Contact Apple
- Final Thoughts
How Do You Turn Off iPhone Without Screen?
As mentioned, you can't turn off your iPhone without its screen. You can only force restart (hard-reset). Force-restarting is like a regular reboot, except that it's more comprehensive. All the apps and processes running would be shut down abruptly. It's the best trick to try whenever you're dealing with isolated glitches.
There are many ways to do a force reboot. It all depends on your device model.
Here's what you do on iPhones with Face ID, as well as the 8 and SE 2nd gen:
- Press and hold the Volume Down button
- Press and hold the Volume Up button
- Keep holding the Side button for about 15 seconds
Here's what you do on the 7 and 7 plus:
- Press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons for about 15 seconds
Here's what you do on the 6S and earlier models:
- Long-press the Power and Home button at the same time for about 15 seconds
Once you've pressed down your button combo, your device will restart. The error causing your screen to malfunction should be gone.
How Do You Turn Off iPhone Without Using Buttons?
Let's discuss how to turn your device off without buttons as well. As you can imagine, you will need your screen.
There are 2 different ways to do this.
Using Phone Settings
Here's what you do:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap on General
- Scroll down until you find the Shut Down option
- Wait for the screen Power slider to appear
- Slide it to switch your iPhone off
Using Assistive Touch
This would act as a virtual power switch that you can tap. However, keep in mind that you will first have to enable the Assistive Touch feature.
Here's how you do this:
- Go to Settings app, then General
- Click on Accessibilty menu button
- Tap on Assistive Touch to active it
Here's how you use the virtual power button to switch your device off:
- Click on the virtual button on your home screen
- Tap the Device section from the Assistive touch menu
- Press and hold the Lock Screen icon
- Swipe the power off slider that appears (from left to right)
Related Reading
- How to Fix Stuck and Dead Pixel on iPhone and iPad
FAQ
Answered below are some popular questions.
How Do I Fix an Unresponsive Screen?
You're probably wondering how to turn off your iPhone without screen if the screen frozen. Well, there are a couple of tricks that can help fix this.
1. Force Restart
Whenever you're dealing with a frozen iPhone, the first thing you should try is a force restart. As mentioned earlier, this would shut down all the apps and processes running. If you're dealing with an error or glitch, this will help.
Keep in mind that the force reboot process differs depending on your iPhone model.
2. Charge Handset
Although you assume the issue is due to a stubborn software or hardware problem, it might actually be because your iPhone battery is low. Put your phone to charge for around half an hour and try again.
3. Enter Recovery Mode
If you're still having no luck, try entering recovery mode. It's like factory-resetting but more comprehensive. Just keep in mind that exiting recovery mode midway can cause errors.
Here's what you do:
- Open the latest iTunes version on your computer
- Plug your phone to your computer's USB port
- Close all the other programs that are running. They can interrupt the recovery process
- You will have to press a combination of buttons.
- iPhones with Face ID: Hold the Volume Up button, then do the same for the Volume button. Keep holding your phone's power button until you see the recovery logo pop up, then release it
- SE (2nd generation) and 8: Hold the Volume Up button for a few seconds, then do the same for the Volume button. Keep holding the power button until you see the recovery logo pop up, then release it
- 7 and 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Volume down and Sleep wake button until you see the recovery screen
- 6S, SE (2nd gen) and earlier models: Press both the Home and Sleep Wake button until you see the recovery display.
4. Enter DFU Mode
Entering DFU mode is more comprehensive than a recovery restoration. It might be the way to go if your device is still frozen. However, don't try it if you've jailbroken before as you could run into errors.
Here's what you do:
- Launch the latest version of iTunes on your computer
- Plug your phone to your computer
- Click the following
buttons:
- iPhones with Face ID: Hold down the Side button for around 5 seconds, then place your finger on the Volume Down button at the same time. Keep holding them for around 10 seconds. Finally release the Side button but continue to hold the Volume Down button for a couple more seconds. Your iPhone screen will turn black if you were successful.
- 8 and SE (second generation): Hold down the Side button for around 5 seconds, then press the Volume Down button. Keep holding them for around 10 seconds. Finally, release the Side button but hold the Volume Down button for a couple more seconds. A black screen will appear if you were successful.
- 7 and 7 Plus: Press down the Sleep-wake button, then the Home button for 10 seconds. A black screen will appear if you were successful.
- 6S, SE (first-generation) and earlier models: Press and hold the Sleep-wake button for a couple of seconds, then hold the Home button at the same time. Let go of the Sleep-wake button but keep pressing the Home button for around 5 more seconds. Your iPhone's screen will turn black if you were successful.
5. Contact Apple
If none of the above fixes worked, you can try contacting Apple. Depending on your warranty, you should can the issue you're dealing with fixed for free.
Related Reading
- Fixing iPhone 13 Black Screen of Death (A Detailed Guide)
- iPhone 12 Touch Screen Not Working? Here's the Real Fix
Final Thoughts
It's not possible to turn off your iPhone without its touch screen. You will only be able to force-restart, which is similar to regular rebooting. Now, the force reboot process differs depending on your iPhone device. On newer releases with Face ID, you need to long-press the Volume buttons, and then the lock screen button for a few seconds until the Apple logo appears.