Why Your iPhone Is Stuck On A White Screen (And How To Fix It)

iPhones are reliable, but like any smartphone, they can occasionally freeze and become unresponsive. Sometimes, your iPhone might not turn on or refuse to charge. Other times, it might be stuck on a white screen. When this happens, the screen is on but only displays a white light. Tapping the screen or attempting to turn off the iPhone doesn't work. As a result, this issue is sometimes called the "White Screen of Death." While that might sound ominous, it's often easy to fix.

If you've tried (and failed) to install a software update, your iPhone might display a white screen. It might also be caused when you attempt to jailbreak your iPhone. While a software-related white screen issue is easier to fix, an underlying hardware problem might also be the culprit. The latter usually happens when the iPhone has been damaged from being dropped or if there's an issue with a connection to the display. A hardware problem will need to be fixed by Apple, but if a software glitch has caused the white screen, there are a few things you can try before taking your iPhone in for service.

When an iPhone's display is stuck on a white screen, it prevents you from restarting the device the conventional way. In this case, you can attempt to force restart your iPhone to see if it fixes the issue. Since a force restart uses a combination of buttons, you can try this even if your iPhone's display is unresponsive. If you have an iPhone 8 or later or an iPhone SE second or third-generation model, follow these steps to force restart your device:

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. When the Apple logo appears on the screen, release the side button.

If you have an iPhone 7 series model, you can simultaneously press and hold the volume down and side buttons until the Apple logo appears on the screen. On an older iPhone, press and hold the Home button and side button simultaneously until the logo appears. A force restart will cause your iPhone to reboot and, hopefully, fix the stuck white screen.

If force restarting your iPhone doesn't work, you can try putting your iPhone in recovery mode. This involves connecting it to your Mac or Windows PC and installing an update. Before putting your iPhone in recovery mode, ensure you have a Lightning to USB cable to connect your iPhone to a computer. If you're using a Windows PC, you'll need to have iTunes installed.

Follow these steps to put your iPhone in recovery mode:

1. Connect your iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC.

2. On a Mac, open Finder. On a Windows PC, open iTunes.

3. Select the iPhone.

4. If you have an iPhone 8 or later, follow these steps: press and quickly release the volume up button, press and quickly release volume down, and press and hold the side button.

5. If you have an iPhone 7 series device, press and hold the side and volume down buttons simultaneously. Press and hold the side/top and Home button on older iPhones.

6. Keep the buttons pressed until the recovery mode logo (laptop with a cable) appears on the screen.

7. An option to restore or update will appear on your computer. Select Update.

8. The computer will now download and install the update on your iPhone.

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The recovery mode process takes a few minutes, but if it goes on longer than 15 minutes, your iPhone will exit the mode. If this happens, select the iPhone on your computer and repeat the steps.

If nothing seems to be working, you can try performing a DFU (Device Firmware Update) restore. Putting your iPhone in DFU mode should be a last resort for resolving the stuck white screen on your iPhone. Unlike recovery mode, DFU mode prevents the bootloader from being activated but still allows the iPhone to connect to Finder or iTunes. Follow these steps to enter DFU mode on an iPhone 8 or later:

1. Connect your iPhone to a computer using a Lightning cable.

2. Open Finder on a Mac or iTunes on Windows.

3. Select the iPhone.

4. Press and quickly release the volume up button.

5. Press and quickly release the volume down button.

6. Press the side button until the screen goes black.

7. While holding the side button, hold the volume down button.

8. After five seconds, release the side button while continuing to hold the volume down button.

9. If you have an iPhone 7, press and hold the side and volume down buttons for eight seconds, then release the side button while continuing to hold volume down. On an older iPhone, press and hold the Home and side buttons for eight seconds, then release the side button while holding the Home button.

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10. Your computer should detect an iPhone in recovery mode. Click on Restore.

Nothing will be displayed on your iPhone's screen in DFU mode. If the Apple logo appears, it means your iPhone has accidentally entered recovery mode. To exit DFU mode, force restart your iPhone.