So you just got a new iPhone XR, congrats! You‘re probably discovering all kinds of changes compared to your old iPhone with a home button. One difference to note – turning off your iPhone XR isn‘t quite as simple anymore.
Don‘t worry! Whether you need to power down fully before a flight, reset your phone when frozen, or wipe your data before selling, I‘ll show you exactly how to turn off an iPhone XR in this detailed guide.
We‘ll cover:
- Reasons for turning off your iPhone
- Two step-by-step methods with photos
- Fixes for shutdown issues
- FAQs on powering down modern iPhones
Let‘s start with why it‘s important to know how to fully power off your phone…
Why Should You Bother Turning Off Your iPhone XR?
With all-day battery life on a single charge, you may never feel the need to power down your iPhone XR completely. But there are a few instances where you‘ll need to shut it off fully:
Airplane Mode Isn‘t Enough
While airplane mode disables cellular service and wifi during flights, fully powering off conserves even more battery, especially on longer trips. This helps avoid draining your phone if you want to watch downloaded movies or play games offline throughout your flight or journey.
As Apple explains, iOS devices use less power turned off vs. in airplane mode, so you‘ll have extra juice when you power back on.
Reset Frozen or Unresponsive iPhones
Over years of use, glitches can build up that cause an iPhone to freeze and become unresponsive to pressing buttons or tapping the screen.
If a normal restart doesn‘t work, force restarting your iPhone essentially gives it a fresh start – clearing any small software issues without losing data or settings.
It‘s the go-to solution recommended by Apple support and acts just like rebooting a computer.
Protect Personal Data Before Selling or Gifting
Part of the process of securely handing down, selling, or trading in your iPhone is wiping it back to factory settings to protect your private data.
Powering down completely first allows you to backup and transfer any final items beforehand. It‘s an important step before the data deletion process.
Comply With Repair Policies
Some iPhone repair shops require you to turn off your phone fully before they‘ll work on it for liability and security reasons.
Following this rule protects sensitive customer data on devices throughout the servicing process. Power it down before handing it over.
Now that you know why it matters, let‘s get into…
How to Turn Off an iPhone XR using Two Different Methods
Because newer iPhones lack a home button for quick shutdown access, there are two main ways to power off an iPhone XR completely.
I‘ll cover how to turn it off using:
- Side + Volume Buttons (quickest way)
- Settings App Method
| Turn Off Method | Average Time to Complete | Works If Screen Unresponsive? |
|---|---|---|
| Side + Volume Button | 10-20 Seconds | Yes |
| Settings App | 1-2 Minutes | No |
As you can see, the button method is fastest in most situations. But the Settings approach still helpful good to know as a backup.
Let‘s look at steps for both…
Method 1) Using Side + Volume Buttons
Here‘s a quick overview on how to turn off an iPhone XR using the tried and true button method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxLdGapg9AU
And now step-by-step…
Step 1) Press and Hold the Side + Volume Down Buttons
Press and hold the side button (power button) + volume DOWN button at the exact same time.
Hold them firmly until you see the power off slider appear onscreen.
Press and hold the side + volume down buttons simultaneously.
Step 2) Wait for Vibration and Power Off Slider
Keep holding both buttons for 5-10 seconds. You‘ll feel two quick buzzes from the iPhone.
Right after, you‘ll then see the "Slide to Power Off" option. This is your cue to let go of the buttons.
Step 3) Swipe the Power Off Slider
Use your finger to swipe the slider displayed from left to right fully. The iPhone will start shutting down immediately.
It takes about 15-30 seconds for the Apple logo + progress bar to appear, indicating it‘s fully powering off.
Once you see that screen, you‘re all set! Your iPhone XR is now safely powered down through the quick and easy button method.
Let‘s move onto the second approach…
Method 2) Turn Off Through Settings App
If you can‘t use the buttons to power down for any reason, there‘s a simple settings menu method instead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Q9h5ObFwk
Follow along step-by-step:
Step 1) Open Settings App From Home Screen
Tap the settings gear icon to open the settings application on your iPhone‘s home screen:
It has a gray gear icon and is typically on the home screen for easy access.
Can‘t find it? Swipe down from the middle of any screen to search and open it faster.
Step 2) Tap "General" in Settings Menu
Scroll down and select General, which gives you access to the overall settings for iOS, like storage, keyboard, language, and more.
Tap it to open the General settings area next.
Step 3) Select "Shut Down"
At the very bottom of the General settings page, you‘ll see a red option saying Shut Down. Tap it.
This initiates the full shutdown process.
Step 4) Swipe to Power Off
A prompt will appear asking you to confirm shutting down your iPhone XR.
Swipe the slider button from left to right fully.
Note: Unlike with the buttons, there‘s no vibration or stages. Once you swipe, it will turn off your phone in about 30 seconds after showing the Apple logo and progress bar.
And that‘s all there is to it! Now you know how to power down an iPhone XR using both the buttons or Settings app.
Problems Turning Off iPhone? Troubleshooting Tips
Hopefully one of the two methods above works to turn off your iPhone XR smoothly. But occasionally, you may run into issues…
If your phone is frozen on the Apple logo during shutdown or stuck on a black/blank screen, this indicates your iPhone can‘t power down normally due to a software glitch.
Don‘t panic! There is still a way to force restart and regain control of your phone…
How to Force Restart (Hard Reset) iPhone XR
Force restarting gives your phone a fresh reboot, clearing any small glitches that cause freezing or odd shutdown behavior.
Think of it like restarting a Windows PC – it gets things running smoothly again without deleting anything.
Follow these steps closely:
Step 1) Press and Release Volume Up Button
Using either volume button, press and quickly release the Volume Up button once.
Step 2) Press and Release Volume Down Button
Immediately after, press and quickly release the Volume Down button once.
Step 3) Press and Hold Side Button for 2 Minutes
Finally, press and hold the Side button (aka power button) on the right edge.
Keep holding the Side/Power button down for a full 1 to 2 minutes until you see the Apple logo flash on your screen.
This indicates your iPhone XR is force restarting itself.
Once the logo appears and your phone starts itself back up, you can release the Side button.
And that‘s how you force restart! This should reset any issues causing your iPhone XR to get stuck while powering down.
Other Common Shutdown Problems + Fixes
Here are solutions to try for other odd shutdown and restarting issues people run into:
iPhone restarts itself while trying to turn off – Let it restart fully, then attempt shutdown again holding buttons firmly for a full 10+ seconds.
iPhone won‘t turn back on after shutting down – Make sure you used the Right volume button (near top edge) not the left one. Still won‘t turn on? Force restart it.
iPhone stuck on progress bar shutting down – Hold power + volume 5+ seconds to force restart out of progress bar.
iPhone XR boot loop – Force restart using volume up/down + power key process to stop boot looping.
iPhone not responding to buttons – Try powering back on, updating iOS if needed. Last resort = restore in recovery mode to wipe/reinstall device.
FAQs About Turning Off iPhones Without a Home Button
Lastly, here are answers to frequently asked questions about powering down modern iPhone models:
Why can‘t I fully shut down my iPhone sometimes?
Odd shutdown behavior usually indicates a minor software glitch/bug preventing full power off that force restarting can fix. If that doesn‘t resolve it, may need to wipe and restore iPhone through recovery mode.
With no home button, how do I force restart iPhone XR?
Press and quickly release volume up > Then volume down > Finally, hold side button until Apple logo appears (1 to 2 minutes) to force restart it.
Where is the power button on modern iPhones?
There‘s no dedicated power button anymore. The Side button (right edge below volume) acts as the new power button. Hold it + volume buttons to turn off iPhone XR.
Can iPhone XR still work if side or volume buttons break?
Yes – you can shut down through the Settings app still even with broken buttons. But things like force restarting require the volume + side buttons when screen unresponsive.
In Conclusion…
And there you have it! Now you‘re a pro on how to fully shut down an iPhone XR using two different methods.
You also got troubleshooting tips in case you can‘t turn off the iPhone to force restart it out of any frozen states.
With all iPhone travel coming up, make sure you know how to power down + conserve battery when needed away from chargers for hours on end.
And if you ever decide to sell, gift or recycle your iPhone, these steps prepare it to securely wipe data next.
Let me know if you have any other issues turning your iPhone XR (or newer iPhone) off down in the comments!
