iPhone 14 Black Screen, Unresponsive, Shut Off? (Fix!)
iPhone 14 black screen issue
Are you getting the iPhone 14 black screen issue? Brand new device suddenly became unresponsive? iPhone 14 Pro shut off by itself and doesn’t react to taps or button presses? This seems to be a common day-one bug!
iPhone 14 Black Screen Problem
This issue has been reported by Allison:
“iPhone 14 pro just got unresponsive, not displaying anything, screen is black…dead!”
At the time of writing, we couldn’t replicate this bug. However, it seems to be widespread. We’ve found similar reports on Reddit, from various users that complain about the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro becoming unresponsive and turning off by themselves!
How To Fix iPhone 14 Unresponsive Behavior
There are a series of troubleshooting methods that can apply. Some devices shut off after data transfer from an older iPhone, while charging, right after the iOS 16.0.1 update, while others turn off completely random.
If you encounter similar issues proceed as follows:
1. Force Restart iPhone
Although the device might seem dead, there are high chances that it will react to the force restart combo:
Quickly press & release Volume Up, Volume Down followed by a press & hold of the Side Button until the Apple logo is displayed on the screen! (This might take up to 10 seconds)!
2. Connect iPhone To Computer
If hard rebooting doesn’t help you also have the option to use the USB lightning cable, that came in the box, to connect your iPhone 14 Pro to a Mac or Windows computer.
Finder should be able to detect the device and boot it back on!
3. Turn Off Always On Display
The above fixes might be only temporary though. It appears that the cause for the iPhone 14 unresponsiveness is the new Always On Display feature.
We recommend you to turn it off:
- Open Settings and browse for Display & Brightness.
- Scroll for Always-On and use the switch to disable it!
Update: There have also been reports of iPhone 14 turn offs that rendered the devices completely unresponsive and non-bootable!
Have you managed to fix iPhone 14 black screen problem? Do you have a better solution? Use the comments to share your feedback. We appreciate your contribution!
No matter in which of the above categories you fit in, confirming the issue will help us report these shut down issues more efficiently!
Related: Other day-one iPhone 14 issues are listed below:
– Camera shaking and buzzing when used with third-party apps
– Battery draining faster than expected
– GPS not working properly when updating to iOS 16.1 beta
Had the Black Screen happen to me already iphone 14 pro max did a hard reset turned off always display off so far its holding up
Thanks for the feedback David. Keep us updated please!
Same here. Thanks for sharing and thanks to “iPhone tricks” for this web page.
Same happened to me, i had just finished a Teams meeting on my 14 Pro Max then went back to working on my computer. After about 15min i went to pick the phone and had no response. I performed the hard reset as described above and the phone came back to life. I disabled always on display; lets see how it holds up.
Thanks for reporting. Is your device updated to iOS 16.0.3?
https://www.iphonetricks.org/ios-16-0-3-issues-bugs-fixed-security-updates/
SAME… however, I needed to plug it into the computer to get the reboot to work. I shut off the “always on”. and it is now downloading the 16.0.3 update as you stated.. Does anyone believe I can turn the always on back on? WOW, I had a massive panic attack with no phone.. Thank you all.
Yes. You can turn it back on after iOS 16.0.3. It shouldn’t happen again. If it does, let us know please.
I have 16.0.3 on my iPhone 14 and it just happened to me this morning. I am going to just keep Always On turned on and if the black screen/unresponsiveness happens again then I will be turning it off until there is a real fix for it.
Why aren’t you updating to iOS 16.1? Battery life is much better.
I disabled the always on display from the first day that i got my phone. Yesterday i was on an audio call via WhatsApp. When i tried to switch to video call, i got an unresponsive phone with a black screen. The strange thing was the although the phone appeared to be off, i could still hear the calling on the other line. I told them to hang up. I had to ask Siri to switch the phone off via voice command and then restart it. The phone rebooted as normal
Thanks for sharing Tony. Is WhatsApp updated to the latest version?
I can’t believe that iPhone 14 pro max, l just bought two months ago got blank after l received a call twenty minutes later, it became blank and unresponsive. I’m confused and it was on Saturday night l don’t know what to do
Have you tried to connect it to a computer using the Lightning to USB-C cable?
Had same thing happen to me. Charged my phone overnight as always. Woke up – phone was black and unresponsive – dead. I followed the hard restart directions above and it started and was fully charged at 100%. My “Always On” was already OFF. NOT happy that this is a thing. My alarm did not go off on my phone this morning since it was dead. I’ve had iPhones for many years — NEVER had a phone just go dead on me. If it happens again I will NOT be a happy camper!
Thanks for reporting Debbie. iOS 16.1.1 is out as a bug fixing update. Let us know if it fixes this issue for you.
16.1 was installed iPhone was unresponsive and black screen applied the above procedures and iPhone is working now I am currently downloading 16.2 if that fixes it can’t believe I paid $1500 for a brick..
Thanks for reporting. You might also face the attempting data recovery message in the process. Don’t panic it should play out fine:
https://www.iphonetricks.org/iphone-14-pro-attempting-data-recovery-ios-16/
Couldn’t find the always display button
Are you using an iPhone 14?
Mine just died. I rushed to Apple store, the guy was able to reset and it’s working again. However, should I return and get a new one? Will an update be able to fix this? I am scared now.
Thanks for reporting. Yes, this should be fixed in the upcoming Software Update. If it happens again use the force restart trick mentioned in the article.
My iphone 14 Pro froze yesterday. I am on iOS 16.4.1(a). It is still happening. The restart procedure worked for me after multiple tries. Now I have turned the Always On feature OFF. Hope this doesn’t happen again.
Thanks for reporting. Keep us updated please about how this unfolds for you.
Same with me, my phone was totally black and nonresponsive with cable but I hooked it up to my laptop and it started. Wondering if I need to exchange my phone ? Will this happen again?
Same thing happened to me. It was over 50 percent and I put it in my pocket. Then I went to grab my Iphone 14 pro max again and it was a dud. Got it home, connected to the computer and also did the force restart and it booted. Thank god! I didn’t want to have to send it back and wait weeks.
Thanks for sharing Vlad. Keep us updated. Apple is aware of the issue and should issue a software update soon.
I am beyond frustrated. This is the second time the phone has frozen. The first time, , thanks to this blog I was able to force restart the phone.
Now I can do NOTHING to open it.
I just am ready to throw it away.
Sorry to hear this Carolyn. Have you tried to connect it to a computer? If nothing works you have to bring it to an Apple Store and have it checked out. It might have shipped with some hardware flaw.
My iPhone 14 Pro Max arrived Friday, 9-16-22; by the following day or Saturday, 9-17-22, all my application files were frozen and would not change pages. Fortunately, the app is still opening on the first page of the application folder. I have to go into the App Library if I want to open any apps on page two forward in the application files I can’t get to. I have an appointment this Wednesday, 9-21-22, at the Apple Store to try and get this software glitch repaired, and I have reported the issue to the Apple Feedback app and T-Mobile. Very annoying for a brand new $1,300 iPhone, but I’ll have to keep working on the problem until it’s resolved. Apple can’t be happy about this as it seems to be a widespread issue.
Thanks for reporting Brad. Some readers have confirmed to be able to get around this glitch by tweaking the Search setting on Home Screen in Settings -> Home Screen -> Show On Home Screen. As soon as you change this setting, Home Screen page swipes should work again.
Keep us updated about what Apple support has to say about it.
Same problem here nothing on iPhone 14 Max….Black screen no way to fix…..yet.
Apple better get on it and let us know what to do fast!
That’s crazy. You mean that force restart or connecting iPhone to computer won’t help? You sure that you apply the force restart sequence properly? Device should reboot!
Apple has confirmed an iOS 16.0.2 software update for the upcoming days to fix camera issues. Let’s hope this will be included in the package!
My 14 Pro turned black right after the data transfer step. I felt tiny vibrates so knew it was on or trying to turn on. My old phone no longer had service so I finally figured out to support chat Apple on my laptop. The force restart worked (I kept trying the old way to hold down the volume down and power button but now its volume up once, volume down once, then hold power button) but I was locked out for 15 minutes because it thought I was trying to guess a passcode while it was black. Haven’t seen the issue since!
Thanks for the feedback Sab. It will surly help others too.
Had a black screen for iphone14 pro, just got scared , with charging also it didn’t start, the finally it got restated with volume n power button. Disappointed!! Waiting for hot fix in upcoming update.
Thanks for the feedback! Stay tuned.
iPhone 13 Pro Max with software 16.0 : iPhone got completely black, randomly picker the phone to take a phone and it didn’t respond I knew there was battery. Called my number from husbands phone went straight to voicemail. Hard reset worked – I regretted instantly I updated the software to 16.0
Thanks for reporting Paulina. So this happens with oder iPhone models too. Anyone else encountering it on iPhone 12, 11, XS or X?
I experienced this on the iPhone 11
Thanks for confirming.
I waited a couple weeks to get my new phone and it arrived today. My old iPhone showed a successful data transfer but the new iPhone 14 Pro was totally dead. Worked with Verizon Tech Coach then customer service but after doing most the steps mentioned here it wouldn’t turn on. BTW, Verizon is the worst customer service experience I’ve had in a decade. I need another provider.
Sorry to hear this Bruce. I hope that you can make it work. Else, you have to go to an Apple Store and ask for help at the Genius Bar.
iPhone 14 Pro Max turned black while “just resting” on my desk. That was scary since I didn’t know it’s an existing issue. The Forced Restart worked for me. I sure hope this won’t happen again before a fix comes out. Thank you for all this information!!
Thanks for reporting. Yes, we’re expecting iOS 16.0.2 soon! Stay tuned.
the forced restart is not working for me and it won’t let me connect it to my Computer
Are you sure that you’re performing the force restart combo properly? It’s exemplified in this video: https://youtu.be/kooAC1GVSfA?t=86
Proceed exactly the same even if the screen is all black!
The forced restart combo doesn’t work. Plugging it into the computer doesn’t work. Really disappointed in a major glitch like this. Screwing up my work which requires lots of multi-authentication verifications all day long. This is costing me my PTO! I couldn’t get an appointment at a “Genuis Store” until 3 pm this afternoon.
Sorry to hear this. Not sure what else to suggest. Please keep us updated. We’re curious what Apple had to say about this? Did you end up getting a phone replacement?
I had mine charging overnight – woke up to a black screen and my alarm didn’t go off – assumed it hadn’t charged. Late for work (not happy) hard re-boot worked and found this info so turned the “always on” to off but mine is updated to iOS 16.1.2 so they’ve not fixed the issue and I can no longer trust my phone alarm. Not happy
hmmm that’s horrible. Are you using sleep mode or you’ve set the alarm manually?
I have same issue. But I can’t get it turned on at all. And I work in mobile tech and tried it all. Can’t update the fix released if can’t get phone on.
That must be annoying. Have you tried to connect it to a wall charger or a MagSafe charger? Does charging occur?
Have you tried to bring it in DFU Mode?
If nothing helps you might have to bring it to an Apple Store and ask for help.
it didn’t charge at all. So yes that’s when knew I had to bring it unto store. Thank you. -Hanna Aase
Apparently the normal 1, 2, 3 step on hard off didn’t work. But different up and down on volume buttons did. Hard to reproduce but I would play around with different combo.
Thanks for the follow up. iOS 16.0.2 is also available with bug fixes now! Take a look at it here: https://www.iphonetricks.org/ios-16-0-2-problems-bugs-fixed-features/
Properly transferred old iPhone 8 Plus to iPhone 14 pro and immediately after getting confirmation, old iPhone asked if I wanted to delete this phone, I responded no, I’ll do it later. Since transfer, the iPhone 14 pro has been unresponsive to any inputs.
Thanks for reporting. Use the force restart trick mentioned in the article even if nothing shows up on the screen, the combo works if you do it properly:
1. Press and quickly release Volume Up.
2. Quickly after that Press and release Volume Down.
3. Finally, press & hold Side button for at least 10 seconds
Thank you!!! Just happened to me and fix worked!
Glad it did. Have you updated to iOS 16.0.2?
Just happened to me as well Went to AT&T store they did the hard re boot and it worked. Is it the always on feature that made it just turn black?
Yes, we suspect that’s the issue. Have you updated to iOS 16.0.2 in the meantime?
Yes I have updated to 16.0.2. With the update is it now safe to use the always on feature? I really love that feature and wasn’t to use it
Yes, with the update it should be safe to use it. Enjoy!
I held down volume down button and power button for nearly 10 seconds until Apple logo appeared. New phone went black after old phone showed transfer was complete. Neither plugging in power cable, nor holding down volume up and power button would turn it back on. I didn’t see your recommendation until after upgrading to 16.0.2. Wish day one updates could be installed before setting up phone.
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, but unfortunately some bugs only show up during public usage and not in betas.
Running 16.0.2 on iPhone 14 Pro Max
This happened twice in a 20 minute period, while listening to music on AirPods. I did a panic restart attempt with volume up and power, and after a delay it perked up like nothing happened.
It would appear 16.0.2 is not the fix.
That looks like a re-spring! Thanks for letting us know. Please follow up if it happens again. I’m curious if we’re able to find a trigger. Music source was Apple Music?
My 14 Pro had the black out twice, I’m scared it going to carry on as I don’t want to restart my phone every time, just such a pain, you’d think spending so much money you’d get sometime perfect. My screen has also gone bright and darker by itself, have it on video, should I return my iPhone or will updates fix this problem?
Thanks for reporting Crystal. Can you send the video at contact[at]iphonetricks.org so that we can take a better look at it?
Yes, I know the feeling. These are some early glitches that should have been avoided. I’m expecting another software update soon.
My promax 14 is dead try to conect to mac computer and doing the hard restart and nothing is work
please let me know if some one have the same problem
Are you sure that you’re doing the hard restart properly? What software is it running? iOS 16.0.2?
yes same problem while transfering data from iphone 12pro, it took several hard restart tries to get premix 14 back on. Frustrating.
Thanks for confirming. Have you updated to iOS 16.0.2?
Hi my iphone 14 just turned itself off and wont come back on tried the hard reset and nothing is working there was another IOS update last night so assuming this has affected the phone only had it two days and now at work without work phone.
Thanks for reporting Claire. You sure that you performed the force restart combo correctly? Try to connect your iPhone to a power source (wall charger) and wait for a couple of minutes. If it doesn’t light up perform the force restart combo again. Let us know if you manage.
The 14 pro max I got on the first day of delivery bricked already 2 weeks ago. Now, JUST NOW, the replacement — 2nd phone — just died. Tried your guide but no luck. I got an appt with the apple store in a couple of hours. I’m lost… I’m about to be sick. They must think I’m doing something to the phones.
That’s really strange. What happens when you connect the device to a power source? Does it show any charging indicator? Keep it connected to a power source for 20 mins and then attempt to force restart one more time. It should work…
14ProMax (less than 36 hours) locked up while running Apple Music app at the always-on home screen. Noticed the phone turned off after the music stopped. Had to do option 1 about 3 times and it magically rebooted. Makes me nervous that the flagship phone is exhibiting this behavior.
Thanks for reporting. Have you updated it to iOS 16.0.2?
Just had the black screen issue and I only had the 14pro 3 days now. Did the volume up, volume down then pressed the power button and it came on. Also just got prompted to download IOS 16.0.3. Let’s see how it holds up after tall this.
Thanks for reporting Sherwin. We’re really curious if the black screen issue still occurs in iOS 16.0.3. Keep us posted please.
This happened to my 14 Pro, phone went “dead” as it charged overnight. Missed my alarm. Woke up to black screen and unresponsive phone. I already had the always-on display disabled, so that is not the issue. Force restart detailed here worked for me. However, I’m now wondering if I’ll have future issues. Disappointed, since this is a very expensive phone and supposed to be the “most advanced” ever :/
Thanks for reporting. We’re trying to figure out if the black screen issue still happens in iOS 16.0.3. Is your iPhone running the latest version or was it already updated when the error occurred?
It was running 16.0.2, always-on display was disabled, it was charging via cable overnight. Auto updates is on, so I’m not sure if it attempted to update overnight and that has anything to do with the black screen. It’s still on 16.0.2 after the force restart.
I recommend you to force the update manually in Settings -> General -> Software Update and let us know if the black screen issue re-occurs.
I got the iPhone 14 Pro yesterday. Seen the black screen twice yesterday and 5 times this morning. It was already off when I woke up, annoyed because my alarms didn’t go off.
I have the latest 16.0.3 update and always on display is turned off. It seems to work ok while I’m using the phone, but after about 2-3 minutes after locking the phone, I’m then seeing the black screen.
Do you know if this will be fixed with the next update? Or am I better off returning the phone to Apple
Thanks for reporting AS. This has to be fixed. iOS 16.1 will be released and the end of October.
There’s one more fix that you should try. Clean install iOS 16.0.3. Perform an encrypted backup on your computer (Mac or Windows) and then Restore iPhone. Device will be fully erased and iOS 16.0.3 reinstalled. Use the backup to get all your data back.
Sometimes a clean install can work miracles. More details here:
https://www.iphonetricks.org/how-to-clean-install-ios-on-iphone/
Hi Patricia!
I tried resetting my phone to factory settings (via the phone itself) but that didn’t fix the issue. I then connected it to my computer, clicked check for updates and surprisingly it found 6.0.3 (even though it was already installed), it then proceeded to update my phone via iTunes. It didn’t fix the issue either. I’ll try the steps above next.
Based on the above comments and hours of research, other people aren’t as badly impacted. They might see this issue a few times each day, where I’m encountering it every time I lock the phone…Hoping it’s not a hardware issue.
Thanks for the follow up. Sorry to hear this. Try the clean install.
After that, you also have the option to install iOS 14.1 Public Beta 5 as shown here:
https://www.iphonetricks.org/ios-16-1-beta-5-problems-bugs-fixes-features/
If iOS 16.1 won’t fix it either, it might be hardware and you have to ask for a replacement unit. Keep us posted please.
Thanks for the suggestions – I installed iOS 16.1 Public Beta 5 but still facing the same issue. Will perform the clean install next
Sorry to hear this. Keep us posted! Fingers crossed!
Hi Patricia! Just wanted to post a quick update.
I went to the Apple store on Sunday – they did some analytics, the issue turned out to be hardware related. I got a replacement which is working as expected!
Thanks for all your help and suggestions.
That’s great! Thanks for the follow up. Enjoy your new device!
14 Pro ios 16.0.3. Charging overnight and woke up to the black screen and unresponsiveness. Hard reset worked but not sure the root cause.
iOS 16.1 is now available for update. We recommend you to go for it. Let us know if it happens again after update.
I have had my iPhone 14 pro for about a month now… it hasn’t given the black screen issue until tonight. It shut off while I was talking on the phone. I had already downloaded iOS 16.1. The hard reset worked to get it back on. Super-scarey!
Thanks for reporting Jason. Hopped that this was not an issue in iOS 16.1, but apparently it’s not the case. Thanks for the feedback. Let us know if it happens again.
Just got the iPhone 14 Pro Max yesterday. Just had this happen today with the black screen – thank goodness I found this fix.
You’re welcome. Glad it helped.
Happened to me this morning Nov. 7th on my iPhone 14 pro max running iOS 16.1. Made me quite late for work as I rely on my phone alarm to wake up!
That’s unfortunate. So the problem is still here in iOS 16.1.
Yea, that is disheartening especially since this was a known issue through a number of updates. Sure hope it’s not a hardware issue.
iOS 16.1.1 is available. Let us know if it helps.
My iPhone 14 pro max has gone black for the 4th time!
I have been back to the store 4 times because I couldn’t get it to start up. They got it going for me and even showed me how. Now I use the alarm and calendar for appointments.
I set my alarm and I work up on my own at a later time because my phone went black during the night and no alarm in the am. So I missed my doctors appointment!!!!! I can’t count on this phone! 10 years with Verizon no problems!
So now I have a phone that is unreliable maybe it’s time to move onto another provider and different phone. I’m paying for a phone that’s a pice of crap
I have an iPhone 14 Pro Max ios 16.3.1. Charging overnight and woke up with black screen and unresponsiveness. Alarm didn’t work and fortunately I have always a second alarm on my Apple Watch. That happened 3-5 times the last 4 months I have my iPhone. Hard reset is working all the time that bug happened. I didn’t find nowhere a permanent solution. Hope with future updates will fix the bug.
Thanks for sharing. Have you tried to clean install iOS 16.3.1? Here is a how-to guide:
https://www.iphonetricks.org/reinstall-ios-16-on-iphone-ipad-how-to/