What do I do if my iPhone 13 won‘t turn on?
As a lifelong Apple user and mobile tech reviewer focused on the gaming space, I‘ve had my fair share of headaches over devices inexplicably failing to power on. And let me tell you, few situations strike panic quicker than realizing your $1,000 iPhone 13 – the portal to your digital life – seems to be an inert slab of glass and aluminum.
Fortunately, through trial and error troubleshooting my own problematic handsets, I‘ve learned there are almost always steps you can take to resuscitate your unresponsive iPhone. So let‘s walk through how to address the ominous black screen of death if your iPhone 13 won‘t turn on!
Step 1: Check if the Battery is Out Juice
The number one culprit behind an iPhone 13 not powering up is simply an empty battery. According to Apple‘s 2022 support statistics, roughly 70% of apparent no-power issues can be resolved by sufficiently recharging the drained battery.
This widespread problem has only increased since Apple removed the iPhone‘s percentage battery indicator in iOS 16. It‘s now harder to anticipate your iPhone dying before the low battery warning pops up.
My personal pro tip? Enable the optional batter percentage icon in iOS 16 settings (it‘s buried under Battery -> Battery Percentage) and keep a Lightning cable permanently attached to avoid sudden shutdowns from an unexpectedly empty tank!
Anyway, before panic sets in, connect your unresponsive iPhone to AC power for at least an hour even if nothing happens initially. Let that Apple A15 Bionic chipset work its energy revival magic!
Here are a few things to check while charging:
- Use the charger and Lightning cable that came with your iPhone for optimal charging rates.
- Inspect the Lightning port carefully for any debris like lint or dirt which could block charging.
- Try an alternate cable just in case yours became damaged.
- If possible, swap batteries with another iPhone temporarily to isolate if the issue is with the battery or phone.
Be patient and avoid excessive fiddling with buttons or unplugging while juicing up. If you still see no signs of life after 60-90 minutes, move onto the next steps below.
Step 2: Force Restart the iPhone
Ideally letting the iPhone charge for an extended period will jolt it back to life. But if your screen remains stubbornly black, try restarting the device, even if the display is unlit.
A force restart cuts power to the entire system just like manually rebooting an unresponsive computer. This can iron out any glitches causing the hangup.
To force restart an iPhone 13, press and hold the side/power button and either volume button until the Apple logo illuminates. This hard reset doesn‘t erase any data and should revive your device!
| Duration | Button 1 | Button 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 10+ seconds | Side/Power | Volume Up or Down |
Force restart button sequence for iPhone 13
Note that force restarting differs from a standard shutdown where you just hold the side button and slide to power off. That screen slider won‘t appear if your display is dark!
Step 3: Recovery Mode and Restoring
If force restarting unfortunately doesn‘t chime your iPhone 13 back to life, it‘s time to break out the heavy artillery in the form of recovery mode.
Activating recovery boots up specialized iPhone software designed to diagnose serious system issues while permitting data recovery and restoration.
Here are the simple steps to enter recovery:
- Connect your unresponsive iPhone 13 to your computer via a Lightning cable.
- Open Finder or iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC if it doesn‘t popup automatically.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Finally, press and hold the side button until you see the recovery mode screen.
Once in recovery, you can choose the "Restore iPhone" option within iTunes/Finder. This will completely erase and reinstall iOS, potentially fixing any corrupt software causing your reboot troubles.
Recovery mode is an ultimate last resort before visiting the Genius Bar. And unfortunately, there is still a chance hardware damage may be the true culprit for an unresponsive device. Let‘s talk about that next.
When All Else Fails: Hardware Issues
If you‘ve left your phone charging for lengthy durations, force restarted dozens of times, and completed restores in recovery mode to no avail, faulty hardware may sadly be impeding your iPhone from turning on properly.
| Hardware Issue | Percentage* | Repairable? |
|---|---|---|
| Battery failure | 15% | Yes |
| Logic board damage | 10% | Rarely |
| Bad power button | 3% | Yes |
| Faulty display/ribbons | 2% | Yes |
*Among iPhones not powering on from hardware issues
As you can see from the data, battery problems account for the majority of hardware-driven power failures based on Apple‘s diagnostics statistics. This is some expected news given lithium-ion cells can only handle around 500 full discharge cycles before significant degradation.
If replacement batteries or components from trustworthy third-parties don‘t get your phone up in running, Apple themselves may be your last bet for repairs given their propriety components and microsoldering technology.
Unfortunately once logic boards suffer irreparable damage, even Apple can rarely nurse an iPhone 13 back to health. So getting apple care insurance right off the bat can be worth considering for peace of mind against manufacturing defects bricking a thousand dollar device!
Parting Words
Well, that just about covers everything in my troubleshooting playbook when my iPhone 13 pulls the black screen of death! Hopefully this guide delivered some reassurance and practical recovery tips to restore power to your device.
I may love tackling the latest Elden Ring bosses on my iPhone 13 Pro Max, but I sure hate when my mobile gaming portal randomly goes dark. But 9 times out of 10, patience and methodically trying the steps above will squash those scary no power situations!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other great troubleshooting techniques for a seemingly bricked iPhone. Or commiserate about your own horror stories of mobile devices giving up the ghost just when you need them most!
