What to do if your iPhone screen goes completely white, does not display any application icons and seems to no longer respond to your requests? And what is the cause? Here we will see how to get the iPhone back to working order and ideally restore your data as it is…
You turn on your iPhone and it presents you with a screen white ? Do not panic, it is possible to troubleshoot the device. The operation will be more or less easy depending on whether this failure is of a “software” or “hardware” nature. Here we will see what can be done to restore iPhone system in a normal state.
What can cause a white screen?
Very rarely, the problem could come from having zoomed too much on the white part ofa picture. It would then suffice to zoom out on the image with three fingers.
Most of the time, the screen white is caused by an incomplete or illicit (according to Apple) system update.
- The most common reason is this: an iOS update could not be completed as expected due to the device being turned off prematurely.
- You tried to install a “jailbroken” version of iOS and it was identified as such and refused. The “jailbroken” versions are made by developers who bypass certain limitations of iOS. It is possible that a jailbroken version did not install well or that Apple blocked it.
In these two cases, you need to force a restart.
Forced restart
The way to initiate a forced restart differs between models.
|
iPhone 8 Plus, X and later models |
1. Briefly press the volume up button; 2. Briefly press the volume down button; 3. Press and hold the side button (on the right); 4. When the Apple logo appears, normally after 10 seconds, release the side button. |
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iPhone 8 / iPhone SE / 6S and earlier |
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button (under the screen) simultaneously. When the Apple logo appears, release them. |
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iPhone 7 / 7 Plus |
Hold down the volume down button and the power button simultaneously. When the Apple logo appears, release them. |
When the iPhone restarts, it may be back to its “usual” state. You find your configuration as it is: your icons applications, your data (photos, videos, music, etc.) and settings. In this case, you don’t have to go any further. However, most of the time, the iPhone has engaged the “Recovery / DFU” mode.
Le mode Recovery / DFU
The “Recovery / DFU” mode produces a reset of the smartphone. It is found as in factory condition. DFU stands for Device Firmware Update, that is to say Device firmware update.
Le mode Recovery :
- erases data from the device;
- download the latest version of iOS;
- reinstall iOS.
iPhone Data Recovery
If Recovery mode has been activated, you must then restore your iPhone to its previous state, with your applications, photos, video, notes… To do this, the device will use the last backup you made on your iCloud account or on a computer. This obviously assumes that such backups have taken place.
Once the Recovery is performed, several options are possible.
- If you have backed up your data on iCloud, and you have a recent iPhone, then the iPhone offers itself to restore data from l’iPhone from your iCloud account.
- Otherwise, you need to connect your iPhone via a USB / lightning cable to a Mac, locate the mention iPhone in the Finder and open it. You will then have the option to restore iPhone data.
- If your Mac is running on a version of macOS earlier than 10.15 (Catalina), the mention iPhone does not appear in the Finder. In this case (or if you have connected your iPhone to a PC), you need to load iTunes. You will then have the possibility to restore the data of the iPhone since the last backup made, whether on iCloud or on the computer in question.
In Windows 11, since January 2023, Apple no longer manages iTunes and has replaced it with the “Apple Devices” app for backup / synchronization / recovery operations.
iPhone Physical Repair
If the manipulations indicated here do not result in the iPhone working again, the problem is at the hardware level.
In this case, it is quite possible that the cable that connects the motherboard of the iPhone to its screen has loosened or deteriorated, following one or more falls of the device. The device should then be taken to a specialized repairer.