How to: Rescue a bricked iOS device

David Price reveals how to get your device up and running again

If you’re iOS device refuses to turn on don’t despair. There’s a good chance that it is still fundamentally functional, but you just need to use some gentle persuasion to wake it up. In any case, there are several steps you can take to resolve the issue, and we’ll work our way through those steps here.

As a note: this is a guide to mysterious situations where an iOS device refuses to turn on as a result of problems unknown. If you’re pretty sure what the matter is – if your device has fallen into water or overheated, for example, and no longer works – then we would recommend contacting Apple or visiting your local authorized Apple store.

1. Out of power

Basics first. Let’s see if your device has simply run out of battery power. To ensure you’ve got enough power to switch on your iOS device, plug it into a wall charger and give it at least ten minutes to charge, before attempting to turn it on.

Bear in mind that there could be a problem with the wall charger or the cable, so if charging isn’t doing the trick you should try the same routine with a different plug, and with a borrowed or spare cable. (If there’s nobody you can get a cable from, you could pop into an Apple store, or buy a new Lightning cable.)

If you’ve given your iPhone or iPad a decent charge using multiple plugs and cables but it still fails to display anything, you’re probably looking at a hardware problem such as a degraded lithium battery. We would suggest going into an Apple store or contacting Apple.

If on the other your device now switches on but doesn’t get past the Apple boot logo, follow the steps below.

2. Soft reset

“Have you tried switching it off and on again?” might be a hackneyed phrase, but this principle is the default

go-to for those stuck in a boot loop. A ‘soft’ reset is often enough to fix a bricked device. To perform a simple reset, hold the power and home buttons simultaneously until you see the Apple logo – this should take roughly five- to 15 seconds.

Now give the device a few minutes to switch on, then try using it normally. (To eliminate any batteryrelated problems, it’s a good idea to perform the reset while the device is plugged into a power source.)

If your device switches on, but then instantly switches off or refuses to get past the Apple logo after 10 minutes, then you might need to restore it. See the next step to see how to perform a reset.

3. Restore

If your iPhone turns on, but is having a lot of problems with iOS, you might need to restore it.