iPhone 12 not turning on – possible causes and how to fix

One of the most common reasons why your iPhone is not turning on is a dead battery. To see if your iPhone’s battery has drained out, plug it into an authentic lightning port charger. Keep it connected to the charger for at least 30 minutes and see if it turns on. When your iPhone has enough power, you should be able to switch it on and use it as normal.

If your iPhone won’t start, and you think there are issues with charging, check if your charger is working properly. 

Here’s how to determine that – 

• Connect another compatible device with the charger
• Try plugging the charger to a different power outlet
• Try changing the cable if it’s frayed or damaged

In the meantime, you can also try plugging your iPhone into a power bank if you don’t have access to a charger. 

If your iPhone is not turning on and you have confirmed that your charger is working, then it’s time to take a look at the charging port. Sometimes, the charging port might collect dust, lint, debris, or moisture, which causes hindrances while charging. In any case, it is a good idea to clean the port once in a while.

To clean the charging port –

• Use a flashlight to see if there’s any visible debris or corrosion
• Try using a toothpick to clean out the dirt
• You can also use a lint-free, soft cloth to clean it

If you have dropped your phone accidentally, then it is likely that the impact has damaged some internal components of the device. While you cannot determine the condition of internal parts, you can take a good look on the outside. 

• See if there are any cracks on your screen, as it is the most fragile part of your phone, it gets damaged first
• Try prompting Siri or play any audio to check if it’s just the display that’s not working
• Check if the phone’s buttons (volume buttons and side buttons) are working

If there is no visible damage to the exterior and if you have confirmed that charging the phone is not working, it is likely that some internal components have been damaged or it’s a software glitch. 

If your iPhone was dropped into water or any liquid, then it might not turn on due to water damage. Luckily, iPhones offer built-in Liquid Contact Indicators, so you can determine whether your device has been in contact with any liquids. An LCI is silver or white, but when it is exposed to liquids, it turns red. 

How to check the LCI on iPhone 12

• The iPhone 12 LCI is located inside the SIM tray, so you need the pin to remove the tray
• Once the tray is out of the way, you will need a flashlight to see the indicator inside
• If you see a small red strip, it means that your iPhone has been in contact with water

How to deal with a water-damaged iPhone

• Remove your iPhone case and accessories
• Wipe the iPhone dry with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth
• To drain out the liquid, place the iPhone in a way that the ports are facing downwards
• Wait for 24 to 48 hours, allow the phone to dry on the outside as well as inside, and then try to turn it on again

If the iPhone still won’t start, you should turn to Apple support.

Another way to deal with an iPhone that won’t start is to force restart it. A “force restart” is just a harder restart than a regular restart, as it stops all the running processes and restarts the phone. It is also more resource-intensive and time-consuming than a normal restart. Your data on the phone won’t be affected, so it’s safe to force restart your iPhone. 

As the iPhone 12 does not have a Home button, here’s how to force restart it – 

• Press and release the ‘volume up’ button
• Press and release the ‘volume down’ button
• Press and keep holding the side button until you see the Apple logo
• Let go of the side button after the Apple logo appears on the screen

Putting your iPhone 12 in the Recovery mode will require you to have access to a computer. Also, depending on what you choose, you might potentially lose your data. To use the Recovery mode, you will need a genuine lightning cable. 

Here’s how to do it – 

• If you’re using a newer MacOS version, you can use Finder. If you are using a PC or older MacOS, you will need to use iTunes
• Now, you will need to force restart it. You can do this by pressing and releasing the volume up and down buttons and then holding down the side button 
• Once the Apple logo appears, quickly connect your iPhone to the computer (while holding down the buttons)
• Release the buttons until you see the Recovery mode screen
• In Finder or iTunes, you can Restore your iPhone or Update it to the latest iOS version

If you choose to ‘Restore’ it, then the data on your iPhone will be erased. But if you opt for the ‘Update’ option, the iOS version will be updated without compromising the data.

If charging your iPhone and troubleshooting does not work, we recommend contacting Apple support or booking an appointment at the nearest service center.