What is a hard reset / force restart on an iPhone 13/14?

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[WCHS]

Elsewhere, I read that on an iPhone 13, you do a hard reset by:

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
4. Release the side button when the Apple logo appears.

I have also read the same thing on the Apple Support website <here>.

However, on my iPhone 14, when I only long-press {press and hold} the side button (nothing else), the Apple logo appears. Is this not a hard reset? If not, what is it? I get the Apple logo.

• This topic was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by WCHS.
• This topic was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by WCHS.

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WCHS wrote:

However, on my iPhone 14, when I only long-press {press and hold} the side button (nothing else), the Apple logo appears. Is this not a hard reset? If not, what is it? I get the Apple logo.

The instructions you posted is for a Forced restart which should only be used when the phone is frozen and not responding. It is a different way to restart, but is the same restart as the one you use.
To shutdown/restart the iPhone you press the up volume and side buttons at the same time. I suspect you don’t notice by the way you hold the phone that when you press and hold the side button you don’t notice the Up Volume button is being pressed where you are holding it. Holding the side button down till the Apple logo appears is simply doing shutdown and then startup in one action.

HTH, Dana:))

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@WCHS.  These instructions are getting confusing I think as the steps to turn your iPhone off then back on are getting garbled with the Forced Restart  instructions.  These instructions from Apple for each action I hope are helpful.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/force-restart-iphone-iph8903c3ee6/ios

https://support.apple.com/en-us/118259

iPhone 13, 2019 iMac(SSD)

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Hi Drcard:
I have gone through this in two ways to see what happens:

1. The phone is working. I long-press on the right-side. Nothing happens (only something like a Siri bubble). So, I was wrong about the long-press here.
2. The phone is working. I press the up-volume button on the left and the right side button at the same time. I get a slider for turning off. After it turns off, THEN I long-press on the right-side to get the phone started again. (You were right; I didn’t realize that I was pressing the up-volume button)

I have read that every once in a while, it is a good idea to start fresh and clear out any stuff that might be in the way of the system’s operating cleanly. So, I have done #2 above. Does #2 accomplish this – clears out the system to start fresh?

On the other hand, the hard set/forced restart is reserved for a situation when the phone has stopped responding? But, you only do this if the phone is “stuck”? (maybe, this incurs some wear and tear on the device that #2 does not, so use this method only if the phone is unresponsive.)

I am new to my iPhone, so I can benefit from getting this straight.

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@WCHS.  If you only long press the right side button and DO NOT hold a volume button at the same time, you are activating Siri.  You get the Siri symbol in the bottom of the home screen. This is not the Apple symbol and is not a “shutdown/restart” explained in the links I posted above. Here is the Siri long press side button instruction. Good luck.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-siri-iph83aad8922/18.0/ios/18.0

WHCS…this is a good guide of the gestures needed to perform many common commands on an iPhone, eg, Forced Restart.  It is what I used and still use to interact with my iPhone 13.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/learn-gestures-for-iphone-models-with-face-id-iphfdf164cac/ios#:~:text=Swipe%20up%20from%20the%20bottom,Home%20Screen%20at%20any%20time.

iPhone 13, 2019 iMac(SSD)

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WCHS

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Hi @pmcjr6142:
Thanks for the link to the iPhone gestures. Very helpful.

I think I am clear on the difference between “Turn off” and “Force restart” and the gestures for them.

So does one “Turn off”? or “Force restart”? to start fresh and clear out any stuff that might be in the way of the system’s operating cleanly (even though the phone is not frozen, but seems to be a bit sluggish or a bit confused)?

Is it recommended to do it every once in a while, just to have a ‘clean slate’?

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Personally, I “turn off ” and then “turn on” my phone once a week.  I would “force restart” if I have a problem….although, I think both accomplish the same thing.  IMO

iPhone 13, 2019 iMac(SSD)

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Bill C.

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