Fix iPhone or iPad Frozen or Locked Up Screen

If your Apple iPhone or iPad screen is frozen or locked up, it’s not fun. Normally you can simply pull a battery from a device if it locks up. Apple devices don’t have a removable battery though. Instead, you’ll have to try these options.

When facing a frozen iPhone or iPad problem, you could see the following symptoms:

• The device screen is just black; no response from any touch or button presses whatsoever
• iPhone/iPad stuck on the lock screen; it isn’t accepting the password (you know it’s the correct one!) or not showing an option to punch in the password
• The device is on its Home Screen and not responsive to any touch or button commands
• iPhone/iPad stuck when using an app or connected third-party accessories via Lightning or USB-C cables

If the root cause is third-party accessories, then removing the connected cables should fix the problem. When the problem is severe, you need to try any of the following fixes:

How to Fix iPhone or iPad Frozen Screen

Find below the proven methods that help you get your iPhone or iPad to its normal status from a frozen screen on an app, Home Screen, or black screen:

1. Power Off and Power On iPhone or iPad

First off, try to Force Quit the apps by accessing the App Switcher screen. You can swipe up from the bezel of the device to the middle of the screen to enter App Switcher mode. Tap on an app and swipe up. Repeat this for all apps and see if the device recovers from its stuck mode.

If a force quit doesn’t work, turn the iPhone off and turn it on again. To do this follow these steps:

iPhone/iPad With Face ID or Touch ID or Both

• Tap and hold the side button (top button for iPad) and any of the volume buttons until you the Slide to power off slider.
• Slide the button from left to right to power off the device.

iPhone/iPad With a Home Button

• Tap and hold the side button (top button on an iPad) until you see the Slide to power off button on the screen.
• Slide it to shut down the device.

Once you switched off the device, let it cool off for a few minutes. Now, long press the side button (top button for an iPad) until you see the Apple logo and a loading screen.

2. Force Restart iPhone or iPad

If all of the above didn’t do the trick, force a restart. Forcing a restart won’t delete data from the device. Now, the steps to force a restart vary with the iPhone or iPad model. Follow the steps below that matches your device model:

iPhone/iPad That Supports iOS 16:

• Press and release the volume up button quickly.
• Do the same for the volume down button.
• Tap and hold the Power, Sleep/Wake, side button, or top Touch ID until you see the Apple logo with a loading bar.
• Release the button and wait for the device to fix itself.

Also read: Should I Update My iPad to iOS 16?

iPhone 7

• Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake +Volume Down button for at least ten seconds.
• When you see the Apple logo and a loading screen, let go of all the buttons.
• Be patient until the device reboots to the Home Screen.

iPhone 6 and Earlier

• Locate the Sleep/Wake button on your iPhone.
• It should be on the right side or on the top of the device.
• Simultaneously, press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons.
• When the screen lights up, the Apple logo appears, and a white progress bar is loading, let go of these buttons.
• Wait for the device to go to the Home Screen.

iPads With a Home Button

• Press and hold the Home button and the top button simultaneously.
• As soon as you see the Apple logo, let go of these buttons.
• The device will automatically fix software issues and go to the Home Screen.

How to Fix iPhone or iPad Locked Screen

Suppose, the iPhone or iPad won’t accept the password or is simply locked out due to multiple wrong password entries, in those cases, follow these troubleshooting ideas:

Also read: Learn How to Unlock iPad Without Password

1. Erase iPhone/iPad From Lock Screen

When the lock screen shows Erase iPhone or iPad and the button responds to touch, try these steps. Doing this will remove Apple ID and delete all data from the device.

• Tap the Erase iPhone/iPad prompt two times.
• The device will now ask you to enter the Apple ID password. It’s the same Apple ID that you used to register the device with Apple.
• Enter the password to authenticate the erase device action.
• Your iPhone/iPad will sign you out of your Apple ID.
• Again, you need to tap another device erase prompt on the screen.
• The device will reboot and come to the device set-up wizard screen.
• Use your Apple ID and password to log in to the device.
• During the initial setup process, iOS will ask you if you’d like to restore data from iCloud.
• Tap Yes to restore backed-up data from iCloud.

2. Erase iPhone/iPad From Find My

If you know the Apple ID used to set up the iPhone/iPad and you previously activated Find My on the device, you can remotely erase the device from the Find My portal. Here’s how it’s done:

• Log in to Find My using your Apple ID on a Windows PC, Mac, or iPhone/iPad.
• Select the All Devices link at the top of the web page.
• Provided that you logged in using the right Apple ID, you’ll see all the linked Apple devices.
• Carefully choose the device you need to erase remotely.
• Click Erase iPhone/iPad option.
• Authenticate again using the Apple ID password, if asked.

• Click Erase on the Erase this iPhone pop-up confirmation.
• You’ll see that the iPhone or iPad stuck on the locked screen restarted and showing the Apple logo.
• Wait for the device to go to the setup screen.
• Don’t forget to restore data from iCloud during the device setup process.

3. Restore iPhone/iPad Using Mac or Windows PC

Whether your iPhone or iPad is frozen or stuck on the lock screen, this is the ultimate solution. By using iTunes, you can recover the device from severe software failure. Here’s how it’s done:

Power Off the Device

If you’re resolving lock screen issues, shut down the device by following the appropriate steps mentioned earlier. On the other hand, if the device is frozen in a black screen or gets stuck after the Apple logo loading screen, just connect the device to a Mac using a Lightning cable (iPhone) or USB-C cable (iPad).

For Windows PC, you must install the iTunes app from Microsoft Store and set up the software using your Apple ID before doing the above.

Perform a Recovery or Restore

This process deletes all data from the device. You must restore data from iCloud backup.

• Confirm that the device is connected to the Mac or Windows PC.
• For the latest iPhones and iPads, quickly tap the volume up and volume down buttons. Then keep pressing the side button or top button until the recovery mode screen shows up.
• The recover mode screen shows a laptop and the Lightning/USB-C cable icons.

• The step to access the recovery screen on iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is to press and hold the side button and volume down button simultaneously.
• For dated iPhones and iPads, tap and hold the top/side button along with the home button until the recovery screen shows up.
• Now, open Finder or iTunes app.

• Select the frozen or stuck on the lock screen device and click the Restore button.

Also read: iPad Keeps Shutting Down: Best Fixes

FAQs

My iPhone/iPad won’t turn on. What do I do?

Ensure your device is plugged into the wall using the adapter and cable so that you get the most charge going. Wait about 10 minutes, then try the steps above.

How do you fix an iPhone screen that is not responding?

If none of the following troubleshooting works, you need to contact Apple Support or take the device to the nearest Apple Store:

• Remove all accessories to protect the device surface like screen protectors, smartphone cases, etc.
• Ensure there’s no water, liquid splashes, or debris on the iPhone screen. If there are smudges, wipe clean the screen using a soft wet cloth.
• Unplug all USB-C or Lightning cables and accessories connected to the iPhone through such cables.
• Powercycle or force restart your iPhone. Refer to the steps mentioned above in this article.

Why is my iPhone frozen and not responding?

There could be many reasons for a not responding or frozen iPhone. The most frequent ones are as outlined here:

• An update installation went wrong due to a corrupt update file.
• There isn’t any internal storage left on the iPhone.
• The touchscreen is broken.
• Hardware and other software issues that require Apple authorized service technicians’ attention.

Will I lose data if I force restart my iPhone?

You won’t lose any permanent data on your iPhone if you force restart the device. If you were working on an app and you had to force restart before you could wrap up, you might lose unsaved data from the app.

Conclusion

Now you know how to bring your iPhone or iPad to its normal state when it’s not responding, the screen is frozen, or stuck on the lock screen. You can give any or all of the above methods a try to check if you can fix the iPhone or iPad’s frozen or locked screen before contacting Apple. When none of the above methods work, contact Apple Support for further troubleshooting. You can also take your iPhone or iPad to an Apple Store or an Apple-authorized service center.

Don’t forget to comment below if you know any other methods to fix frozen or locked-up iPhones and iPads. Do share this article on your social media accounts to help your friends, followers, fans, and colleagues with a similar issue.

Next up, How to Update iPhone Without Wi-Fi.