Dealing with a malfunctioning screen or preferring physical buttons makes it useful to know how to power off your iPhone without using the touch screen. Luckily, Apple offers alternative methods for shutting down your iPhone that don’t require screen interaction. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to power off your iPhone in 2024 without touching the screen.
KEYPOINT: Tap and release the volume up button quickly without touching anything else on the phone. Tap and release the volume down button. After that, press and hold the side (power) button. Ignore the slide to power off and continue holding the side button until the screen goes blank. Release the side button before the apple logo appears on the phone.
Method 1: Using Physical Buttons
This method is the simplest and most direct way to turn off your iPhone when you are unable to use the touch screen.
Steps:
- Simultaneously press and hold the Side Button (or Top Button on older models) and one of the Volume buttons.
- Continue holding both buttons until the “slide to power off” screen appears.
- Use the physical buttons (either volume or side buttons) to hold down the power off slider, allowing the phone to shut down. If this is unsuccessful, you can force a shutdown (explained in Method 2).
Method 2: Force Shutdown (Hard Reset)
This method compels the iPhone to shut down in case the touch screen is unresponsive, and you cannot slide the “Power Off” slider.
Steps:
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side Button (or Top Button) until the screen goes black and the Apple logo appears.
- This will force the iPhone to restart, and if you don’t hold the button after the Apple logo appears, the phone will remain powered off.
Method 3: Using Voice Control (for Accessibility)
If you’re seeking a touch-free way to turn off your iPhone and the buttons aren’t working for some reason, Voice Control is an excellent accessibility feature.
Steps:
- Activate Siri by pressing and holding the Side or Home button, or by saying “Hey Siri” (if enabled).
- Once Siri is activated, say “Turn off iPhone”.
- Siri will respond with a prompt on the screen. If you can’t use the screen to confirm the action, try asking Siri again to force the shutdown.
Alternatively, you can use Voice Control:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control and enable Voice Control.
- Once enabled, say “Open Control Center”.
- Then say “Turn Off iPhone”.
Note: Voice Control may require some initial setup to work, and it relies on screen commands, so it’s not always the most reliable if your screen is completely unresponsive.
Method 4: Using AssistiveTouch (If Pre-Configured)
If you’ve previously enabled AssistiveTouch for accessibility purposes, you can use it to power off your iPhone without needing to touch the screen.
Steps:
- If AssistiveTouch is already enabled, press the AssistiveTouch button (a floating circle on your screen).
- Navigate to Device.
- Tap and hold Lock Screen until the power off slider appears.
- Use the side buttons to slide the power off slider.
Method 5: Let the Battery Drain
As a last resort, if none of the above methods are available or effective, you can allow the iPhone’s battery to completely drain, causing it to shut off automatically. This is not ideal for immediate power down but can work in emergencies.
Conclusion
Powering off your iPhone without touching the screen is easy if you know which methods to use. Whether you’re using the physical buttons, force shutdown, or even voice control, these alternatives ensure that you can turn off your iPhone even with an unresponsive screen in 2024.
