iPhone Spinning Wheel of Death? How to Fix It

While rebooting your iPhone, your device might be frozen on a spinning wheel of death. This is usually caused by corrupted software update or restore. Don't panic, it's not the end of your phone's life yet.

We are here to show you how to fix this problem. Below are multiple fixes that can help you get rid of the spinning wheel. We're also going to show you preventive measures to hopefully avoid encountering this issue again.

Let's begin!

Charge Your iPhone for at Least 30 Minutes

Before we dive into more invasive solutions, connect the device to a charger and let it charge for at least 30 minutes to make sure your device has enough power to complete the reboot process.

Here's are some tips to help you optimize the charging process:

• Ensure that you are using the official Apple cable and adapter to charge the device.
• Make sure that the cable is connected to a working USB port and power charger.

After 30 minutes or so of charging press and hold the power button to see if the device responds. If not, try the next solution.

Force Restart Your iPhone

When your iPhone encounters a problem such as freezing, crashes, or otherwise, you can perform a force restart. This forces your iPhone to turn off and then quickly on again, regardless of the state of your system. Most of the time, it fixes the issue.

However, you should only use a force restart if you have no other options. Here's the difference between a normal restart and a force restart.

You can perform a force restart by pressing a sequence of buttons on your iPhone. Note that the procedure may differ between iPhone models.

Here's how:

iPhone 6s and older: Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time. Release when the Apple logo appears on the screen.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the volume down button and the side button at the same time. Release when the Apple logo appears on the screen.

iPhone 8 Series, iPhone X, and newer: Press and hold the volume up button, then press and hold the volume down button, and finally press and hold the side button. Release when the Apple logo appears on the screen.

Repair a Crashed System using TinyFix

TinyFix should be your first choice if you urgently need to get access into your device or the force restart won't work. It is a powerful iOS system repair tool that can fix tons of iPhone issues, such as device stuck on Apple logo, stuck on restart loop, without losing data.

The whole repair process takes just a few minutes with a 95% guaranteed success rate. And it is compatible with all the latest iPhones, and supports older phones dating all the way back to the iPhone 6.

here's how to use TinyFix:

Step 1. Start by downloading TinyFix on your Mac or Windows computer.

Step 2. Connect the device with the spinning wheel problem to your Mac or computer, then launch the TinyFix and navigate to iOS System Repair > Standard Mode.

Step 3. In the next window, click on Download. TinyFix will download the specific firmware before fixing.

Step 4. When the download is complete, TinyFix will start fixing your iPhone.

Restore iPhone in Recovery Mode

You can repair your iPhone using Recovery Mode, if the repair tool is not your option. This also involves connecting your iPhone to a separate device, from which you can enter a user interface.

Entering Recovery Mode differs slightly depending on the model, so take note of that. Additionally, it is recommended that you backup your iPhone's data if possible. This is because you may also need to do a factory reset during the restore process.

Here's how to enter Recovery Mode:

Step 1. Start by connecting your iPhone to your Mac or computer.

Step 2. Then, open Finder or iTunes on your Mac or computer.

Step 3. Next, press a sequence of buttons based on your iPhone model:

iPhone 8 Series, iPhone X, or newer: Press and release the volume upbutton, then the volume down button. Afterwards, press and hold the side button.

iPhone 7 Series: Press and hold the volume down button and Sleep/Wake button until your screen turns black and the Apple logo shows up.

iPhone 6s Series and older: Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time.

Step 4. Once your iPhone has entered Recovery Mode, a prompt will tell you to either update or restore your iPhone. Let's first try to update your device by clicking Update.

Step 5. Your computer will then attempt to find the latest version for your iOS and install it.

Step 6. Once your device exits Recovery Mode and reboots, perform step 3 and 4 again. However, if this does not resolve your issue, you may need to perform a factory reset. Repeat step 3 to re-enter Recovery Mode.

Step 7. Next, select Restore, then Restore and Update.

If this does not work, please continue reading.

Restore iPhone in DFU Mode

A Device Firmware Update (DFU) deletes and reinstalls both the software and firmware of your iPhone, essentially making your phone seem brand new. However, only do this when all the above options, notably Recovery Mode, do not work and you are good at technology, as it requires precise timing and lots of steps.

Just like Recovery Mode, you will need to connect your iPhone device to a Mac or PC. From there, you can use Finder or iTunes to perform a DFU. Note that it is also highly recommended to back up your data as this will completely wipe out your iPhone.

Here's how:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your computer.

Step 2. Open iTunes or Finder on your computer.

Step 3. Put your iPhone in DFU mode. The button sequence differs depending on the model:

iPhone 8 Series and newer:

• Press and release the volume upand volume down button, then press and hold the side button until the screen turns black.
• Quickly hold down the volume downbutton while still holding down the side button. Wait for five
• Release the side/topbutton, then release the volume down button once your device shows up in Finder or iTunes.

iPhone 7 Series:

• Press and hold the side andvolume down button.
• Wait for a few seconds. The Apple logo should appear then disappear again.
• Release the Sleep/Wake button while still pressing the volume downbutton.
• Lastly, release the volume downbutton once your device shows up in Finder or iTunes.

iPhone 6 Series and older:

• Press and hold the Sleep/Wakebutton and the Home button.
• Wait for a few seconds.
• Release the Sleep/Wakebutton while still holding down the Home button.
• Release the Homebutton once your device shows up in Finder or iTunes.

Step 4. Once in DFU Mode, click the Restore iPhone button. Your computer will then start restoring your iPhone. Note that you should not disconnect your iPhone while the procedure is not yet finished, as this will corrupt your device.

Troubleshoot a Hardware Issue

If your iPhone is still stuck on the spinning wheel screen even after the above fixes, a hardware issue could be causing the problem. It's time to contact Apple's customer service to help you with your issue.

At this point, there may be a deeper underlying problem with your device that will need the intervention of a tech professional. You can contact them through their website, and they offer phone and live chat support for you.

If a third-party technician had tried to fix the device, return the device to them and they may be able to fix the problem for you free of charge.

If you had tried to repair the device on your own, make sure that you put the device back to it original state before taking it to the Apple Store.

If your iPhone is still under warranty, Apple might be able to repair the device for free, as long as it is not damaged in any other way. The technicians may also point out several other issues that they find and provide you with solutions.

Apple Store technicians will not be able to help you if some of the components on the device have been replaced with third-party parts.

Tips to Avoid the Spinning Wheel Issue

There are multiple ways to prevent spinning wheel errors from happening to your device. Here are several measures to try:

Update the iOS Regularly

Keep your iOS version updated to receive security patches and bug fixes.

You can do this by heading to your Settings  > General > Software Update and look for any updates to download and install into your device.

Update the Apps on Your iPhone

Once you have access to the device's settings, update all the Apps on your device. Updating apps is just as important as updating iOS and will help if a rogue or malfunctioning app is causing the problem:

• Step 1: Tap on the App Store to open it and the select "Today" at the bottom.
• Step 2: Tap on the user profile icon in the top-right corner and you should see your account details.
• Step 3: Scroll down to tap on "Available Updates" section and then tap on "Update" next to the individual app or "Update All" to update all apps at the same time.

Free Up Some Storage on Your iPhone

Your iPhone may have insufficient memory to run all its programs. As a result, it can face various problems like spinning wheel. To ensure that your device always has enough memory, make a backup of your important files. Afterwards, delete those that are no longer needed and also uninstall the unnecessary apps to free up the storage on your device.

• Step 1: Check the available storage of your iPhone on the Settings.
• Step 2: From here, select General and tap on Storage.
• Step 3: Make sure that you always have at least 5GB of memory in your iPhone for system use.

Conclusion

That's the guide on how you fix an iPhone getting stuck on a black screen screen with the spinning wheel. We hope you've fixed your issue. If you have any complaints or inquiries, don't hesitate to leave a comment!