So you just purchased a brand new iPhone 8, and it’s not turning on. What the heck, Apple? You can blame the company all you want, but if there are not enough cases related to this problem, they won’t address it publicly. Instead of wasting your time going back to the Apple Store, why not try to resolve the issue yourself?
Based on past experiences, I had several iPhone models that won’t turn on after bringing it home from the store. I found that a few simple tricks can fix this problem in no time.
If your iPhone 8 (or the 8 Plus) is not powering on for the first time or after several usages, try the following tips below.
Force Restart your iPhone 8
While the home button remains visible in this model, we’re not going to use it to force restart your device. Instead, Apple suggested something else – using the volume buttons.
To restart your frozen iPhone 8:
- Locate the Volume Up button. Quickly press and release it.
- Do the same thing with the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the side button until you see an Apple logo.
If your iPhone is powering up, congrats, you no longer need to worry about this headache. If your iPhone 8 still doesn’t boot up, see more tips below.
Maybe it came uncharged?
This is rare, but it does happen. Some users have reported that their iPhone 8 arrived with no charge on the battery. While this is an issue that you should complain to Apple, it’s super easy to fix.
All you have to do is find the charging cable, plug it into your iPhone and the wall outlet. Wait for about 30 mins or so for it to turn on.
Note: It’s important to keep track of your battery usage if you received a brand new iPhone 8 that had no charge. The device may need a battery replacement or else it will drain faster than others.
iPhone 8 suddenly shut down and won’t boot up
Let’s say you were using Instagram or Snapchat and suddenly your iPhone 8 just turn off and shows a black screen. Despite your attempt to turn it back on, it still doesn’t work. We suspect that this maybe a software problem.
Stay up-to-date with your software:
If you were able to power the device back on, go to Settings > General > Software Update > and get the latest version of iOS 11.
If you couldn’t turn your iPhone 8 back on, connect to it a computer. Install the latest version of iTunes. We’ll put your device into recovery mode and perform a quick update.
How to Enter Recovery Mode on an iPhone 8:
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button
- Press and hold the side button until you see the recovery mode screen. It should shows an iTunes icon with support.apple.com/iphone/restore.
On your iTunes software on the computer, there should be a popup that says, “There is a problem with the “iPhone” that requires it to be updated or restored.” We recommend Update because it will just reinstall the version without erasing any of your existing data such as applications or photos.
And that’s all you need to do if you find your iPhone 8 stuck on a black screen or won’t turn on at all. You only have to perform a quick restart or charge your iPhone if this problem occurs. If it has to comes down to entering recovery mode or taking the device back to Apple, just know that everything will be okay.
All the methods and instructions above can also be applied to an iPhone 8 Plus as well.