FAST FIXES FOR iPHONE
Screen, battery and connection problems made simple
51 iPhone has a black or frozen screen
On iPhone 8 and later, hard reset by pressing and quickly releasing the volume up button, then the volume down button, and finally press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen. If that doesn’t happen, put it on charge for 30 minutes and try again. If the Apple logo freezes, or you see a red or blue screen, connect it to your Mac or iTunes on a PC and hard reset to enter Recovery to update it.
52 Can’t remember iPhone passcode
In iOS 15.2 or later, connected to cellular or Wi-Fi network, knowing the Apple ID and password used to set it up, reset it from the lock screen. Guess passwords until it enters Security Lockout and offers Erase iPhone below. Tap to erase, confirm, and enter your Apple ID password. Your iPhone then erases and tells you how to set it up and restore from a backup.
53 Touch screen isn’t working
Shut it down and start it up again. If the touch screen isn’t responding at all, you can’t do that, so perform a hard reset as in 51. Remove any case and screen protector. Disconnect peripherals or accessories; if that fixes it, use a different cable or connection instead. If it’s still not working, arrange for hardware diagnostics.
54 My iPhone shuts down unexpectedly
This is most likely when battery performance is falling, with a combination of low battery charge, old age and cold. Warm it up and keep it charged as much as you can. For most, tap Settings > Battery > Battery Health for a summary. Falling maximum capacity and reduced peak performance indicate battery replacement is getting closer.
55 Reset your AirPods
Reset your AirPods or AirPods Pro when they’re in their charging case. Close the lid and wait 30 seconds, open it, and on your device tap Settings > Bluetooth > [AirPods] > More Info, then Forget This Device. With the lid of the case still open press and hold the setup button on its back for about 15 seconds until the light flashes white. To reconnect them, with the lid of their case still open, hold the case next to the device and follow the steps on its screen.
56 Battery draining too fast
This can occur after an iOS update. Shut it down, wait 30 seconds, and start it up again. Tap Settings > Battery for a list of battery usage by app. Heavy users will use less when Background App Refresh and Mobile Data are disabled. Consider turning on Airplane Mode when you’re in low or absent signal areas.
57 Failed or dropped calls
Open Settings and tap General > About. If a network update is available, you’ll be prompted to install it. If there’s none, check the Network Provider entry. Contact your provider to confirm those are current. Update to the
latest iOS. Turn Airplane Mode on, wait 15 seconds, and then turn it off again. Check that Do Not Disturb, blocked numbers, Call Forwarding in Settings > Phone, and ensure Silence Unknown Callers are all turned off.
58 Excessive mobile data use
Tap Settings > Safari and disable Preload Top Hit. Then work on individual apps in Settings > Mobile Data. If Personal Hotspot is high, stop others from joining it. Block data access to apps which are heavy users, and in Mobile Data Options enable Low Data Mode.
59 Wobbly Wi-Fi connection
Turn Airplane Mode on, wait 15 seconds, and turn it off. Check for signal strength and dropouts in the free AirPort Utility app. First tap Settings > AirPort Utility and enable its Wi-Fi Scanner. In the app tap Wi-Fi Scan at the top right, and Scan to see all available networks. Remember to turn the scanner off again in Settings. Reset settings by tapping Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
60 Bluetooth is unreliable
Install George Garside’s BT Inspector to scan for and interrogate nearby devices.
Once interrogated, this gives signal strength and details of all services available. This also helps fix problems with Handoff and Continuity, and can even find a lost Apple Pencil if you wish.
61-65 Apple Watch status 61 Blue droplet
The Water Lock is on – turn the Digital Crown to unlock.
62 Green lightning bolt
Charging correctly.
63 Red lightning bolt
Needs charging for at least 30 minutes.
64 Red iPhone or X
Not connected to iPhone. Ensure it’s not in Airplane Mode and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on. Restart Watch and iPhone, unpair them and pair again.
65 Red exclamation mark after software update
Try a force-restart by pressing and holding both the side button and the Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds.
You can find a full list of status icons at apple.co/3sOyBo3.
66 An app crashes or won’t work
If the app’s still open, force it to quit by swiping up (or double-pressing the Home button), then dragging its app card to the top. Shut your iPhone down, wait a few seconds and start it up. Check for app updates in the App Store. Offload the app, without deleting its data: tap Settings > General > iPhone Storage > app name > Offload App. A minute later tap Reinstall App. If you can lose all its data, delete it by touching and holding its icon, selecting Remove App, then install it again from the App Store Purchased list.
67 Restore Safari’s interface
iOS 15 moves the Address Bar to the foot of the screen. There are two ways to restore it to the top. Open a website and tap ‘aA’ at the left end of the Address Bar, then tap Show Top Address Bar in the pop-up menu. Alternatively tap Settings > Safari and scroll down to the Tabs section where you can opt for Single Tab with additional options available.