iPhone Issues

Our first category of troubleshooting techniques applies to an iPhone that’s frozen or otherwise acting up. The recommended procedure when this happens is to perform the seven Rs in sequence:

Recharge your iPhone

Restart your iPhone

Reset your iPhone

Remove content from your iPhone

Reset your iPhone’s settings and content

Restore your iPhone

Renew your iPhone in Recovery mode

If your iPhone acts up on you — if it freezes, doesn’t wake up from sleep, doesn’t do something it used to do, or in any other way acts improperly — don’t panic. This section describes the things you should try, in the order that we (and Apple) recommend.

If the first technique doesn’t do the trick, go on to the second. If the second one doesn’t work, try the third. And so on.

But first . . .

But before you even start those procedures, Apple recommends you take these steps:

1. Verify that you have the current version of iTunes installed on your Mac or PC.

You can always download the latest and greatest version here at www.apple.com/itunes/download .

2. Verify that you’re connecting your iPhone to your computer using a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port.

If you encounter difficulties at this point, we implore you to read the paragraph in the next section that begins with this:

“Don’t plug the iPhone’s Lightning connector cable (iPhone 5) or dock connector–to–USB cable (earlier models) into a USB port on your keyboard, monitor, or an unpowered USB hub.”

3. Make sure that your iPhone software is up-to-date.

To check your iPhone software by using iTunes on your Mac or PC:

a. Connect your iPhone to your computer, launch iTunes (if necessary), and then click your iPhone in the iTunes sidebar.

b. Click the Summary tab, and then click the Check for Update button.

To check your iPhone software by using your iPhone:

a. Tap Settings on your Home screen.

b. Tap General in the Settings list.

c. Tap Software Update.

If your iPhone requires an update, you receive instructions for doing so. Otherwise, please continue.

If those three easy steps didn’t get you back up and running and your iPhone is still acting up — it freezes, doesn’t wake up from sleep, doesn’t do something it used to do, or in any other way acts improperly — don’t panic. The following sections describe the things you should try, in the order that we (and Apple) recommend.

Recharge your iPhone

If your iPhone acts up in any way, shape, or form, the first thing you should try is to give its battery a full recharge.

Don’t plug the iPhone’s Lightning connector cable (iPhone 5) or dock connector–to–USB cable (earlier models) into a USB port on your keyboard, monitor, or an unpowered USB hub. You need to plug the cable into one of the USB ports on your computer itself or a powered hub (one that requires an AC power source) because the USB ports on your computer supply more power than the other ports.

Most powered USB hubs, the kind you plug into an AC outlet, will charge your iPhone just fine. But passive, or unpowered, hubs — ones that don’t plug into the wall for power — won’t cut it when it comes to charging your phone.

Note that you can use the included USB power adapter to recharge your iPhone from an AC outlet rather than from a computer. So if your iPhone isn’t charging when you connect it to your computer, try charging it from a wall outlet instead. In addition, some power strips by Belkin and other vendors include one or more powered USB ports that will work.

If you’re in a hurry, charge your iPhone for a minimum of 20 minutes. We think a full charge is a better idea, but a 20-minute charge is better than no charge at all. And for faster charging in any circumstances, turn your iPhone off while it charges.

Restart your iPhone

If you recharge your iPhone and it still misbehaves, the next thing to try is restarting it. Just as restarting a computer often fixes problems, restarting your iPhone sometimes works wonders.

Here’s how to restart:

1. Press and hold the sleep/wake button.

2. Slide the red slider to turn off the iPhone, and then wait a few seconds.

3. Press and hold the sleep/wake button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

If your phone is still frozen, misbehaves, or doesn’t start up, it’s time to try the third R, resetting your iPhone.

Reset your iPhone

To reset your iPhone, merely press and hold the sleep/wake button while pressing and holding the Home button on the front. When you see the Apple logo, you can release both buttons.

Resetting your iPhone is like forcing your computer to restart after a crash. Your data shouldn’t be affected by a reset. So don’t be shy about giving this technique a try. In many cases, your iPhone goes back to normal after you reset it this way.

Remember to press and hold both the sleep/wake button and the Home button. If you press both and then release them, you create a screen shot — a picture of whatever is on your screen at the time — rather than reset your iPhone. (This type of screen picture, by the way, is stored in the Photos app’s camera roll. Find out more about this feature at the end of Chapter 19.)

Unfortunately, sometimes resetting doesn’t do the trick. When that’s the case, you have to take stronger measures.

At this point, it’s a good idea to back up your iPhone’s contents by right- or Control-clicking the phone’s name in the list on the left side of the iTunes window (on your Mac or PC) and choosing Back Up. Or you can initiate a backup to iCloud from your iPhone by tapping Settings⇒iCloud⇒Storage & Backup⇒Back Up Now.

Feel free to look in the Backup section of the Summary pane in iTunes, which will show you when the last backup occurred or that your iPhone has never been backed up. However, we highly recommend that you back up again, just in case.

Remove your content

Nothing you’ve done so far should have taken more than a minute or so (or 20 if you tried the 20-minute recharge). We hate to tell you, but that’s about to change because the next thing you should try is removing some or all of your data, to see whether it’s the cause of your troubles.

To do so, you need to sync your iPhone and reconfigure it so that some or all of your files are removed from the phone. The problem could be contacts, calendar data, songs, photos, videos, or podcasts. If you suspect a particular data type — for example, you suspect your photos because whenever you tap the Photos icon on the Home screen, your iPhone freezes — try removing that type of data first.

Or, if you have no suspicions, deselect every item on every tab in iTunes (Info, Apps, Music, Movies, Photos, and so on) on your Mac or PC and then sync. When you’re finished, your iPhone should have almost no data on it. We say almost because data created by apps on the iPhone — for example, documents created on your iPhone with apps such as Pages, Numbers, or Keynote — may remain on your iPhone. If you really want to be thorough, click every app in the File Sharing section of the Apps pane in iTunes and delete any documents you see in the Documents area.

If that method fixed the problem, try restoring your data, one type at a time. If the problem returns, keep experimenting to determine which particular data type or file is causing the problem.

If you’re still having problems, the next step is to reset your iPhone’s settings.

Reset your settings and content

Resetting involves two steps: The first one, resetting your iPhone settings, resets every iPhone setting to its default — the way it was when you took it out of the box. Resetting the iPhone’s settings doesn’t erase any of your data or media. The only downside is that you may have to go back and change some settings afterward, so you can try this step without (much) trepidation. Tap the Settings icon on your Home screen, and then tap General⇒Reset⇒Reset All Settings.

Be careful not to tap Erase All Content and Settings, at least not yet. Erasing all content takes more time to recover from (because your next sync takes a long time), so try Reset All Settings first.

At this point, you could try resetting some of the other options available on the Reset screen, such as Reset Network Settings. If you’re desperate, it won’t hurt to try Reset Keyboard Dictionary, Reset Home Screen Layout, and Reset Location Warnings; they’re not likely to help but might be worth a try before you resort to erasing all content and settings, as we’re about to describe.

Now, if resetting all settings didn’t cure your iPhone, you have to try Erase All Content and Settings. (Read the next Warning first.) You find that option in the same place as Reset All Settings (tap Settings⇒General⇒Reset).

This strategy deletes everything from your iPhone — all your data, media, and settings. Because all these items are stored on your computer and are backed up when you sync — at least in theory — you should be able to put things back the way they were during your next sync. But you will lose any photos you’ve taken since your last sync, as well as contacts, calendar events, and playlists you’ve created or modified since your last sync.

After using Erase All Content and Settings, check to see whether your iPhone works properly. If it doesn’t cure what ails your iPhone, the next R, restoring your iPhone using iTunes, might help.

Restore your iPhone

Restoring your iPhone is a fairly drastic step, but it often succeeds after recharging, restarting, resetting, removing content, and resetting settings and content have failed.

To restore your phone, connect it to your computer as though you were about to sync. But when the iPhone appears in the iTunes source list, click the Restore button on the Summary tab. This action erases all your data and media and resets all your settings.

If your computer isn’t available, you can trigger this step from your iPhone by tapping Settings⇒General⇒Reset⇒Erase All Content and Settings.

All your data and media should still exist on your computer or in iCloud, with the possible exception of photos you’ve taken since your last sync if you aren’t using Photo Stream and any contacts, calendar events, notes, and playlists you’ve created or modified since your last sync. You may also lose any iTunes or App Store content you’ve purchased or downloaded on the iPhone since its last sync, but you can always download them again at no cost if they disappear. In other words, you probably won’t lose anything by restoring. Your next sync will take longer than usual, and you may have to reset any settings you’ve changed since you got your iPhone. But other than those inconveniences, restoring shouldn’t cause you any trouble.

If restoring your iPhone didn’t fix things, we have one more thing you can try before you give up the ghost on your poor, sick iPhone.

Renew your iPhone with Recovery mode

If you’ve gone through all the previous suggestions or you couldn’t attempt some or all of them because your iPhone is so messed up, you can try one last thing: Recovery mode. Here’s how it works:

1. Disconnect the USB cable from your iPhone, but leave the other end of the cable connected to the USB port on your computer.

2. Turn off the iPhone by pressing and holding the sleep/wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears on-screen, and then slide the slider.

Wait for the iPhone to turn off.

3. Press and hold the Home button while you reconnect the USB cable to your iPhone.

When you reconnect the USB cable, your iPhone should power on.

If you see a battery icon with a thin red band and an icon displaying a wall plug, an arrow, and a lightning bolt, you need to let your iPhone charge for at least 10 to 15 minutes. When the battery picture goes away or turns green instead of red, go back to Step 2 and try again.

4. Continue holding the Home button until you see the Connect to iTunes screen, and then release the Home button.

If you don’t see the Connect to iTunes screen on your iPhone, try again from Step 1.

5. If iTunes didn’t open automatically already, launch it now.

You should see a Recovery Mode alert on your computer screen telling you that your iPhone is in recovery mode and that you must restore it before it can be used with iTunes.

6. Use iTunes to restore the device, as we describe in the preceding section.

Okay. So that’s the gamut of things you can do when your iPhone acts up. If you tried all this and none of it worked, skim through the rest of this chapter to see whether anything else we recommend looks like it might help. If not, your iPhone probably needs to go into the shop for repairs.

Never fear, gentle reader. Be sure to read the section near the end of the chapter, “If Nothing We Suggest Helps.” Your iPhone may be quite sick, but we help ease the pain by sharing some tips on how to minimize the discomfort.