An iPhone stuck showing the Apple logo, sometimes going black and showing it again on a loop, is one of the most alarming things it can do, mostly because there is no error message telling you what is actually wrong. The good news is that most of the time this is a software problem with a real fix, not a dead phone. Here is exactly what to try, in the right order, and how to tell if it has moved from a quick fix into something that needs a professional.
Quick answer
- Try a force restart first. This fixes the majority of cases and does not touch your data.
- Charge it for at least 30 minutes before trying anything else, in case the battery is simply too low to complete starting up.
- If it keeps looping, use Recovery Mode to reinstall iOS without erasing your data.
- A factory restore is the last software option, but it erases everything, so only use it once you have exhausted the others.
- If it started right after a drop or water exposure, skip straight to a professional diagnostic rather than repeatedly power cycling it.
What is actually happening when this occurs
Your iPhone shows the Apple logo briefly every time it starts up, while iOS loads in the background. If iOS fails to finish loading properly, the phone restarts and tries again, which is why you see the logo appear, disappear, and reappear, sometimes for several minutes at a time. This is commonly called a boot loop. It almost always points to a software fault, most often a corrupted update, a failed restore from backup, or a full storage drive that stops iOS finishing its startup checks, rather than a hardware failure.
Step 1: Force restart your iPhone
This clears a frozen state without touching any of your data, and fixes this problem more often than people expect. The exact button combination depends on your model.
- iPhone 8 and later, including all Face ID models: quickly press and release Volume Up, then quickly press and release Volume Down, then press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: press and hold both the Side button and the Volume Down button together until the Apple logo appears.
- iPhone 6s and earlier, with a Home button: press and hold both the Home button and the Side or Top button together until the Apple logo appears.
If the logo loop stops after this, you are done. If it starts again after a few minutes, move on to the next step.
Step 2: Charge it properly before trying anything else
A battery that is nearly empty, or a battery that has degraded and can no longer deliver power quickly enough, can cause exactly this symptom during the power-hungry startup process. Plug into a wall outlet with an original or certified cable and charger, not a laptop USB port, and leave it for at least 30 minutes before trying to force restart again. If it starts up fine once charged but the problem keeps coming back on a healthy-looking charge, an ageing battery is worth checking, which we cover in our iPhone battery replacement guide.
Step 3: Use Recovery Mode to reinstall iOS without losing data
If a force restart and a proper charge do not fix it, Recovery Mode lets you reinstall iOS while keeping your data intact, since it repairs the operating system rather than wiping the device.
- Connect your iPhone to a computer with a cable, and open Finder on a Mac or iTunes on a Windows PC.
- Force restart using the steps above, but this time keep holding the final button instead of releasing it when the Apple logo appears. Keep holding until you see the Recovery Mode screen, which shows a cable pointing to a computer icon.
- Your computer should show a prompt with the option to Update or Restore. Choose Update.
- This downloads and reinstalls the current version of iOS without erasing your photos, messages or apps. It can take a while on a slow connection, so let it run without disconnecting the cable.
If Update fails or is not available, your computer may only offer Restore, which brings us to the next step.
Step 4: Factory restore, as a last resort
If Recovery Mode’s Update option does not fix it, Restore is the final software option. This erases everything on the device and reinstalls iOS completely fresh, after which you can set it up as new or restore from your most recent iCloud or computer backup.
This is exactly why it matters whether your last backup is recent. If you are not sure when your device last backed up, or the phone has been stuck like this since before you could check, our guide on how to get data off a broken phone covers what your options are before you erase anything, including whether the data can still be recovered afterwards if you go ahead without a backup.
When it is a hardware problem, not software
Software steps fix the large majority of Apple logo loops, but not all of them. It is worth suspecting hardware, not software, if any of the following apply.
- It started immediately after a drop. A knock can dislodge an internal connector or damage the logic board, which no software restore will fix. See our iPhone repairs page for a full diagnostic.
- It started after water or liquid exposure. Do not keep power cycling it. Repeated attempts on a wet board risk turning a repairable fault into a dead one. Our water damaged phone guide covers what to do instead, or go straight to iPhone water damage repair.
- A full Restore in Recovery Mode still does not fix it. Once you have wiped the device completely fresh and the loop continues, the fault is very unlikely to be software, since a fresh install rules out corrupted files or a bad update almost entirely.
- The battery will not hold enough charge to get through starting up, even after a long time plugged in. This points to a failing battery rather than a software fault.
Common causes of the Apple logo loop
| Likely cause | What usually fixes it |
|---|---|
| Failed or interrupted iOS update | Force restart, then Recovery Mode Update |
| Corrupted backup restore | Recovery Mode Update, or Restore and set up as new instead of restoring the same backup |
| Storage almost completely full | Recovery Mode Update, since the phone cannot complete startup checks with no free space |
| Battery too low or failing | Charge for 30+ minutes, or a battery replacement if it keeps recurring |
| Drop or impact damage | Professional diagnostic, not a software fix |
| Water or liquid exposure | Stop power cycling it, book a water damage diagnostic |
What if Recovery Mode will not even connect?
Occasionally a phone is stuck badly enough that your computer will not recognise it in Recovery Mode at all. In this situation, DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode is one further step beyond Recovery Mode, sometimes able to reach a phone that Recovery Mode cannot, since it bypasses the boot loader entirely rather than working through it. DFU mode is more fiddly to enter correctly and easier to get wrong, so if you are not confident following exact timed button presses, this is a reasonable point to hand the phone to a professional rather than risk repeated failed attempts.
How to stop this happening again
- Keep at least a few gigabytes of storage free. A completely full phone struggles with more than just speed, it can genuinely interfere with updates completing properly. Our guide on why your phone is running slow covers how to check and free up space.
- Let major iOS updates install on Wi-Fi and charge, uninterrupted. Most update-related boot loops happen when an update is interrupted partway through, often because someone unplugged the phone or it ran out of battery mid-install.
- Keep a current backup regardless. Even if this never happens to you, a recent backup means any future serious fault is an inconvenience rather than a genuine loss.
- Get a failing battery replaced before it fails completely, rather than waiting for it to cause a starting-up problem like this one.
What about an iPad or Apple Watch stuck on the logo?
The same underlying idea applies across Apple devices, though the exact button combinations differ. An iPad follows the same force restart and Recovery Mode process as an iPhone. An Apple Watch stuck on its logo generally needs a force restart directly on the watch, which our Apple Watch reset guide covers in full, including when a factory reset becomes necessary. If either device continues looping after a proper software attempt, the same rule applies: it is worth a professional diagnostic rather than repeated attempts. See our iPad repair and Apple Watch repair pages for next steps.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my photos if my iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo?
Not necessarily. A force restart and the Update option in Recovery Mode both fix the problem without erasing anything. Data loss only becomes a risk if you need to use the Restore option, or if the fault turns out to be hardware related.
How long is too long to be stuck on the Apple logo?
A logo that appears for a few minutes during a genuine software update is normal. If it has been looping, restarting and reappearing, for more than 15 to 20 minutes without progress, treat it as stuck rather than simply updating.
Can a bad app cause this?
Rarely on its own, but a corrupted app update installed right before the phone got stuck can occasionally be a contributing factor, particularly if the crash occurred during a background app refresh at the same time as an iOS update.
Does this happen more on older iPhones?
Yes, slightly. Older devices are more likely to have a battery that struggles with the power demands of starting up, and are more likely to be running close to their storage limit, both of which are common triggers for this exact problem.
Is it safe to keep force restarting it over and over?
A handful of attempts is completely safe on a dry, undamaged phone. If it has been dropped or exposed to liquid, stop, since repeated power cycling is one of the most common ways a recoverable fault turns into a genuinely dead board.
Still stuck after trying all of this?
If you have been through a force restart, a proper charge, and Recovery Mode without success, or the cause is a drop or liquid exposure, it is time for a proper diagnostic rather than more guesswork.
- iPhone repairs
- iPhone battery replacement
- iPhone water damage repair
- Phone data recovery
- What happens during a phone repair, so you know exactly what to expect
Or get in touch on our contact us page for a free diagnostic.
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