If you’re having trouble turning off your iPhone, there are a couple of ways to get around this problem. One way is to use the Assistive Touch feature on your device.
This will act as a virtual power switch that you can tap to turn off your phone. Another way is to perform a force restart.
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button
In addition to a screen and home button, your iPhone has a number of buttons. Some of these are volume buttons, which are used to control the volume of music, phone calls, or audio files. These buttons are located in the top left corner of your iPhone.
You can use the Sleep/Wake button to put your iPhone into sleep mode, which puts the display to sleep and saves battery power while you’re not using it. This can be helpful if you’re in a meeting or sleeping, as it will prevent your phone from ringing or buzzing while you’re not paying attention to it.
To put your iPhone to sleep, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until you see a Slide to Power Off slider appear on your screen. Then, drag the slider to turn off your device.
If your screen won’t shut off, try restarting the phone. A soft restart does not erase your data or settings, but a hard restart will reset everything.
For older devices such as the iPhone 5 and earlier, press and hold the Sleep/Wake or Side button until a Slide to Power Off slider appears on your screen. Then, drag the Slide to Power Off slider to turn off your iPhone.
Press and hold the Home button
If you’re unable to use your iPhone’s touchscreen or Home button, there are several ways to turn off the device. The first option is to press and hold the Sleep/Wake button at the top of your device.
The Sleep/Wake button does two things: it turns the iPhone on and off, and it also wakes it from sleep when you press and release it. You can also use this button to put the phone to sleep if you’re running low on battery power or just want to take a break from using it.
There’s also a hidden Magnifier tool in iOS that’s activated by pressing the Home button, which can help you read items that are hard to reach or see clearly. This function can be especially useful if you’re visually impaired or have trouble seeing things in the distance.
A common problem with the iPhone’s Home button is that it starts to become clogged with dirt and grime. This can cause it to stop working properly, so you might need to clean it up with a dry microfiber cloth or cotton bud and splash some isopropyl alcohol on it to get rid of the gunk.
If the problem persists, you might need to get your device repaired. Apple may be able to repair the Home button on your device, but that can be expensive.
Press and hold the Side button
If you’re using an iPhone without a Home button or screen, the Side button is your most important button. It allows you to turn on or off your phone, put it to sleep, use Siri, buy apps in the App Store and more.
To turn off your iPhone without a Home button or screen, press and hold the Side button and either the Volume Up or Down button simultaneously until a “slide to power off” bar appears on your screen. Then, slide the button to power off your iPhone and confirm it by letting go.
You can also use this method to restart your device, if it’s completely unresponsive and can’t be turned off by other means. This method is especially useful for cases where you’re using a hard case on your iPhone, as it won’t have any buttons to press and will automatically reboot your device.
In the event you’re out of battery life or unable to power down your phone, the Side button can also be used to trigger an emergency screen that lets others know you’re in danger. This screen includes a “slide to power off” slider, along with sliders for medical ID and SOS.
But if you want to avoid this, Apple provides an alternative option that lets you quickly force-restart your phone by pressing and holding the Side button and both Volume Up and Down buttons at once. This process requires a little patience, but it’s a quick way to get your phone working again.
When you’re using an iPhone with a screen, the Side button will usually display a virtual Home button in the upper-right corner of the screen, which you can use to access Settings, Siri and more. Alternatively, you can triple-click the Side button to activate Magnifier, Guided Access or AssistiveTouch.
Press and hold the Power button
If your iPhone screen has frozen or is broken, you may be unable to turn off the device. Fortunately, there are several ways to restart your device without needing to use a physical button.
One way is to press and hold the Side button (or Home button on some models) until it shows the Apple logo. Then, release the button and wait for the phone to turn on. This method works on the iPhone X, 8, 8 Plus, and other devices that don’t have a physical Home button.
Another way to restart a damaged or broken iPhone is to use an Assistive Touch feature that can be activated with Siri. This feature acts as a virtual power button, which you can tap to launch apps or perform other functions.
The Assistive Touch feature is available on most iPhones, including the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, and older models. To activate Assistive Touch, you can either ask Siri to activate it or manually toggle it on by tapping Settings > Assistive Touch.
You can also use the Power Off slider on your iPhone’s Settings menu to turn off your device. This slider is located in the General tab of the Settings menu, near Control Center.