iPhone XR not working after updating to iOS 17? How to fix it

By Moses Johnson - Editor
3 Min Read

IPhone XR is not working after iOS 17 update and you don’t know what to do. No matter what you do, your iPhone does not respond. It looks dead meaning nothing shows up on the screen. This article explains what to do if your iPhone XR doesn’t work after iOS 17 update.

The symptoms of this problem include:

  • IPhone shows no sign of power, or
  • does not respond when you press the buttons or when you touch the screen, or
  • does not seem to turn on, or
  • has a black or blank screen, or
  • Immediately turns off itself when you turn it on.

If your iPhone XR has any of the above problems, try the tips below to fix it. After each step, see whether it fixed your issue.

How to fix iPhone XR not working after iOS 17 update

1. Charge your iPhone

It is possible that your iPhone XR won’t work after iOS 17 update because the battery is totally drained. Charge your device by plugging it to the power outlet. If this is the problem, your iPhone will turn on by itself when it does have enough battery power. If this does not solve your issue, see the next step.

When your iPhone is plugged in, you will see the charging screen which is an almost empty battery icon. You should only see the battery icon:

If you do not see this, or if you see the connect to power screen, which is an empty battery and cable screen, then try the tips below:

  • It is possible that your iPhone may not charge. When you want to charge your device, it is important to note that your cable or adapter could be the culprit.
  • Charge your device for a half hour
  • Use the charging cable that came with your iPhone. If this is not possible, make sure that your charging cable is MFi certified.
  • Check your cable and adapter. Is any of them damaged? If it is, throw it away and get a new one.
  • Is the charging port dirty? Check the charging port on the bottom of your device. Try to clean it if you see any dust, debris, or lint.
  • Inspect where your phone is plugged in. If you are charging your iPhone from a computer’s USB port, try plugging it directly into a wall outlet. If this does not work, try a different wall outlet.

2. Force Restart your iPhone

Is your iPhone XR still not working? Then, the next step is to force your device to restart. Here is how:

  1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.
  3. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.

3. Try Recovery Mode

If you are still having this issue, the firmware may have been corrupted. You may need to restore and set your iPhone XR up by using recovery mode. These steps will put your iPhone into Recovery Mode. And this will reinstall iOS without erasing your data. Here is how:

First back up your iPhone. You can backup your device by going to Settings > [your name], and iCloud.

  • Connect your iPhone to your computer: Mac or PC.
  • If your Mac has macOS Catalina or later, open Finder. Any other systems (Windows or macOS Mojave or earlier), open iTunes.
  • Find and select your iPhone in Finder (your iPhone will appear in the sidebar of the Finder windows) or in iTunes (your iPhone’s icon will appear in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window).
  • Now, press and release the volume up button and then press and release the volume down button. and press and hold the side button until you see the Recovery Mode screen.
  • You will see two options: Restore and Update. Click Update. And then follow the onscreen instructions.

4. Put iPhone Into DFU Mode

In some situations, your iPhone XR may not work if the iOS 17 update failed. If you’re facing this problem, put your phone into DFU mode:

  1. Quickly press and let go the volume up button, then quickly press and let go the volume down button, and then press and hold the side button until the screen goes black.
  2. As soon as the screen turns black, press and hold the volume down button while continuing to hold the side button.
  3. After 5 seconds, let go the side button while continuing to hold the volume down button until your iPhone appears in iTunes or Finder.
  4. As soon as it shows up in iTunes or Finder, let go 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.

Other notes

  • If you are able to turn on your iPhone but you realize that your device freezes often, you may need to troubleshoot your device for freezing:

  • Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS software by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

  • Update your apps by going to the App Store app.

  • Check your iPhone’s storage. If it is full or almost full, free up space. There are various ways to do this. You can check the storage on your iPhone by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Here you will see various recommendations that you may want to follow.
    • Delete apps, photos or other content that you do not need

Take your iPhone in for service

If none of these troubleshooting steps fixed your iPhone XR not working after iOS 17 update issue, it’s pretty likely that there’s something wrong with the phone itself. You should contact Apple or go to an Apple store for service.

By Moses Johnson Editor
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Moses Johnson is the Editorial Director of GeeksChalk.com, who has a keen eye for news, rumors, and all the unusual stuff around Apple products. Moses is commonly referred to online as The Professor, with decades of experience in tech under his belt.
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