When was the last time you turned off your iPhone completely and then turned it back on?
Turning an iPhone off and on is typically brought up when you’re experiencing lag, misfunctioning apps, and other software defects, but it’s also a healthy practice even if your phone is working as intended or is the best on the market. You can compare it to giving your car an oil change: it’s not mandatory, but after every couple of thousands of miles driven, a refresh can mean all the difference in performance.
In an iPhone’s case, turning it off and on will clear out any background apps, heating issues, memory problems, and troubles with call signal–even if it’s only for the short term. Most importantly, you’re giving the device a fresh start, which translates to smoother performance and slower-declining battery life. So, here’s how to turn off your iPhone and how to turn it back on. We’ll show you how it works if your iPhone has Face ID or if it has a home button.
How to turn off your iPhone using buttons:
If your iPhone has Face ID:
- Press and hold the side button and either volume button until the sliders appear.
- Drag the Power Off slider to the right to turn off iPhone.
If your iPhone has a home button:
- Press and hold the side button until the sliders appear.
- Drag the Power Off slider to the right to turn off iPhone.
How to power down your iPhone using the Settings app:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Select Shut Down.
- Drag the power slider to the right to turn off iPhone.
How to shut down your iPhone using Siri:
On iPhones running iOS 16 or earlier, you can tell Siri to shut down your device.
First, you need to make sure the voice assistant is enabled in Settings > Siri & Search.
Now, to turn off your iPhone, you can just say "Hey Siri" (or press the side button) and then say "shut down iPhone." Siri will respond by asking you to confirm that you really want to do this. Tap Confirm or just say Yes.
How to turn on your iPhone:
- Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears in the middle of the screen.
In terms of how often you should be restarting your iPhone, I usually recommend doing it on a weekly basis. You might fix some performance issues you didn’t even know you had, and it’ll only take you a few minutes.
