How to Fix It When an iPhone Keeps Turning On and Off (2024)

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It's most likely the battery, but let's check out a few items before you make an appointment for a replacement

Sam Costello

Writer

Ithaca College

Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others.

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Updated on August 15, 2024

Reviewed by

Christine Baker

Reviewed byChristine Baker

Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design.

lifewire's editorial guidelines

How to Fix an iPhone That Keeps Shutting Down

If your iPhone won't stay on long enough to try these steps, just head over to an Apple store (or use another device to get to Apple's support website).

Restart your iPhone. We don't mean to put it to sleep and wake it back again; we mean to make sure the iPhone turns off. Once it's off, hold down the Sleep/Wake button to get it to power on again (when you see the Apple logo on the iPhone's screen).
Check your battery health. The Battery Health section will also tell you if your battery is at a point where it needs to be replaced.
To view your phone's Battery Health, tap Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If you see anything other than "Peak Performance Capability," that may be a sign your battery has issues.
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Update iOS. In some rare cases of the iPhone randomly shutting off, the problem is in iOS. You can update your iPhone wirelessly or by attaching the iPhone to your computer.
We recommend plugging in your iPhone before you start the update process. If your iPhone powers down during an OS update it can be very hard to get it working again.
Restore the iPhone from a backup while in DFU mode. To do this, connect your iPhone to a computer via USB, then, in iTunes on Windows or via the Finder on a Mac, make a backup of your iPhone. With that done, put your iPhone into DFU Mode, then restore your iPhone from the backup you just made.
Contact Apple for a battery replacement. If none of the other steps you've tried have solved the problem, it's likely the battery. It could be that the battery in your iPhone is defective or at the end of its life.
Apple is your best bet for getting help, so contact Apple Support.
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Causes of an iPhone that Keeps Turning On and Off

There are several reasons your iPhone is turning off:

The battery is no longer able to hold a charge and needs replacing
The phone has been damaged by water
An app causing some conflict

Prepare yourself that you'll likely need to drop some money into your iPhone, but just before doing so, let's check a few things off the list of possible problems.

FAQ

Why does the iPhone's ringer keep turning off?

It's possible you're accidentally changing the phone's sound settings by pressing the buttons. You can turn this feature off by going to Settings > Sound & Haptics and toggling off Change With Buttons. Do Not Disturb mode is also a common culprit; check those settings as well.
How do you fix it when the Wi-Fi keep turning off on an iPhone?

First, try turning Wi-Fi off and on again and/or restart your iPhone. If that doesn't solve the issue, try forgetting the network on your phone and reconnecting to it. You can also try resetting your Wi-Fi router.
How do you fix it when the iPhone's alarm keeps turning off?

There are a number of things you can try to fix an iPhone alarm that isn't working. You can try rebooting the phone, deleting and recreating the alarm, and updating the iPhone's operating system. If all else fails, you can try restoring the iPhone to factory settings.
Why does my data keep turning off on my iPhone?

First, contact your cell phone service provider and make sure there isn't an outage. If that's not the issue, try removing and re-inserting the SIM card in your phone. You could also be turning Airplane Mode on accidentally.

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