It’s a frustrating moment: your iPhone’s battery died, you plugged it in, and now it’s stuck. All you see is the charging screen with the battery icon or the Apple logo, but the phone refuses to boot up.
When this happens, it’s almost always one of two things: a problem with your charging hardware or a software crash that happened right as the phone died.
In this article, you will learn the step-by-step fixes to get your iPhone working again, starting with the simplest and most common solutions.
Why Is My iPhone Stuck on the Charging Screen?
There are three main reasons this happens:
- Deeply Discharged Battery: The battery is so drained that it needs a long, consistent “trickle charge” for 15-30 minutes (or more) before it has enough power to even turn on.
- Faulty Charging Hardware: Your charging cable, power adapter, or the phone’s charging port is dirty or damaged, preventing a stable connection.
- Software Crash: The iPhone’s operating system crashed as the battery died, and it now needs to be manually reset to boot properly.
How To Fix “iPhone Stuck On Charging Screen”
Fix 1: Be Patient and Wait
This is the most important step. A deeply discharged battery needs time.
Plug your iPhone into a known-good wall charger (not a computer or power strip). Leave it undisturbed for at least 30 minutes. Do not unplug it or try to turn it on. In many cases, the phone will eventually boot up on its own once it has a high-enough base charge.
Fix 2: Check Your Charging Hardware
If nothing happens after 30 minutes, check your hardware. A weak or faulty connection is the next most likely culprit.
- Check the Cable: Is it a genuine Apple or MFi-certified cable? Look for frays or bent pins. Try a different cable that you know works.
- Check the Power Adapter: Try a different power adapter (the “brick”) and plug it directly into a wall outlet.
- Check the Charging Port: This is a very common problem. Look inside your iPhone’s charging port. It is often filled with pocket lint. Safely clean it out with a non-metal tool like a wooden or plastic toothpick. Do not use metal (like a paperclip) as it can short out the pins.
Fix 3: Force Restart Your iPhone (While Charging)
If the hardware is good, the phone’s software has likely crashed. A force restart will reset it. You must do this while the phone is plugged in.
For iPhone 8, X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and newer:
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Press and HOLD the Side button (the power button on the right).
- Keep holding the side button until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen. This can take up to 30 seconds.
For iPhone 7: Press and hold both the Volume Down button and the Side (Power) button at the same time. Keep holding until you see the Apple logo.
Fix 4: Connect to a Computer and Use Recovery Mode
If the force restart doesn’t work, the software may be corrupted. Putting the phone in Recovery Mode is the final step. This will let you “Update” the iPhone’s software, which does not erase your data.
- Connect your iPhone to a Mac or a Windows PC using its charging cable.
- On a Mac (with macOS Catalina or newer), open Finder. On a PC (or older Mac), open iTunes (or the Apple Devices app).
- Now, put your iPhone into Recovery Mode (even while it’s on the charging screen).
- For iPhone 8 or newer: While connected, press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, then PRESS AND HOLD the Side button. Keep holding it even after you see the Apple logo. Don’t let go until you see a screen with a cable pointing to a computer.
- Your computer will show a pop-up saying, “There is a problem with the iPhone.”
- It will give you two options: “Update” or “Restore.” Choose “Update” first. This will try to reinstall iOS without erasing your personal data.
- If “Update” fails, you may have to repeat the process and choose “Restore,” which will erase the phone (but this is the only way to fix it if the software is severely corrupted).
Fix 5: The Battery May Be Dead
If you have tried all these steps and the phone still won’t turn on, the battery has likely failed and needs to be replaced. This is a hardware problem that no software trick can fix.
Do NOT try to replace the battery yourself or heat the phone. Using a hair dryer, as some online guides suggest, is extremely dangerous and can cause the lithium-ion battery to catch fire or explode.
At this point, you must contact Apple Support or a certified repair shop to schedule a battery replacement.
Conclusion
An iPhone stuck on the charging screen is a common issue. Before you panic, be patient and leave it on a reliable charger for at least 30 minutes. If that fails, check your charging cable and port for dirt or damage. Finally, a force restart or a software update via Recovery Mode will fix almost all remaining software-related issues.
