How to Force Restart the iPhone X
When your iPhone won’t wake from sleep, stops responding, or freezes while running an app, one potential remedy is to perform a force restart. Similar to holding down the power button on your Mac or PC, a force restart bypasses the normal software-based power options as a last resort when the iOS interface is not responding.
If you have the new iPhone X, its lack of a home button means that the process to force restart the device is a bit different from previous methods. First, however, it’s always a good idea to check your iPhone’s battery life if the screen is off and not responding. If there’s sufficient battery life remaining, the device will display a depleted battery icon when attempting a force restart.
Once you’ve determined that the problem is not the battery, here are the steps to perform a force restart on the iPhone X:
- Press the Volume Up button (on the left side of the device) and quickly let go.
- Press the Volume Down button (on the left side of the device) and quickly let go.
- Hold down the Side Button (on the right side of the device).
You should eventually see the Apple logo appear if you’ve done everything correctly, and that’s when you can let go of the Side button. Afterward, your device should restart as normal, and if all goes well, the behavior you were seeing will have corrected itself. If not, though, you may have to follow the other troubleshooting steps Apple suggests on its support pages or take your iPhone in to the Genius Bar for a diagnostic.
Oh, and one more thing: If you’ve got an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus, the steps above are exactly the same to force restart those devices. For the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, you’ll hold down the Volume Down and Side buttons until you see the Apple logo, and for the iPhone 6 and all other models of iPhone, it’ll be the Home button along with the Top or Side button, depending on the device. But then hopefully all your troubles will disappear! Well, your iPhone-related ones, anyhow. This can’t help you with death or taxes, unfortunately.