Apple

How to Force Restart or Hard Reset iPhone XR

Published

7 months ago

01/26/2023

If your iPhone XR suddenly becomes unresponsive you should try force restarting or hard resetting your device.

iPhone XR users are complaining about a variety of issues as we push into the new year. The grows every time Apple releases new iOS 16 software.

Lockups and freezes are among the more prominent issues impacting the iPhone XR. Unlike battery drain and connectivity issues, these problems are typically easy to fix.

If your iPhone XR locks up and stops responding to gestures, we recommend a hard reset. The process only takes a few seconds and it should return your phone to a normal state. This won’t wipe any data stored the device, it simply forces your device to restart.

If you find that your iPhone XR is locking up frequently, you might need to update your apps via the App Store, update your device to the latest version of iOS 16. You may also want to check out our guide to fixing common performance problems.

Here’s what you need to do to quickly fix your frozen iPhone XR.

How to Hard Reset iPhone XR

If you owned an older iPhone model, you might remember the old process which required you to hold down two buttons to force restart the iPhone.

On newer iPhones like the iPhone XR, you now need to press two buttons quickly and then press and hold a third button to force restart.

The process might take you a few tries to master, but once you’ve gotten the hang of it, it should be committed to memory and you’ll be good to go whenever you run into these issues in the future.

If your iPhone XR stops responding to touches and swipes, here’s what you need to do:

Press on the Volume Up button located on the left side of the phone and let go.
Press on the Volume Down button and let go.
Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

You need to press the volume up button and volume down button very quickly, but not at the same time. The side button is what Apple calls the power button on newer devices. After holding the side button down for a few seconds, your iPhone should restart itself.

If you find yourself having to force restart your iPhone XR all the time, you should try reseting all of your phone’s settings in the Settings app. In some cases, you might even need to speak with Apple customer service and see if they have a solution.

If for some reason your iPhone XR doesn’t startup or turn on normally, Apple recommends plugging the phone into a charger to let it charge. You should let it charge for up to an hour.

If you still see a black screen or you’re still having issues with the touchscreen after trying that, you’ll want to get in touch with Apple’s customer support.

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 16.6.1 & 11 Reasons You Should

Install iOS 16.6.1 for Better Security

1 / 15

If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's iOS 16.6.1 update on your iPhone right away.

iOS 16.6.1 isn't a huge upgrade, but it does have two important security patches for your device on board. If you're interested in what they patch up, here's Apple's guide.

As for older software, the iOS 16.6 update delivered 16 security patches. For more information about the changes, check out Apple's rundown.

iOS 16.5.1 brought two security patches to iPhone users If you want to learn more, head on over to Apple's website.

The company's iOS Security Response 16.5.1 (c) update also included a security update and you can learn more about it right here.

iOS 16.5 brought a ton of security patches to the iPhone. You can find out more about them over on Apple's security site.

iOS 16.4.1 included two security upgrades . You can learn more about the pair right here.

Apple's iOS 16.4 update had a substantial number of patches on board. You can read about them in detail over on Apple's security site.

The iOS 16.3.1 update had three security patches on board including one for an actively exploited vulnerability. For more on the security contents of iOS 16.3.1, check out Apple's security page.

iOS 16.3 brought 10+ new security patches with it and you can learn more about all of those right here.

In addition, the software came with support for physical security keys for Apple ID. These will beef up your account security by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process. Learn more about the change right here.

If you skipped iOS 16.2, you'll get its changes with iOS 16.6.1. iOS 16.2 brought a ton of important security patches with it and you can dig into the details on Apple's security site.

The update also brought end-to-end encryption to iCloud, iMessage, iPhone backups, Notes, Photos, and more. If you want to learn more about it, head over to Apple's guide.

If you decided to missed iOS 16.1.2, you'll get its solitary security patch with your upgrade. Learn more about it right here.

If you skipped iOS 16.1.1, you'll get its security patches when you upgrade. You can learn more about them right here.

If you missed the iOS 16.1 update, it brought 19 security patches to the iPhone and you can learn about the particulars of those over on Apple's website.

If you failed to download iOS 16.0.3, it had one security patch on board, a fix for a potential exploit within the Mail app. For more about the fix, check out Apple's security site.

If you're still running iOS 15 your iPhone, you'll get a bunch of other patches when you upgrade.

iOS 16.0 brought a ton of security patches to the iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's security website.

In addition to those patches, iOS 16 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including Safety Check which, according to Apple, will help "people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations review and reset the access they’ve granted others."

The feature also resets system privacy permissions for apps and restricts Messages and FaceTime to the device on hand.

Apple's also made some improvements to Passkeys in Safari. iOS 16 brings a brand new sign-in method that's end-to-end encrypted and safe from phishing and data leaks.