Phone will not turn on, or is stuck on the logo

Charge it on a known-good charger for half an hour, then force restart. Those two steps revive most "dead" phones.

What you seeBlack screen and no response / stuck on the Apple logo or the maker's logo / restarts again and again

A. Black screen, nothing happens

1. Charge it for 30 minutes with a cable and adapter you know work on another device. A deeply flat battery shows nothing at first. Look for a battery symbol or a small light.
2. Force restart while still plugged in: - iPhone 8 and later: press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, then hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears (ten seconds or more). - Android: hold the Power button for up to 30 seconds. If nothing, hold Power and Volume Down together for 10 to 20 seconds. The full list of button combinations is on restart and force restart.
3. Is it really off? Call the phone from another one. If it rings or vibrates, the phone is working and the screen has failed.
4. Check the charger and port. See phone not charging.
5. Has it been dropped or got wet? See water damage. A black screen after a fall is usually a broken display.

If the phone gets warm on charge but shows nothing after an hour and a force restart, it needs a service centre.

B. Stuck on the logo, or restarting in a loop

This usually follows an update that did not finish, storage that filled completely, or a bad app.

Android

1. Force restart once more, and let one start-up run for ten minutes.
2. Safe Mode. If the phone gets far enough to show the lock screen, start it in Safe Mode and uninstall recent apps.
3. Recovery mode. With the phone off, hold the key combination for your make to open the recovery menu: on most phones Power + Volume Up (Samsung: connect a USB cable to a computer or earphones first on recent models, then Volume Up + Side), or Power + Volume Down followed by choosing "Recovery mode" with the volume keys. Use the volume keys to move and Power to select. - Wipe cache partition, where offered, removes temporary system files and leaves your data alone. Try it first. - Wipe data/factory reset erases everything on the phone. It is the last resort.
4. After a factory reset, Android asks for the Google account that was on the phone. Have the email and password ready, or the phone stays locked.
5. Makers also offer computer repair tools that reinstall the system: Samsung's Smart Switch for PC, the Pixel Repair Tool on Google's website.

iPhone

1. Force restart (above).
2. Recovery mode, then Update. Connect the iPhone to a computer. Open Finder on a Mac, or the Apple Devices app or iTunes on Windows. Do the force-restart button sequence, but keep holding the Side button past the Apple logo until the picture of a cable and computer appears.
3. The computer offers Update or Restore. Choose Update: it reinstalls iOS and keeps your data. If the download takes over fifteen minutes the phone leaves recovery mode; repeat the buttons.
4. Only if Update fails, choose Restore, which erases the phone. Afterwards you restore from your iCloud or computer backup.

C. It turns on, then off again

• A worn battery cannot supply the surge needed to start. The phone may run only on the charger. It needs a new battery.
• Too cold or too hot. Bring it to room temperature.
• A stuck power button (after a drop, or a tight case) restarts the phone over and over. Take the case off and check that the button clicks freely.

Your data

Force restart, Safe Mode, wiping the cache partition and iPhone's Update do not erase anything. Factory reset and Restore erase the phone. If you have no backup and the data matters, tell the service centre before they do anything; they may be able to repair the phone without wiping it. And once the phone is working, set up backup the same day.

For Android phones and iPhones. Written in November 2026 for Android 13 to 15 and iOS 17 and 18. Phone makers rename menus; use the search box in Settings if a name differs. Back up before any reset. This is an independent guide, not connected with Google, Apple, Samsung or any phone maker or operator.