How-to: force restart iPhone 12, enter recovery mode, DFU mode, etc. [Video]

Apart from the iPhone SE, every iPhone sold today by Apple has an “edge to edge” screen without a physical home button. If you are upgrading from a device with a home button, this refresher course can help you learn how to force restart your iPhone 12, enter recovery mode, DFU mode, etc. . Watch our hands-on video tutorial inside for more details.

Start

This tutorial will work for any newer versions of iPhone 12, including iPhone 12 Pro, and upcoming iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Now when I use the term iPhone 12 I am referring to all iPhone 12 models.

You will need to be familiar with the buttons on your iPhone to perform any of the following functions. There are two volume buttons on the left side of the iPhone, as well as a side button on the opposite side.

Since modern iPhone hardware does not have the Home button, the side button as well as the volume buttons play a decisive role when it comes to force reset, enter recovery mode, DFU mode , etc.

IPhone 12 volume buttons and side button

Video procedure

How to turn off iPhone 12

Powering off iPhone 12 can be done through several methods. The easiest way to turn off iPhone 12 is to hold down the side button with one of the volume buttons until the slide to turn off the cursor appears at the top of the screen. From there, just swipe to turn off your iPhone.

You can also go to Settings → General, scroll to the bottom of the page and press the Close button. This will cause the slide to turn off cursor to appear at the top of the screen.

How to turn on iPhone 12

To restart your iPhone 12, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen. If that doesn't work, your iPhone may need to be charged. If your iPhone has a black screen and the side button isn't working, it could be because your iPhone 12 is in DFU mode. Check out the tutorial to exit DFU mode below.

How to force restart iPhone 12

To force restart iPhone 12, do the following quickly:

Step 1: Press Volume up and release.

Step 2: Press Volume down and release.

Step 3: Press and hold the side button until you see a black screen.

Your iPhone 12 will restart and automatically restart on the lock screen.

How to put iPhone 12 into recovery mode

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your computer with a Lightning to USB cable. If this is the first time you have connected your iPhone to this computer, you will need to press the Trust button that appears on the Trust this computer dialogue that appears. You will then need to enter your password on your iPhone to confirm the pairing.

Then perform the following steps in quick succession:

Step 2: Press Volume up and release.

Step 3: Press Volume down and release.

Step 4: Press and hold the side button until the Connect to Computer dialog box appears on the screen.

If you're signed in to a Mac, Finder should recognize that you've entered recovery mode. Instead of having the option to update iOS, you should only see the Restore option, which is another indication that you have successfully entered DFU mode.

How to exit DFU mode on iPhone 12

Exiting DFU mode is a bit more complicated than exiting normal recovery mode:

Step 1: Press Volume up and release.

Step 2: Press Volume down and release.

Step 3: Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo. Your iPhone should restart on the lock screen.

How to Temporarily Disable Face ID on iPhone 12

To temporarily turn off FaceID on iPhone 12, press and hold one of the volume buttons as well as the Side button until the slide to turn off the cursor appears. Press the "X" button at the bottom of the screen to return to the lock screen, and you will see a message stating Your password is required to activate Face ID. Once you enter your device password, Face ID will be automatically reactivated.

How to use Emergency SOS on iPhone 12

Please note: activating the emergency SOS will contact the emergency authorities. Please only use this feature in a real emergency.

There are three ways to call Emergency SOS on iPhone 12:

  • Press and hold one of the volume buttons as well as the side button and hold each button to trigger the emergency SOS.
  • Press and hold one of the volume buttons as well as the side button until slide to turn off the cursor appears. Use the Emergency SOS slider to activate the Emergency SOS.
  • Go to Settings → Emergency SOS and activate the Call with side button switch. This will allow you to call the emergency SOS by pressing the side button 5 times in a row.

If you are upgrading from an iPhone with a home button, such as iPhone 7 or iPhone 8, or even second generation iPhone SE, the methods to perform all of the aforementioned functions are quite different from what you may be used to.

While you never need to use recovery mode, and using DFU mode is even more unlikely, everyone should know how to force restart his iPhone. Force restarting comes in handy for those occasional cases where your iPhone becomes extremely bogged down or completely unresponsive. If you take just one tip from this tutorial, it should definitely be how to force restart.

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