Hey everyone! I'm in a bit of a pickle with my iPhone 11 (running iOS 26.1) that I bought back in November 2019 and unfortunately it doesn't have AppleCare. I was using it just fine when the screen suddenly went black, and it shut down completely without any warning. The battery health is around 70%, so I thought maybe it just ran out of juice. I've charged it for several hours but still nothing! It does feel warm when plugged in, but it doesn't show up in iTunes or Finder, and I've tried putting it in DFU mode without success.
This morning, I woke up to it showing the Recovery Assistant screen, but after trying to restart, it just returned to no signs of life. I do want to avoid a full restore if possible since I've got some important photos and messages I'd love to keep, especially from my recent family visit.
Here are my questions:
A. Has anyone experienced similar symptoms with their iPhone, where it doesn't turn on but shows the recovery assistant after charging?
B. What steps should I take next to resolve this?
C. On a different note, my family lent me their old iPhone 8 Plus to use temporarily. Can I just switch the SIM card from my iPhone 11 to the 8 Plus, or is there any activation I need to do with my carrier?
Thanks in advance for your help, and happy holidays!
3 Answers
I had the same thing happen with my iPhone 11 Pro recently! Everything was fine until the screen showed some strange green lines, then it just shut off. I couldn’t get it to turn on either. Connecting to a computer didn’t work for me either, and it went right back to black. It’s frustrating to see that we might be dealing with a similar issue!
Exactly! I can't help but feel it might be something with that iOS update if we both have the same problem.
I've seen this issue a lot, and it can be caused by various hardware failures. To troubleshoot, I recommend a USB ammeter to check if your phone is pulling charge properly. This helps identify issues like a faulty charging cable or something stuck in the charging port. If you’re comfortable with it, a professional can also use a DC power supply to diagnose the problem more accurately. This can really help determine if it's something more serious like a short circuit or a faulty memory chip. Without these tests, it’ll be tricky to pinpoint the issue!
Great insights! I actually have a USB ammeter, so I’ll use that to check. I’ve got some experience with repairs, and I’ll take it to a shop after the holidays to get it looked at. Fingers crossed it's not too serious!
I can't really help you with the hardware issues, but concerning the photos you might be worried about, if you have an Apple ID, try logging into iCloud.com. You may be able to recover your photos from there. As for the SIM card, yes, you can move it to another phone without any activation hassle, so you should be able to receive calls and texts just fine! Good luck!
Thanks for the tip! I’ll check iCloud, but I think I turned off iCloud Photos since I didn't have space. I'm hoping I still have iCloud Messages on!
Yeah, it’s interesting that this happened around the same time for both of us. I wonder if there’s a software issue at play?