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There are two ways to reboot an iPhone: a hard reset and a factory reset. If your device is freezing or malfunctioning, it's best to first try a hard reset, and if that doesn't work to resolve your glitch, then to try the factory reset, which restores your phone to factory default settings. Factory resets should only be used as a last resort. You may want to take your iPhone into the Apple Store for a Genius Bar appointment before trying the factory reset, as it could result in permanent data loss.
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:Hard Reset
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1Press and hold the Home button (big circle below the screen) and the Sleep/Wake button (on top of the iPhone) simultaneously.
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2Continue holding both buttons until the iPhone shuts off and begins to restart. This will take anywhere from 15-60 seconds.
- Ignore the prompt to power off your phone. If you power off your phone, you are not performing the hard reset. To continue with the hard reset, keep holding the buttons down simultaneously.
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3You may let go when you see the silver Apple logo. You have now completed the hard reset successfully.
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4Don't be alarmed that it takes quite a while to load from the Apple logo to the main screen. This is normal.
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:Factory Reset
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1Connect the iPhone to your computer via USB. This should be the computer that you last performed a sync (or backup) to, so that you can hopefully restore most of your data.
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2Open iTunes. When your device connects, an "iPhone" button will pop up on the left side or top-right corner (depending on what version of iTunes you have) for you to access your phone's settings. Click on this button. Click on the "Summary" tab on the top horizontal navigation bar.
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3Back up your iPhone, if possible, by clicking "Back Up Now". Your iPhone may have automatically started backing up when it connected to your computer, and if that's the case, just wait for the backup to complete. If your iPhone is seriously damaged, this may not recover any additional data, but it's worth attempting.
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4When the backup completes, perform the factory reset. Tap the "Settings" app on your iPhone. Tap "General," and then "Reset." On the next screen, choose "Erase All Content and Settings."
- Wait until the factory reset completes. This may take up to an hour.
- Make sure your phone works after resetting. If it's still glitchy, take it into the Apple Store for inspection.
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5Restore your phone to its last backup. With your iPhone connected via USB, right-click on the device name in iTunes and select "Restore from Backup." You can then select which backup you'd like to restore to.
- Alternatively, click the "Restore" button on the Summary page on iTunes.
- It's possible that an app or piece of data in your last backup is causing the glitch. If your phone is glitching again after restoring the backup, try restoring to an earlier backup. If you still experience problems, perform the factory reset but do not restore any backup, or consult an Apple Genius Bar employee.
Community Q&A
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QuestionI am unable to send a text to my daughter. I have rebooted, but the message still says undelivered. What's wrong?
Living ConcreteTop AnswererIs your iPhone activated? Does it have service? Your iPhone must be activated and must have connectivity in order to send texts. -
QuestionIf an iPhone says no service, what could be the problem?
Community AnswerIt may be that you're in a rural area far from any cell towers, there could be no SIM card in the phone, or you could have a SIM card in it that doesn't have active service from a provider.
