KEY TAKEAWAYS
- To fix an iPhone stuck on Apple logo after recent iOS 18 update, first try to force restart your device.
- You can also try to update or restore your device in recovery mode.
- If force restart and recovery mode don’t fix your issue, you might need to reset your iPhone with DFU mode before contacting Apple support.
iPhones are usually very reliable when it comes to updating software, but now and again you can experience a few problems. One of the most confusing is when the device only shows the Apple logo on the display and refuses to boot into iOS. You may experience this when you turn your device on or during / after an iOS update. What can you do when this happens? We show you how to fix an iPhone stuck on the Apple logo after iOS 18 update.
Why is my iPhone stuck on Apple Logo?
Your iPhone may get stuck on the Apple logo screen when there’s a problem with the operating system or the phone’s hardware. There are three common causes:
- Problems when upgrading to a new version of iOS
- Problems when transferring data from an older device to a new one
- Hardware damage to the internals of the iPhone
How long has your iPhone been stuck on the Apple logo?
First up, it’s worth seeing if your iPhone is merely progressing slowly through an update, rather than stuck. Apple’s official advice is to "make sure that the progress bar on your iPhone screen hasn’t moved for at least one hour" before taking things into your own hands. If it has, then maybe give the device a little more time to process any large software updates it may be dealing with. But, if the progress bar gets stuck for longer than an hour, it’s probably time to try and fix the issue.
How do I fix an iPhone that’s stuck on Apple Logo after iOS 18 update?
There are three main routes you can use: Force Restart, Recovery Mode or DFU mode. The first simply forces the iPhone to turn itself off and then reboot. Many problems, including an iPhone stuck on the Apple logo, can be fixed with a force restart.
Recovery mode is a troubleshooting tool that connects your iPhone to a computer and lets you use Finder or iTunes to diagnose and fix the problem. When your iPhone is stuck at the Apple logo, it means that the operating system is having trouble starting up. Recovery Mode boots up the phone but stops the OS from running so you can fix it. When using Recovery Mode, you can install a fresh version of iOS or a backup of your data. It’s a fairly simple procedure and solves the problem in some cases.
Device Firmware Update mode — or DFU mode for short — is a state that an iPhone can be put in to get your device back into working order. It’s similar to Recovery Mode but more focused on solving the kind of low-level issues that cause the iPhone to be stuck on the Apple logo. This too does require you to connect the iPhone to a computer. This should either be a Mac running on at least macOS Catalina, a Mac running macOS Mojave or earlier but with iTunes installed, or a Windows PC with iTunes installed.
1. Force Restarting a stuck iPhone
If your phone is stuck on the Apple logo screen after iOS 18 update, forcing it to restart can flush out bad data and give the phone a second chance to restart normally. Press and release the volume up button and press and release the volume down button and then press and hold the power button until your iPhone restarts.
2. Using Recovery Mode to fix an iPhone stuck on Apple Logo
If the force restart does not resolve your problem, then you may want to put your iPhone into Recovery Mode. Here’s how:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer using the Lightening-to-USB-C cable.
- If you are have a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer, open Finder and select your iPhone from the left-hand column. If you have a Mac running macOS Mojave (or older) or a Windows PC, open iTunes and select the iPhone from the left-hand column.
- Press the volume up, press the volume down, and then press and hold the side button. Keep holding the side button while iPhone reboots until it displays an icon on the screen that represents a computer and cable.
- You’ll be asked if you want to Update or Restore your iPhone. Click Update — this will try to fix the black screen problem without erasing the data. If the recovery finishes and your iPhone is still showing black screen, try it again but click Restore.
Once you’ve gone through the recovery process, your phone should exit recovery mode on its own. Turn it back on and set it up.
3. Reset your stuck iPhone with DFU mode
You might be able to resolve the issue with the iPhone’s Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode. Because this changes aspects of your iPhone’s software at a very low level, below the operating system, it’s inherently risky, so you might want to save this as a last resort. Here is how to reset your iPhone with DFU mode.
- Quickly press the Volume Upbutton, then quickly press the Volume Downbutton, then hold down the Side button until the screen goes black.
- As soon as the screen turns black, press and hold the volume down button while continuing to hold the side button.
- After 5 seconds, release the side button while continuing to hold the volume down button until your iPhone appears in iTunes or Finder.
- As soon as it shows up in iTunes or Finder, release the volume button.
- If the Apple logo appears, the Side button was held down for too long. Start the process over from the beginning and try again.
4. Contact Apple Support
If force restart, recovery mode and DFU mode didn’t work, and your iPhone is still stuck on Apple Logo, then you’re probably out of options you can perform at home. Try contacting Apple support to see if your phone can be repaired or replaced.