Nothing is perfect, including iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max are very good phones but a few months after launch, it’s clear that these phones have some issues and problems as well. We guide you through fixing the most common issues being reported by iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro owners in one handy guide.
Don’t you just hate it when your iPhone 12 starts acting up? We do, too. That’s why we’ve put together this essential guide to help you fix all the common (and some less common) iPhone 12 issues.
These fixes will be quicker than going to an Apple Store and waiting for a Genius Bar appointment, and it won’t cost you a dime.
In this guide we’ll look at, and tell you how to fix the following iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro problems:
- iPhone 12 Won’t Connect to WiFi
- iPhone 12 Won’t Connect to Bluetooth
- iPhone 12 Freezes
- iPhone 12 Won’t Update
- How to Recover Lost iPhone Data
- iPhone 12 Overheating
- iPhone 12 Battery Drains too Quickly
- iPhone 12 Won’t Charge
- iPhone 12 Touchscreen Not Working
- iPhone 12 Won’t Turn On
- iPhone 12 is Slow
- Forgotten iPhone 12 Passcode
- Can’t Back Up iPhone 12 to iCloud
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Issues and How to Fix Them
Here are the most common iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro problems we discovered so far, and some tips on how to fix them.
iPhone 12 Won’t Connect to Wi-Fi
Problem: Your iPhone 12 won’t connect to a public or private WiFi network.
Possible solution:
Swipe up to reveal the iPhone’s control centre and tap the WiFi button, wait a few seconds and turn it back on.
This will disconnect you from all WiFi networks and then begin reconnecting.
If this doesn’t work, try the same, but with Airplane Mode.
If the problem persists, head into the phone settings and forget the network Settings > WiFi then tap the network you’re trying to connect to.
Tap Forget This Network. If none of these work, it’s likely a problem with the WiFi network, not your iPhone. Try resetting the router.
iPhone 12 Won’t Connect to Bluetooth
problem: iPhone 12 is unable to detect any other Bluetooth device that’s in pairing mode or vice versa.
Possible solution:
Restart your iPhone 12 and then try connecting it to the Bluetooth device again. Toggling Bluetooth off/on rarely works so restart is the only option.
To restart iPhone 12: Press and hold the Power button (right hand side) and either volume button until you see the power slider. Drag the slider from left to right.
iPhone 12 Freezes
Problem: Your iPhone 12 grinds to a halt in the middle of tasks, leaving you unable to interact with the phone.
possible solution:
Try a force restart. This will shutdown your iPhone, ending all ongoing tasks. Don’t worry, you shouldn’t lose any data like photos or contacts, although you might end up losing the email you were in the middle of writing.
To force restart your iPhone 12: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button, press and quickly release the Volume Down button, press and hold the Power button (right hand side) until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
If the problem continues, check if there’s a software update available – if so, install it. If it persists further, try factory resetting your iPhone 12, making sure you backup any data before you do.
iPhone 12 Won’t Update
Problem: Your iPhone 12 won’t update to the newest version of iOS.
Possible solution:
Connect your iPhone 12 to a PC or Mac and perform a force restart as we mentioned above, this will put your iPhone into recovery mode.
You should then see an option to update it, tap to update the phone and once the update has completed, your phone should be working again.
If the update option doesn’t appear, you’ll have to restore your phone. This will remove all the data from your iPhone and restore it to its factory settings.
You will, however, get the latest software version and you’ll be able to restore your phone with backed-up content.
How to Recover Lost iPhone Data
Problem: You’ve lost all the data previously held on your iPhone 12.
Possible solution:
Providing you have an iCloud backup, this should be straightforward. You’ll need to sync your iPhone to iCloud – iPhones do this automatically at night when locked and charging.
If you’re missing content you expect to be there, and it isn’t on your iCloud backup, you’re probably out of luck. You could try taking it to an Apple Store, but we can’t promise they’d be able to get anything back.
iPhone 12 Overheating
Problem: On a sunny day, if you leave your iPhone 12 in the sun too long, you’ll see a warning telling you that your phone is too hot and it needs to cool down before you can use it again.
Possible solution:
Please, don’t put your iPhone in the fridge or freezer. Remove the case (if you have one) and keep it out of direct sunlight, then simply wait and it should cool down. It can be a good idea to switch on Airplane Mode while waiting for it too cool
You may, alternatively, find that your iPhone 12 is frequently running hot, though not giving you the warning message mentioned above.
This happens to a lot of electronic devices over time, from phones to laptops and games consoles. There’s rarely a quick fix, as the problems are often hardware related – an aging processor or battery, for example. But, these are some of the things you can do to alleviate the issue.
Take off the case: The more surface area of the phone is exposed, the easier it will be for it to regulate its temperature.
Check the holes: clear dirt, fluff or debris from the charging point or headphone jack.
Turn off Bluetooth and background app refreshing: The less tasks you processor is having to manage, the cooler it will stay
Take a break from games: Sad to say, but you might have to park your mobile gaming for the meanwhile, especially if you play graphically-intensive or AR games, such as Pokemon Go.
Turn off location settings: This will stop apps accessing bluetooth, GPS, or Wifi networks to ascertain your location. It’s often best to put apps on the “While using” setting, so you don’t lose functionality when you’re actually using the app.
Only charge your phone when it’s cool: Charging the battery causes it to heat up, and charging it while hot only exacerbates the issue.
If your iPhone 12 is still running too hot, your best bet is to take it to an Apple Store and get a diagnosis on the device or simply buy a new one.
iPhone 12 Battery Drains Too Quickly
Problem: Your iPhone 12 runs out of battery too quickly.
Possible solution:
The obvious – though not particularly satisfying – fix is to reduce how much you use your iPhone. However, there are some tricks to help you eke out a bit more time from your iPhone 12:
Check the Battery Health: This feature was introduced in iOS 11. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. It tells you how far your battery has degraded over time, and whether you need to change it. This is not Apple ‘planned obsolescence’, either. It’s an issue inherent to all lithium ion batteries.
Turn Bluetooth off: You need to head into the settings menu to do this, turning it off via the control centre doesn’t actually turn off Bluetooth.
Lower the screen brightness
Turn on lower power mode
Decrease the auto screen lock time
Turn off background app refresh: Head to Settings > General > Background app refresh.
iPhone 12 won’t Charge
Problem: When plugged in, the battery doesn’t charge up.
Possible solution:
Check your charging port for dust and debris (a safety pin or paperclip is good to do this with). If your iPhone 12 still won’t charge, check your charging cable – does it work with other Apple devices? Does other stuff work in the same wall plug? Do other USB cables work in the USB plug?
If that doesn’t work, try a force restart. If that doesn’t fix it, try a factory reset. If you still can’t charge your iPhone, head down to an Apple Store.
iPhone 12 Touchscreen Not Working
Problem: Your iPhone’s 12 screen has stopped responding, or it has frozen and is stuck on a black screen.
Possible solution:
The first thing you should do is try a force restart. We’ve detailed how to do that above If that doesn’t work, try charging the iPhone for up to an hour. If you still don’t see the charging screen, or you see the connect to power screen, try cleaning out charging point and headphone jack, check the USB cable and the wall plug.
If your screen is cracked and has stopped responding, it’s likely to be a hardware problem – meaning you’ll need a new screen. Apple is famously finicky with its warranties, so if they won’t fix it, try an authorised Apple reseller. They often fix screens for less than Apple, though you might lose some functionality (force touch, for example).
iPhone 12 Won’t Turn On
Problem: Your iPhone 12 won’t turn on or it’s stuck on the logo screen.
Possible solution:
Try a force restart If that doesn’t work, try charging it for an hour – making sure you check that the USB cable and plug are working, as well as ensuring there’s no dust or debris in the iPhone’s charging port.
If it still won’t turn on, try taking it to an Apple store as it might be a hardware related issue, such as a completely failed battery.
iPhone 12 is Slow
Problem: Your iPhone 12 seems to run really slowly, all the time.
Possible solution:
There are tons of ways to speed up your iPhone 12: Delete apps you don’t use, turn off background app refreshing, clear your the cache on the Safari web browser.
To see the full list of fixes, check out our Why is My Phone So Slow? Guide.
Forgotten iPhone 12 Passcode
Problem: You just can’t remember your iPhone’s 12 passcode, or a message is telling you that your iPhone has been disabled.
Possible solution:
There’s not much you can do here, other than restore your iPhone 12 to its factory settings and erase all the data on it. You can, however, promptly restore the iPhone from a backup.
If you’ve previously synced it with iTunes, simply plug your phone into your PC or Mac and find the “Restore iPhone” button. Then follow instructions, and select “Restore from iTunes Backup”.
If you’ve not synced your iPhone 12 with iTunes, you can restore from iCloud after putting your iPhone into recovery mode. Again, you’ll need to connect your phone to a PC or Mac then open iTunes – it doesn’t have to be your own computer, either.
While your iPhone is connected, you’ll need to do a force restart, then, when you see the option to restore or update on the computer’s screen, choose restore. iTunes will download the software for your iPhone, and you should be left with a functioning Phone sans all your old data.
Can’t Back Up iPhone 12 to iCloud
Problem: Your iPhone 12 won’t backup its data to the iCloud
Possible solution:
The first thing to do is check whether your iCloud storage limit is full. If it is, you might have to stop backing up or delete some data – photos typically take up a lot of room, and there might be some you don’t need, otherwise, games tend to backup data, as does the Mail app.
If you can’t trim your backup needs sufficiently, it might be worth upgrading your storage plan. For 99 cents a month, you get 50GB’s worth of iCloud storage – ten times the free amount. This small expense is genuinely worth it, and you’re unlikely to fill it up.
Before trying anything else, check if there’s an iOS update available. If that still doesn’t work, try resetting the network settings (this will reset wifi networks and passwords, as well as cellular and VPN settings) to do this, head to Settings > General > Reset (at the bottom of the screen) > Reset Network Settings.
If this doesn’t work, try backing it up with iTunes, then deleting your old iCloud backup and then trying the backup again.
What if My iPhone 12 Problem isn’t on Here?
If you can’t find the answer to your problem on here, a good place to start your troubleshooting is with a force restart. This will halt all current processes and will likely stop any sudden software issues you’ve encountered on your iPhone 12.
If the problem continues to persist, backing up your iPhone 12 and resetting it to factory settings should stop any strange goings on.
However, if push really does come to shove, take it to an Apple store – but remember that hardware fixes can often be carried out by verified Apple Resellers for a lower price.
What other issues are you facing on your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro? Is it poor battery life? Or are you having Wi-Fi connection issues? Drop a comment and let us know!