iPhone stuck on the Apple logo? What to do

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

If a progress bar is shown under the logo, wait until it has not moved for at least one hour. Then connect the iPhone to a computer, put it in recovery mode and choose Update, not Restore. Update reinstalls iOS and keeps your data.

An iPhone can sit on the Apple logo for a long time after a restore from a backup or a transfer from an old phone, while it is still working. Interrupting it too early causes more trouble than waiting.

On the computer, Restore erases the iPhone. Choose Update.

Step by step

  1. Wait and watch the progress bar

    Leave the iPhone on its charger. Apple's rule: only act when the progress bar has not moved for at least one hour.

  2. Connect the iPhone to a computer

    Use a Mac, or a Windows PC with the Apple Devices app or iTunes, and a cable.

  3. Put the iPhone in recovery mode

    On an iPhone 8 or later: press and quickly release volume up, press and quickly release volume down, then press and hold the side button until the recovery screen with a computer and cable appears. Keep holding past the Apple logo.

  4. Older models

    iPhone 7: hold volume down and the side button together. iPhone 6s and earlier: hold the Home button and the side or top button together. In both cases, hold until the recovery screen appears.

  5. Choose Update on the computer

    On a Mac, open Finder and click the iPhone in the sidebar. On a PC, open Apple Devices or iTunes. A message offers Update or Restore. Click Update. The computer downloads iOS and installs it without deleting your data.

  6. If Update does not work

    Repeat the steps. If the iPhone still does not start, Restore is the last step. It erases the iPhone, and you bring your data back from a backup afterwards.

Good to know

If the download takes more than 15 minutes, the iPhone leaves recovery mode by itself. Let the download finish, then repeat the button steps.

More detail on the buttons for each model: how to put an iPhone in recovery mode.

If the screen stays completely black: iPhone won't turn on: what to try before a repair.

If neither Update nor Restore works, the iPhone needs service. Contact Apple Support.

In short: Wait an hour without movement, connect to a computer, recovery mode, choose Update. Restore only as a last resort.

Sources
  • Apple Support: If your iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.