The screen stops responding. Apps freeze. Slide to power off never appears. On iOS 27 that is still a hardware button sequence, not a Settings toggle.
Apple’s iPhone User Guide (iph8903c3ee6) and Support article 116940 call it a force restart. Photos, apps, and accounts stay on the phone. You are not erasing anything.
Do this when touch input is dead, when the display is black with no response, or when a normal shut down is impossible. If the phone still wakes and opens Control Center, try a normal restart first.
Force restart on Face ID models
Apple’s current path covers iPhone 8 and later with Face ID, including current iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 Pro lineups on iOS 27.
Press and quickly release the volume up button. Press and quickly release the volume down button. Press and hold the side button. Keep holding until the Apple logo appears. Apple notes this may take longer than 10 seconds. Release the side button when the logo shows.
Do not keep holding through the logo into recovery by accident. For a force restart you stop when the Apple mark is on screen.
Older models with a Home button
Apple still documents two older patterns in Support 116940.
On iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, press and hold the side button and the volume down button together until the Apple logo appears.
On iPhone 6s and earlier, press and hold the Home button and the side button (or top button) until the Apple logo appears, about 10 seconds.
Those phones are outside the iOS 27 install base. The steps remain useful if a family member brings an older handset that froze.
If the Apple logo never returns
Apple’s next check is power. Charge the iPhone for one hour, then try the same force restart again. If a low-battery icon shows, Apple says check the cable and charger hardware, then charge about 30 minutes or until the phone starts.
A force restart does not free internal storage. If updates fail with Storage Almost Full after the phone is responsive again, clear space under Settings, General, iPhone Storage first. Our earlier note on freeing space when Storage Almost Full blocks an update covers Offload App and related rows.
Wi-Fi or cellular weirdness after a freeze is separate. When the phone boots but networks stay broken, Apple’s path is Reset Network Settings, not another force restart loop.
When force restart is not enough
If the logo never comes back, or the phone stays stuck on the Apple mark with no progress bar for several minutes, Apple points to recovery mode with a Mac or Windows PC (Support 118106). Connect with a compatible cable. On the computer, Finder or the Apple Devices / iTunes flow offers Update first. Restore erases the device. Try Update before Restore when data matters.
Safari stalls, Face ID fails, and locked apps are different problems. Clear site data when pages hang (Safari history and website data). Reset Face ID when recognition fails. Today’s tip on Require Face ID to lock or hide an app is for privacy, not a freeze.
Public tip and beta build numbers change often. Check the day’s iOS 27.2 public beta firmware note if you were mid-update when the phone locked up.
If buttons stick or recovery mode cannot run, Apple says the device may need service.
Photo: Apple
Source: Apple Support 116940 (unresponsive iPhone), Apple iPhone User Guide force restart (iph8903c3ee6), Apple Support 118106 (recovery mode update or restore)
