Plus pointers to keep it from recurring
Is your iPhone stuck on a black screen with a loading circle? That happens when your iPhone’s operating system gets corrupt, crashes, and fails to boot. The loading circle indicates your device is attempting a system repair or self-repair.
Your iPhone should boot in a few minutes if everything goes right. Try the troubleshooting steps in this tutorial if your iPhone won’t boot out of the black screen with a spinning wheel.
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Why Is Your iPhone Screen Stuck On the Loading Circle Screen?
Buggy or unstable iOS updates, outdated third-party apps, and corrupt system settings are some reasons why iPhones crash. Hardware-related damages can also cause your iPhone to get stuck on the black screen with a loading circle.
Whatever the problem is, the troubleshooting recommendations below should get your iPhone working correctly again.
1. Force Restart Your iPhone
A force restart (or hard reset) should get your stuck or unresponsive iPhone working correctly again. The operation prompts your device to reboot, regardless of the current state of the system software. How you force restart your iPhone will vary depending on its model and operating system.
You can trigger a force-restart by pressing or holding down buttons that change depending on the iPhone model.
How to Force Restart iPhone 8 Series (and Newer Models)
Follow these steps to force restart the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and later models that feature Face ID or Touch ID.
1. Press and release the Volume Up button.
2. Next, press and release the Volume Down button.
3. Press and hold the Side button. Release the button when the Apple logo appears on your screen.
How to Force Restart iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
If you use an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, simultaneously hold down the Volume Down and Side buttons. Release both buttons when you see the Apple logo on the screen.
How to Force Restart iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus (and Older Models)
On the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and older iPhone models, press and hold both the Home and the Side/Top buttons until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
In most cases, force restarting an iPhone is a surefire way to eliminate the black screen with a loading circle issue. It can also fix other problems, such as an iPhone stuck at the Apple logo or an iPhone displaying a white screen.
After performing a force-restart, your iPhone should—hopefully—load iOS without issues. You can then enter your device passcode to access the Home screen. If that doesn’t help, use Recovery Mode or DFU Mode (see the next section) to sort things out.
2. Update or Restore Your iPhone in Recovery Mode
Your iPhone likely has corrupt system software if it displays a black screen with a loading circle after performing a force restart. Reinstalling or resetting iOS in Recovery Mode should fix the software corruption.
We’ve covered everything you need to know about entering and using Recovery Mode on the iPhone in a separate post, but here’s a brief rundown:
1. Connect your iPhone via USB to a Mac or PC.
2. Launch iTunes or Finder on your Mac or PC.
2. Force restart your iPhone model, but keep holding the button(s) when the Apple logo appears on your screen. You should see the Recovery Mode screen on your iPhone and Mac/PC soon after.
Once you enter Recovery Mode, iTunes or Finder displays two options—Update or Restore iPhone to factory settings.
We recommend updating your iPhone before restoring it to factory default. The “Update” option installs the latest iOS version on your iPhone without deleting your files or data.
Performing a “Restore” resets your iPhone to factory settings, erasing everything on the device.
Update iOS in Recovery Mode
Select Update to prompt your Mac or PC to download the latest copy of the iPhone’s system software from the Apple servers. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to reinstall iOS.
As mentioned earlier, the “Update” option reinstalls the latest version of iOS without erasing your data. You must give that a shot first.
Restore iPhone
Again, restoring an iPhone in Recovery Mode resets the device to factory settings. You will lose your data, but you can get that back via an iCloud or Finder/iTunes backup.
Restore your iPhone only if updating iOS fails to fix the black screen with the loading circle issue.
Select Restore > Restore and Update to reset the device.
3. Restore Your iPhone in DFU Mode
DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode wipes and reinstalls your iPhone’s system software and firmware (the programming that makes the hardware work). Restore your iPhone in DFU mode only if Recovery Mode fails to resolve the black screen with the loading circle issue.
Entering DFU Mode requires you to perform complicated button presses while having your iPhone connected to a Mac or PC. Check out this post on entering and using DFU Mode on iPhone for step-by-step instructions.
In DFU Mode, you have only one option—restore your iPhone to factory defaults.
Select Restore iPhone, and your Mac or PC will automatically download and install the latest version of iOS, including the device’s firmware.
Remember that you’ll lose your device’s data. When your iPhone starts working correctly, you can restore your data using iTunes/Finder or iCloud backups.
Tips to Avoid Black Screen With Loading Circle Issue
If force-restarting your iPhone or updating it in Recovery Mode helped, the pointers below should minimize the chances of the issue occurring again.
Keep iOS Updated
New iOS updates come with numerous stability fixes and enhancements. If you haven’t updated your iPhone recently, go to Settings > General > Software Update and install any pending updates.
Update Third-Party Apps
Third-party apps can cause your iPhone to crash and get stuck. Ensure you have the latest or updated version of all applications on your iPhone.
Long-press the App Store icon, select Updates, and select Update All.
Free Up Internal Storage
iOS devices can also get stuck at a black screen with a loading circle if low on storage space.
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and use the various storage recommendations to free up space.
You can also delete or offload unnecessary apps and reduce your iPhone’s Other storage.
Downgrade to Stable iOS Version
Expect frequent or reoccurring software glitches and device malfunctions if you use a beta iOS version. Downgrade to the stable channel or version to prevent your iPhone from crashing. Refer to our tutorial on downgrading iOS for step-by-step instructions.
Reset All Settings
Resetting the settings on your iPhone helps you deal with any corrupt configurations behind the black screen with a spinning circle issue.
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone and tap Reset.
- Select Reset All Settings, enter your iPhone passcode, and tap Reset All Settings.
Factory Reset Your iPhone
Reset your iPhone to factory settings if it keeps crashing or gets stuck on the black screen.
Start by creating an iCloud or a Finder/iTunes backup to insulate against data loss. You can restore your apps and settings after the factory reset.
Head to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone and tap Erase All Content and Settings.
iPhone Stuck On Loading Screen After Reset?
Force-restarting or restoring your iPhone in Recovery/DFU Mode should fix the black screen with the spinning wheel issue. Go through the pointers above to prevent it from becoming a recurrent problem.
However, if none of the fixes helped, take your iPhone to a Genius Bar or Apple Store for assistance.
