If your iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo, don’t panic: your data is usually still there. This is a common problem — but if you try to fix it the wrong way, you could end up losing your data.
If the device is still stuck, avoid restoring it or resetting it to factory settings: that can erase the data. To recover it, see Bot’s smartphone and tablet recovery.
On top of that, while the fault persists, you won’t be able to use your iPhone at all.
The main ways to fix it are: force restarting the iPhone using the right method for your model, updating or restoring it with iTunes (or Finder on a Mac), or using third-party repair software.
In this article, we’ll go through each of these options in detail.
Why is my iPhone stuck on the Apple logo?
If your iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo, you’re probably wondering what caused it.
After all, if you know what caused the problem, you can stop it from happening again.
The most common causes are:
- Update problems: an iOS update can fail for several reasons, such as being interrupted, running out of storage space or installing a recent iOS version on an older device.
- A jailbreak attempt: whether you tried to jailbreak the iPhone yourself or had a technician do it, the phone may get stuck on the Apple logo afterwards.
- A failed restore: whatever the reason for restoring your iPhone, it may get stuck on the Apple logo if the restore through iTunes or iCloud goes wrong.
- Hardware damage: drops or contact with liquids can damage internal components and stop the iPhone from starting up.
How do I fix an iPhone stuck on the Apple logo?
The truth is that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. It depends on what caused your iPhone to freeze.
Below are some tips that can help bring your iPhone back to life if it’s stuck on the Apple logo:
Force restart your iPhone
It doesn’t always work, but a force restart is the safest first step: it doesn’t erase any data and often solves the problem.
The button combination depends on your iPhone model. Here’s how to do it on each one:
Force restart on iPhones with Face ID
- Press and quickly release the volume up button;
Press and quickly release the volume down button;
Then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears again.
Force restart on iPhone 8 and iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation)
- Press and quickly release the volume up button, then do the same with the volume down button;
- Then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears;
- Follow the steps in the right order: holding the side button together with a volume button can trigger Emergency SOS.
Force restart on iPhone 7
- Press and hold the side button and the volume down button at the same time;
- Keep holding both buttons until the screen goes dark and the Apple logo appears again, then release them.
Force restart on iPhone 6s and iPhone SE (1st generation)
- Press and hold the Home button and the side (or top) button at the same time;
- Keep holding while the screen goes dark and release both buttons when the Apple logo appears again.
During the restart, it’s normal for the screen to flicker before it turns off.
If all goes well, the iPhone will restart without getting stuck in a boot loop and start up normally.
This usually solves the problem, but not always. If the iPhone is still stuck on the Apple logo, try the force restart once more. If that doesn’t work and there is important data on the phone with no backup, stop here and contact a professional data recovery service. If there’s nothing important on it, move on to the next step.
Update or restore your iPhone with iTunes
Another way to get your iPhone past the Apple logo is to put it into recovery mode and update or restore it with iTunes (on Macs with macOS Catalina or later, use Finder).
Remember: the “Update” option tries to keep your data, but “Restore” erases the iPhone completely. If you don’t have a recent backup, or if something goes wrong, you could lose all your data for good.
With that in mind, here’s how to do it.
First, install the latest version of iTunes and connect the iPhone to your computer with a USB cable. Then, on iPhones with Face ID and from the iPhone 8 onwards, press and quickly release volume up, press and quickly release volume down, and press and hold the side button — keep holding it even when the Apple logo appears, until the recovery mode screen (a computer and a cable) is shown.
Once the iPhone is in recovery mode, follow these steps:
Open iTunes (or Finder) with the iPhone connected to your computer:
- A message saying “There is a problem with the iPhone ‘[device name]’ that requires it to be updated or restored” will appear. Choose “Update” first, which tries to reinstall iOS without erasing your data;
- iTunes will download the latest version of iOS and reinstall it on the iPhone, which fixes errors in the current system. Only choose “Restore” if the update fails and you accept that everything that isn’t backed up will be erased;
- When the process is complete, the iPhone should start up without getting stuck on the Apple logo.
If your iPhone still won’t start properly, try the next solution.
Fix an iPhone stuck on the Apple logo with repair software
Various problems can leave an iPhone stuck on the Apple logo. Usually, they involve iOS itself or the hardware.
If your iPhone hasn’t suffered any physical damage, such as a drop or contact with liquid, there’s a good chance the problem lies with iOS.
Finding and fixing iOS problems manually is complicated and can take a long time.
So, if the problem is with the system, you can use repair software to fix it.
1. Run Tenorshare ReiBoot on your computer
Tenorshare ReiBoot is one of the programs designed to fix iOS problems, but we don’t recommend it if you don’t have some technical knowledge.
First, download and install it on your computer. Then connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable.
When the program recognizes your iPhone, click “Start”.
2. Start the iOS repair
If your iPhone has been correctly identified, choose the standard repair option, which keeps your data (the deep repair erases the device), and click “Fix Now” to start.
3. Download the firmware package for your iPhone
Next, the program will ask you to download the firmware package for your device.
The program detects your iPhone model automatically — just click “Download” and it will download the latest firmware available for your device.
If you already have the firmware on your computer, click “Browse” to select it.
4. Fix the iPhone stuck on the Apple logo
Finally, with the firmware package downloaded, click “Repair Now” to start repairing iOS and get your iPhone working again.
5. Disconnect your iPhone from your computer
Wait for the whole process to finish — the program will tell you when it’s done — then disconnect your iPhone and check whether the problem has been fixed. If it hasn’t, and you have important data on the phone, contact a professional data recovery service.
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Conclusion
You can get your iPhone past the Apple logo by force restarting it, updating or restoring it with iTunes or Finder, or using repair software.
But remember that some of these procedures can erase your data.
If you lose your data while trying to get your iPhone past the Apple logo, it’s best to leave the recovery of your files to a professional data recovery company like ours.
Our standard diagnosis is free — even if your device has already been opened by another repair shop — and you’ll have an answer within 48 hours.
Click here to start your recovery with a team that has handled more than 200,000 cases.
