How To Turn OFF iPhone Without Touching Screen
By Robert Jones · 2021-12-14
Right, dropped your iPhone, screen's smashed, and now you can't switch it off? Frustrating, isn't it? Luckily, there are a few clever tricks to power down your device without touching the display.
Right, so you've dropped your iPhone, yeah? Screen's properly smashed, gone black, or maybe it's just decided to be a right pain and not respond to touch anymore. Whatever the reason, you're sat there, phone still humming away, maybe buzzing with notifications, and you can't switch the damn thing off. Frustrating, isn't it? Especially when you just want a bit of peace or need to give it a proper reset without fiddling about with a broken display. Now, I spend most of my days faffing about with cables, drivers, and amplifiers – not exactly rocket science, but it all needs to be hooked up just right. And, like any good bit of kit, sometimes even an iPhone needs to be powered down properly. You don't want to just let the battery drain, that's asking for trouble down the line. Lucky for you, there are a few clever tricks up Apple's sleeve to get that phone turned off without ever needing to touch the screen. Let's get stuck in. ### **Quick Verdict: Essential knowledge for when your iPhone screen goes pear-shaped.** ### Who it's for: * Anyone with a broken or unresponsive iPhone screen. * Those needing to hard reset their device without screen input. * Folks who want to prolong battery life by fully powering down. * Anyone who prefers physical buttons for core functions. ### Who should skip it: * If your screen works perfectly and you just enjoy poking it. * People who genuinely love letting their phone battery drain to zero (don't do it!).  *How To Turn OFF iPhone Without Touching Screen — tested in the SpeakersMag workshop.* ## The Classic Button Combo: Hard Resetting Your iPhone This is usually the first port of call, the classic "turn it off and on again" but with a bit more oomph. It’s not strictly *turning off* in the traditional sense, more like a forced restart. But, if your screen's frozen or unresponsive, it often does the trick to get things moving again, or at least gives you a blank slate to then properly power down if the screen comes back to life. Think of it as pulling the plug on a temperamental amplifier – sometimes, it just needs that jolt. **For iPhone 8 and Newer (including X, XS, XR, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 series, and SE 2nd/3rd Gen):** Right, pay attention, because the timing on this can be a bit fiddly until you get the knack. I've seen plenty of people trying to hold all three buttons at once, wondering why nothing's happening. It's a sequence, like setting up a crossover point, you need to hit it right. 1. **Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.** Just a quick tap, like flicking a switch. Don't hold it down. 2. **Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.** Same again, a quick tap. You're not trying to change the volume here, just register the press. 3. **Press and hold the Side button (Power button) on the right side.** Keep this one held down. Don't let go, even when the Apple logo appears. Keep holding it. You'll see the "Slide to Power Off" slider appear, but you can't use that, can you? Just keep holding the side button until the screen eventually goes black and the Apple logo reappears. That's your sign that it's rebooting. This method forces a complete power cycle. The iPhone shuts down completely, then starts back up. If your issue was a software glitch causing the screen to lock up, this often clears it. If the screen is physically broken, it won't fix the glass, but it will get the phone to a powered-off state, or at least a fresh boot. **For iPhone 7 / 7 Plus:** Apple changed the Home button on these models, so the hard reset changed too. It's simpler than the newer ones, but still needs a bit of precision. 1. **Press and hold both the Volume Down button and the Side button (Power button) simultaneously.** Keep holding them. Don't let go until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen. The screen will go black first, then the logo. **For iPhone 6s and Older (including iPhone SE 1st Gen):** This is the classic, old-school hard reset. Proper simple, this one. 1. **Press and hold both the Home button (the physical button below the screen) and the Side/Top button (Power button) simultaneously.** Keep holding them until the Apple logo appears. Easy as pie. ### Why use a hard reset? It's a good shout if your phone's completely frozen, unresponsive to touch, or if an app has crashed and taken the whole system with it. It's a bit like taking the battery out of a remote control – often fixes the problem. Plus, if you need to safely transport the phone for repair, getting it powered down properly is always better than leaving it on. ## The Voice-Activated Approach: Siri to the Rescue Now, this is a neat trick, especially if your screen is completely kaput and the hard reset didn't quite get you where you needed to be, or you want a proper graceful shutdown rather than a forced reboot. Siri, bless her digital heart, can actually power down your iPhone for you. Provided you've got "Hey Siri" enabled, that is. If you haven't, then you'll need a working screen to set it up, which kind of defeats the purpose here, doesn't it? But for those who have, it's a lifesaver. ### Enabling "Hey Siri" (if your screen works now, or for future use): If you find yourself with a working screen at some point, or you're reading this as a preventative measure, make sure "Hey Siri" is on. Go to **Settings > Siri & Search**, and toggle on "Listen for 'Hey Siri'". You'll go through a quick setup process where it learns your voice. This is crucial for when your screen decides to pack it in. ### How to turn off using Siri: 1. **Say "Hey Siri"** to activate your digital assistant. You might hear the chime, or if your phone's just being stubborn, you might just see the Siri interface pop up (though you won't see it with a broken screen, naturally). 2. **Once Siri is listening, say "Turn off my iPhone" or "Power off".** 3. Siri will then confirm, usually by saying something like, "Are you sure you want to turn off this device?" 4. **Say "Yes"** to confirm. And just like that, your iPhone will begin its graceful shutdown sequence. No touching needed. How clever is that? It's like telling your sound desk to mute all channels with a voice command – immensely satisfying when it works. This method is particularly useful because it performs a proper software shutdown, which is always preferable to a hard reset if you have the option. It saves the state of applications and ensures everything closes down cleanly, reducing the risk of data corruption or other software issues. I always advocate for proper shutdowns where possible, whether it's a computer, an amp, or your phone. It keeps things running smoothly in the long run. ## The Computer Connection: Using Finder or iTunes If your iPhone screen is utterly unresponsive and neither the button combo nor Siri is an option (maybe "Hey Siri" wasn't enabled, or the microphone's kaput too), then connecting to a computer is your next best bet. This method essentially uses your computer as a remote control to manage your iPhone, including powering it down. You'll need either a Mac with macOS Catalina or newer (which uses Finder) or a PC/older Mac (which uses iTunes). ### What you'll need: * Your iPhone. * A lightning or USB-C cable (depending on your iPhone model). * A computer (Mac or PC) with Finder (macOS Catalina+) or iTunes installed. ### Crucial point: Trust This Computer Here's the kicker: for Finder or iTunes to manage your iPhone, the phone needs to "trust" the computer. If you've never connected your iPhone to this particular computer before, or if you've recently reset the "Trust" settings, your iPhone will usually pop up a "Trust This Computer?" prompt on its screen. If your screen is broken, you can't tap "Trust." This is a big hurdle. However, if you *have* previously connected and trusted the computer, you're golden. This is why it's always a good idea to trust your home computer or laptop early on, just in case. ### How to turn off using Finder (macOS Catalina or newer): 1. **Connect your iPhone to your Mac** using the appropriate cable. 2. **Open Finder.** You should see your iPhone listed in the sidebar under "Locations." If you don't see it, ensure it's properly connected and recognised. 3. **Click on your iPhone** in the Finder sidebar. This will bring up your iPhone's management screen. 4. Look for a button that says **"Shut Down" or "Power Off"**. It's usually near the bottom of the management window. Click it. 5. Confirm any prompts, and your iPhone will begin to power down. Job done. ### How to turn off using iTunes (Windows PC or macOS Mojave and earlier): 1. **Connect your iPhone to your computer** using the cable. 2. **Open iTunes.** If it doesn't open automatically, launch it. Again, ensure your iPhone is recognised by iTunes. You should see an iPhone icon near the top left of the iTunes window. 3. **Click on the iPhone icon.** This will take you to your iPhone's summary page. 4. **Look for an option to "Shut Down" or "Power Off."** It might be less obvious than in Finder, sometimes requiring you to navigate through a menu or option. In some older versions, this feature might not be directly available as a simple button, but connecting to iTunes *can* sometimes allow other software solutions or troubleshooting tools to work, which might indirectly lead to a shutdown. **Note:** While iTunes and Finder primarily focus on backup and restore, they do offer limited control over the device. A direct "Power Off" button isn't always front and centre, but the act of connecting and synchronising can sometimes stabilise a glitching phone, or prepare it for a hard reset if you then use the button combo. ## Enabling AssistiveTouch for Future Woes Okay, so this isn't a solution for *now* if your screen is already broken and unresponsive. But, for goodness sake, if you ever get your screen working again, or if you're reading this with a perfectly fine phone, set up AssistiveTouch! It's an absolute lifesaver for all sorts of scenarios, not just broken screens. It essentially puts a virtual home button and other controls onto your screen, but importantly, it includes a "Restart" and "Lock Screen" option, and crucially, a "Shut Down" option. I always recommend my mates set this up. It's like having a spare set of controls for your amplifier, just in case a physical knob breaks off. You never know when it'll come in handy. ### How to enable AssistiveTouch: 1. Go to **Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch.** 2. **Toggle AssistiveTouch to "On".** A small, grey, circular button will appear on your screen. You can drag this button anywhere you like. ### How to use AssistiveTouch to turn off your iPhone: 1. **Tap the AssistiveTouch button** on your screen. 2. From the menu that pops up, tap **"Device"**. 3. Tap **"More"**. 4. Tap **"Restart"** for a soft reboot, or look for the **"Shut Down"** option. Tapping "Shut Down" will bring up the "Slide to Power Off" slider. If your screen is partially working and you can still interact with some areas, you might be able to slide this. If not, this is less useful for *completely* unresponsive screens, but it's a good soft shutdown option. **Important:** For a truly screen-free power off *after* enabling AssistiveTouch, the "Restart" option within AssistiveTouch is more useful for forcing a reboot without direct screen interaction, if the soft shutdown slider is unreachable. But combining AssistiveTouch with Siri is where the real magic happens if your screen is dodgy. You could tap the AssistiveTouch button to bring up the menu, then use Siri to say "Tap Device," "Tap More," "Tap Shut Down" if you're really specific, though "Hey Siri, turn off my iPhone" is usually far easier if it's enabled. ## Draining the Battery (The Last Resort – Not Recommended) Alright, let's be clear: I really don't like this method. It's like turning off your high-end sound system by just yanking the power cable out of the wall. Not good for the electronics, not good for the battery, and definitely not good for any data you might have had open. But, in a true emergency, when everything else has failed and your phone is just buzzing away, driving you mad, letting the battery die is *a* way to get it off. ### Why I don't recommend it: * **Battery Health:** Constantly draining your battery to zero puts a lot of stress on it and significantly shortens its lifespan. Lithium-ion batteries prefer being topped up regularly, not fully discharged. You wouldn't run your car until it completely ran out of petrol every time, would you? * **Data Corruption:** If the phone is mid-process, writing data, or updating an app when the power suddenly cuts, there's a risk of data corruption. Imagine your DAW crashing mid-save. Not fun. * **Slow Restart:** When it eventually runs out of juice, it'll take a good while to charge up enough to even turn back on, and the restart process can be slower. ### When you might consider it (begrudgingly): * If your iPhone is physically damaged beyond recognition, unfixable, and making incessant noise/vibrating. It's more about peace and quiet than safe shutdown at that point. * If you've tried every other method, and the phone is simply refusing to cooperate, and you *must* have it off for safety or transport. To speed up the drain, you could try playing loud music (if the speaker still works), running a demanding app, or just leaving it to its own devices. But seriously, treat this as the absolute, rock-bottom last resort. ## Troubleshooting: What If Nothing Works? So, you've tried the button combos, Siri's not listening, and your computer won't recognise it, or you can't trust it. What next? Sometimes, a phone can be so badly damaged that its internal components are simply not responding correctly to external input. ### Check the charging port: Even with a broken screen, sometimes the charging port can be blocked or damaged, preventing a good connection to a computer. Give it a gentle clean with a non-conductive tool (like a plastic toothpick, never metal!) or some compressed air. I've seen speaker terminals get gunked up, preventing a good signal, phones are no different. ### DFU Mode (Device Firmware Update) – Extreme Measures: This is a bit beyond simply turning off, but DFU mode is the deepest restore mode possible for an iPhone. It bypasses the operating system entirely. You usually use it to fix serious software issues or downgrade iOS. It requires very specific button presses, similar to a hard reset, but with different timing. **Warning:** Entering DFU mode and restoring your iPhone will *erase all data*. Only attempt this if you're desperate, have backups, or simply don't care about the data on the phone. The steps vary slightly by model, but generally involve connecting to a computer, pressing and holding certain buttons, then releasing some while continuing to hold others. It's complex and tricky to do correctly without a visual guide. If you're at this point, you're really into "take it to a professional" territory, as attempting DFU mode with a non-functional screen is incredibly difficult and prone to error. ## Repair or Replace? A Word of Advice If your screen is genuinely broken, getting it turned off is just the first step. You'll need to decide whether to repair or replace the phone. For older models, a screen repair might cost more than the phone is worth. For newer ones, it's often worth the investment. Always get a quote from a reputable repair shop. Don't try to fix it yourself unless you know exactly what you're doing; these things are fiddly, and you could easily cause more damage. It's like trying to re-cone a driver without the right tools – possible, but you'll likely make a hash of it. Think about insurance too. Did you get phone insurance? Now's the time to dig out those documents. Might save you a fair few quid. ## Comparison Table: Screen-Free Shutdown Methods | Method | iPhone Models | Screen Required? | "Hey Siri" Required? | Computer Required? | Data Loss Risk? | Ease of Use (Screen-Free) | Best For | | :---------------------- | :---------------------- | :--------------- | :------------------- | :----------------- | :-------------- | :------------------------ | :------------------------------------------ | | **Hard Reset** | All | No | No | No | No | Medium (timing) | Frozen phone, quick reboot | | **Siri** | All (with "Hey Siri") | No | Yes | No | No | Easy | Graceful shutdown, if Siri is set up | | **Finder/iTunes** | All | No (if trusted) | No | Yes | No | Medium (trust issues) | If Siri fails & previously trusted computer | | **AssistiveTouch** | All (if enabled) | Yes (initially) | No | No | No | Low (once enabled) | Proactive setup for future issues | | **Battery Drain** | All | No | No | No | Yes (minor risk)| Very Easy (passive) | Absolute last resort, emergency only | ## FAQ: Keeping Your iPhone Under Control ### Q: My iPhone is buzzing constantly with a broken screen. How do I stop it? A: First, try the hard reset button combo specific to your iPhone model. This usually forces a restart and should stop the buzzing. If that doesn't work, try using Siri to power it off if "Hey Siri" is enabled. As a last resort, let the battery drain, but be aware of the risks. ### Q: Can I use Find My iPhone to turn off a device with a broken screen? A: No, "Find My iPhone" (now just "Find My") can remotely lock, erase, or play a sound on your device, but it cannot remotely power it off. Powering off requires physical interaction (buttons) or software interaction (Siri, or a trusted computer connection) directly with the device itself. ### Q: My screen is black, but I know the phone is still on. Is there a way to backup my data before turning it off? A: If you've previously trusted your computer, you can connect your iPhone to it. Finder (on Mac) or iTunes (on PC/older Mac) might still be able to detect the device and perform a backup, even with a black screen. This is a critical reason to keep your device regularly backed up, either to iCloud or your computer, so a broken screen isn't a complete disaster. ### Q: How can I prevent this from happening again? A: A decent screen protector and a robust case are your first line of defence, mate. Seriously, invest in them. Also, enable "Hey Siri" and consider setting up AssistiveTouch as a backup control method. Regularly backing up your phone to iCloud or your computer is also paramount, so you're not caught out if the worst happens. ## Final Word Dealing with a broken iPhone screen is a proper nuisance, especially when you can't even turn the thing off. But, as we've gone through, there are usually ways around it. The button combos are your immediate go-to for a forced restart, and Siri is surprisingly clever for a graceful shutdown if you've got her listening. Connecting to a computer works a treat if you've been sensible and trusted it before, and AssistiveTouch is a great preventative measure for future headaches. Remember, a proper shutdown is always best for your phone's longevity and data integrity. Only let that battery drain as a very last resort. If you've got a knackered screen, get it looked at properly, or consider an upgrade. There's no point putting up with a half-working phone, just like there's no point listening to music through blown speakers. Get it sorted, get back to enjoying your tunes, or at least making sure your phone can do its job properly.