iPhone Won't Turn On? Fixes to Try + When to Mail It In (UK 2026)
Direct answer: If your iPhone won't turn on, first force-restart it — on iPhone 8 and newer, quick-press Volume Up, then Volume Down, then press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears (older models use a different sequence). Then put it on a known-good cable and charger for thirty minutes and watch for the charging screen. If there is still no life, or it is stuck on the Apple logo, the cause may be a failed battery, charging fault, software issue or logic-board fault. Celltech confirms the applicable diagnostic terms and repairs by post UK-wide.
A black iPhone screen is one of the most stressful faults a phone can throw at you, not least because it locks away your photos, messages and accounts behind glass that will not light up. The good news is that a large share of "won't turn on" cases are fixable in seconds with a force restart or a proper charge, and most of the rest are hardware faults we can repair by post. This guide walks you through the free fixes first, then explains what is likely going on inside if those do not work, what it costs to put right, and how to get your data back safely.
Try this first
Before you book anything, run through these three checks in order. They take five minutes and they resolve a surprising proportion of dead-iPhone cases without any repair at all.
Force restart (by model)
A force restart is not the same as a normal restart — it cuts power at the hardware level and reboots the phone even when iOS has completely frozen. It will not erase your data.
- iPhone 8, SE (2nd/3rd gen), X and newer (including all 11–17 models): Press and quickly release Volume Up, press and quickly release Volume Down, then press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears (often 10–15 seconds; on a fully flat battery you may need to hold it longer).
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Press and hold the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button together until the Apple logo appears.
- iPhone 6s, SE (1st gen) and earlier: Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button together until the Apple logo appears.
Charge it properly (and test the cable)
A genuinely flat battery can take several minutes to show any sign of life on a charger. Plug your iPhone into a known-good cable and a known-good wall charger (not a tired laptop USB port), leave it for thirty minutes, then try the force-restart sequence again while it is still on charge. Try a second cable and a second charger if the first makes no difference — a surprising number of "dead phone" cases are a frayed cable or a failed power adaptor. If you see the low-battery outline on screen, the display is fine and you are simply waiting on charge.
Check for a black screen vs a dead phone (recovery / DFU mode)
Sometimes the iPhone is fully powered on but the display is black — a frozen screen rather than a dead device. To tell the difference, flip the mute switch and feel for the haptic buzz, or plug it into a computer. If the computer recognises it (or it buzzes), the phone is alive and the fault is display-related. If a computer sees a phone in recovery mode, you may be able to restore it from recovery — note that a restore will erase the device, so only do this if your data is backed up.
Why iPhones won't turn on
If none of the above worked, the fault is almost certainly one of the following. Knowing which one helps you understand the diagnosis and the cost.
Dead or failed battery (most common)
An iPhone battery that has deep-discharged past a certain point, or one that has failed internally, will not deliver enough current to boot the phone even on a charger. This is the single most common cause of a no-power iPhone, especially on handsets three or more years old. A genuine-capacity battery replacement reliably fixes it. Popular battery replacements start at around £44.95 for an iPhone 11 or 13 and around £74.95 for an iPhone 15, fitted by post with a 27-month guarantee — see our full iPhone battery replacement price list.
Software crash / boot loop (common)
A corrupted update, a bad app or a storage-full phone can leave iOS unable to complete its boot sequence — the Apple logo appears, disappears and repeats. This is a boot loop, and it is usually recoverable without new hardware. See our dedicated boot-loop and stuck-on-logo guide for the recovery-mode steps.
Charging port or charge-IC failure
If the battery will not take charge at all, the fault may be the charging port (lint and pocket debris pack tight over time) or the charge controller on the logic board. A simple port cleaning or replacement is inexpensive; a charge-IC fault is board-level work. Charging-port and connector repairs carry a 9-month guarantee, reflecting their connector nature.
Liquid damage (120-day board guarantee)
Liquid inside an iPhone causes corrosion that can interrupt power rails within hours or weeks of the exposure, even if the phone worked fine for a while afterwards. Liquid-damage repair is board-level work — ultrasonic cleaning plus component-level diagnosis — and carries a 120-day guarantee. If you suspect liquid, see what to do first with a water-damaged phone.
Logic board / power fault (less common)
A failure on a power rail, a shorted component or physical drop damage can stop the board from powering on. This is the least common cause but the most involved to fix, and it is exactly where celltech's board-level capability matters — see what board-level repair involves. Board-level work carries a 120-day guarantee.
When you need a professional repair
If the free fixes have not worked, it is time to hand the phone to a technician. celltech is a UK-wide mail-in specialist — the service is postal-only, with no "near me" lottery. You follow the inbound instructions supplied for your completed order, we diagnose the phone under the stated terms, and we quote the exact repair before any work starts. Because we work at component level, we can chase a no-power fault down to the specific failed part rather than swapping the whole logic board — the approach Apple itself does not offer.
Repair options & cost
Most no-power iPhones are fixed by one of two repairs. A battery replacement (from £44.95 on older models up to the current flagship, fitted by post, 27-month guarantee) resolves the majority of cases. Where the fault is the port or the charge controller, a charging-port repair (9-month guarantee) is the next most common fix. The published iPhone liquid-damage treatment is £89.95 and includes diagnostic and ultrasonic cleaning; any additional board-level or charging-IC work is quoted after diagnosis. If your phone is older, it is worth weighing the repair against replacement — our beyond-economical-repair guide sets out the maths honestly. For how these figures sit alongside every other Apple repair, see our full Apple repair cost guide.
What about my data?
Data may still be recoverable, but the outcome depends on the fault and storage condition. A battery, port or board-level repair can sometimes restore access without storage replacement, but no repair can guarantee preservation. For the full picture, see data recovery from a dead phone and our wider guide to what happens to your data during a repair.
As a matter of good habit, always keep a current backup — you never know when a no-power fault will strike. Our pre-repair backup guide shows the quickest routes. For the same problem on an iPad, the diagnosis is nearly identical: see our iPad won't turn on guide.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't my iPhone turn on even when charging?
The three usual causes are a battery that has failed or deep-discharged past the point where it can boot the phone, a charging port or charge-controller fault that stops the battery taking charge, or a frayed cable or dead adaptor masquerading as a dead phone. Force-restart the iPhone first, then test a known-good cable and charger for thirty minutes. If there is still no life, it is most likely the battery or the charging circuit — book a diagnostic.
How do I force restart an iPhone that won't turn on?
On iPhone 8 and newer, quick-press Volume Up, quick-press Volume Down, then hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears. iPhone 7 uses Volume Down plus the Side button; iPhone 6s and earlier use the Home button plus the Side (or Top) button. A force restart will not erase your data.
My iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo — how do I fix it?
That is a boot loop, usually caused by a corrupted update or a storage problem rather than dead hardware. A force-restart sometimes clears it; if not, connecting to a computer and restoring from recovery mode is the next step — but a restore erases the device, so only do it if you have a backup. Our stuck-on-logo guide walks through it in detail.
Is it the battery or the charging port?
If the phone briefly shows a charging symbol or buzzes when you plug it in but never boots, the battery is the more likely culprit. If there is no response to any cable or charger, and a friend's identical cable also fails, the port or charge controller is more likely. A free bench diagnostic confirms which, before you spend any money.
Can a water-damaged iPhone that won't turn on be saved?
Sometimes. Liquid-damage work can include cleaning and component-level diagnosis, but feasibility, data access and recovery outcome depend on the extent of corrosion. This specialist tier carries 120 days of repair-specific cover. See our first steps with a water-damaged phone.
Will I lose my data if my iPhone won't turn on?
It depends on the fault and storage condition. Component repair may preserve access to existing data, but no outcome can be guaranteed. Back up regularly where possible; if the device is not repairable, a separate data-recovery assessment may be available.
How much does it cost to fix an iPhone that won't turn on?
It depends on the cause. A battery replacement — the most common fix — starts at around £44.95 fitted by post with a 27-month guarantee. A charging-port repair carries a 9-month guarantee. The iPhone liquid-damage treatment is £89.95; any additional board-level or charge-IC work is quoted after diagnosis.
Can I post my iPhone in for repair and is it insured?
Yes. Book online and choose a suitable tracked inbound service. Return delivery follows the order terms, so you do not need to live near our office.