If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve got an iPhone 13 Pro stuck in reboot loop sitting in the palm of your hand right now. First things first: relax – we’ve got your back.
If your iPhone 13 Pro is stuck in reboot loop during startup and will not complete the startup process, you may think that your iPhone is permanently broken. But that may not be the case. Find out what to do if your iPhone 13 Pro is stuck in reboot loop. Don’t panic, you can usually fix it yourself.
It’s such a hassle when, out of the blue, you see that your iPhone 13 Pro is stuck in boot loop and won’t even load the Home Screen. The good news is that your phone probably isn’t broken. There are several solutions you can use when your iPhone 13 Pro is stuck in reboot loop.
In this article, we’ll tell you the reasons why your iPhone 13 Pro might be stuck in boot loop and all the different ways to fix this issue.
Why Your iPhone 13 Pro Is Stuck on boot loop
If your iPhone 13 Pro keeps turning off, don’t panic. This problem is more common than you think. In most cases, you can repair it without having to go to a mobile phone technician.
Before anything else, let’s first discuss why your iPhone 13 Pro is stuck in boot loop. There are a few reasons why your iPhone 13 Pro won’t get past this booting stage, such as:
- The phone’s software is corrupted. This issue can occur during data transfer or when upgrading to a new version of iOS.
- You restored or transferred corrupted files from an iCloud or iTunes backup.
- Running a beta version of iOS that has expired.
- The iPhone has been jailbroken, and it may have caused some software issues like a boot loop.
- You dropped your iPhone and the impact may have messed up some internal components or hardware.
So, what do you actually do for an iPhone 13 Pro stuck in boot loop during the boot-up process? We recommend the following things.
Note: The fixes in this article apply to iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Back Up Your iPhone First
Several of the troubleshooting steps below suggest erasing or restoring your iPhone 13 Pro to stop it from restarting. Of course, if you don’t back up your iPhone first, you’ll lose all the data on it when you do this: apps, messages, photos, and more.
Even if you choose not to erase or restore your iPhone, the fact that it keeps restarting could point to a serious hardware problem. This might be your last chance to back up your iPhone before it stops working completely.
The easiest way to back up your iPhone is by using iCloud.
Open the Settings app and tap your name at the top. Select iCloud, then scroll down and tap iCloud Backup. Choose to Back Up Now and wait for the backup to complete.
If that isn’t possible—perhaps because your iPhone keeps restarting mid-backup—connect your iPhone to a computer and try to back up using iTunes or Finder instead.
How to fix iPhone 13 Pro stuck in boot loop
1. Update iOS and Your Apps
Most of the time, your iPhone 13 Pro keeps restarting because of a software bug. It’s easy to patch these bugs by installing the latest software updates available for iOS and all the apps on your iPhone.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update to update iOS on your iPhone. If that doesn’t work, connect it to a computer and update iOS using iTunes or Finder instead.
After updating iOS, open the App Store and tap the Profile icon in the top-right corner. Then choose to Update All the apps on your iPhone.
2. Free Up More Storage
Even if you have a 128GB iPhone, you shouldn’t cram it with 128GB worth of content. Instead, it’s much better to keep at least 10 percent of your storage empty.
Your iPhone uses this free space to copy files, move data around, and work more efficiently while processing tasks. If your storage is completely full, your iPhone 13 Pro can’t work as well, which might explain why it keeps restarting.
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to take a look at your storage usage. Then use our tips to create free storage on your iPhone if you need to make more space.
3. Uninstall Problematic Apps
Even after updating all your apps, some of them can still cause problems. If an app is poorly developed or hasn’t been updated in a long time, it might make your iPhone 13 Pro restart every time you open it.
Try to take notice of which apps you’re using when your iPhone 13 Pro restarts. If the same app keeps cropping up, uninstall it from your iPhone and switch to an alternative app instead.
Of course, if the restart problem very clearly started right after installing a recent app, uninstall that app now and see if that solves the problem.
To uninstall apps, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, then scroll down and tap on the relevant app. In the app details page, tap Delete App.
4. Reset All your Settings
If your iPhone 13 Pro is stuck in a loop of endless restarts, you might be able to break the cycle by resetting all your settings. It’s unlikely, but a problem with your settings could cause your iPhone 13 Pro to keep shutting down or restarting. Fortunately, you can reset all the settings on your iPhone without losing any other data on your device.
The only major downside to resetting your settings is that you’ll need to input the Wi-Fi passwords for all networks you use again.
Your iPhone manages a lot of settings everything from WiFi passwords and network configurations to location and privacy settings. While it’s not likely any of these settings are causing your iPhone 13 Pro to spontaneously restart, it’s a possibility.
The most likely culprit is your network settings, so you should reset that first and see if it solves your problem. Start the Settings app and then tap General. Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone, followed by Reset. Finally, tap Reset Network Settings and confirm you want to do this.
If that doesn’t solve your problem, then you can come back to the Reset menu and choose Reset All Settings. This will erase a broader range of personalized settings, so save it for a close-to-last resort.
5. Remove Your SIM card
Even your SIM card can cause your iPhone 13 Pro to restart. This usually happens if your SIM card can’t connect to the carrier for some reason. It can even lead your iPhone 13 Pro to get stuck in a boot loop that’s hard to escape from.
All you need to do is use a SIM pin or a straightened paperclip to pop the SIM tray out of your iPhone.
If this works, but then your iPhone 13 Pro keeps restarting again when you reinsert the SIM card, keep following the next steps to force restart and restore your iPhone before putting the SIM card back in.
If your iPhone 13 Pro still keeps restarting after this step, ask your carrier for a replacement SIM card.
6. Force Restart Your iPhone
It’s not usually a good idea to force restart your iPhone, just like it isn’t wise to rip the power cord out of a desktop computer.
But drastic times call for drastic measures. And if your iPhone 13 Pro keeps restarting or is stuck in a boot loop, sometimes the only way to fix it is using a force restart, also known as a hard reset.
Press and let go of the Volume Up button, then do the same thing with the Volume Down button. Then press and hold the phone’s Side button until the Apple logo appears. Remember to do this in the correct order or your phone might text your SOS contacts.
During the rebooting phase, it’s normal for the screen to flash before powering down. It will reboot and won’t enter a boot loop. This process solves most issues, but there might be exceptions when it won’t work.
7. Restore iOS Using a Computer
Speaking of drastic measures, if your iPhone 13 Pro still keeps restarting at this point, it’s time to erase all your data and reinstall iOS. This could take an hour or more to do, so wait until you won’t need your iPhone for a while before getting started.
Connect your iPhone to a computer. If you use a macOS Catalina or later, open Finder first. If you are using a Windows PC or a Mac with a macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes instead.
Locate your iPhone in Finder or iTunes. Once it’s connected, follow the instructions above to force restart it again and continue holding the buttons involved in the process, until you see the Recovery Mode screen on your iPhone, which shows a computer icon.
When getting the update or restore options, choose Update. Your computer will download and reinstall iOS without erasing your data.
8. Use System Repair Programs
If the previous seven solutions failed to fix iPhone 13 Pro stuck in boot loop issue, consider using paid or freemium system repair programs. These programs are useful for resolving various iPhone issues, including the infamous incident where the iPhone 13 Pro got stuck in boot loop.
Examples of iOS system recovery programs include Dr. Fone, TunesKit, Tenorshare Reiboot, iMyFone, and FonePaw.
9. Do a Factory Restore
If your iPhone 13 Pro is still stuck in boot loop, you should consider factory restore. This option will erase all the data on your phone. Recovering your data afterwards will be much easier if you have a backup of your iPhone’s data on your computer or iCloud.
If you don’t have a backup, you will lose all your data when you complete this step.
To complete a factory restore, enter Recovery Mode as described in the previous sections. But now, instead of choosing to update your iPhone, you should select the Restore option on your computer instead.
We advise you to do this only after you have exhausted the previous options.
10. Try a DFU Restore
DFU (Device Firmware Update) Mode stops your iPhone partway through the startup process and allows you to restore the iPhone, load a backup, or start fresh. It’s similar to Recovery Mode, but more focused on solving the kind of low-level issues that cause the iPhone 13 Pro to be stuck in boot loop. Using DFU Mode takes some practice because it requires a precise set of actions, but it is often effective.
Using an Apple-approved USB cable, connect your iPhone to a computer. Then perform the steps below:After reaching the final step, make sure that the screen stays black. If it does, it’s now in DFU mode, and you need to follow the prompts on your computer.
However, if you see the iPhone screen or iTunes icon, it’s in Recovery Mode instead. Reconnect your iPhone to your computer and repeat the instructions below. This time make sure you get the timing right.
- Press the Volume Up button and quickly release it, then do the same thing with the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side button. Then, when you get a black screen, press and hold the Volume Down button.
- Keep holding these buttons for about five seconds. Then release the Side button while still holding the Volume Down button.
- Follow the prompts displayed on your computer.
11. Inspect Your iPhone for Physical Damage
After restoring iOS, you can rule out software as the reason your iPhone 13 Pro keeps restarting. That leaves only hardware as the culprit, which means your iPhone probably needs a physical repair.
Inspect the outside of your iPhone looking for signs of damage. This could come in the form of scratches from an accidental drop, water marks from liquid damage, or broken pins inside the charging port.
It’s also worth going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health to see if your battery needs replacing.
Any of these issues could cause your iPhone 13 Pro to keep restarting.
If you’ve tried all the options above and your iPhone 13 Pro is still stuck in boot loop then it’s time to get your device repaired professionally. If your iPhone is still under warranty, Apple should cover the repair for free, provided it isn’t damaged in any other way, such as liquid damage.
Getting your phone repaired may reveal hidden hardware issues. For example, your iPhone’s logic board might be damaged and needs replacement, which is why it kept getting stuck in boot loop.
To book a repair, visit Apple’s Get Support website.
Solved: iPhone 13 Pro Stuck in boot loop
Hopefully, you figured out why your iPhone 13 Pro was restarting over and over. When your iPhone 13 Pro is stuck in boot loop, the most important thing to do is find out what might have caused it. Next, you can try the solutions we listed above to help solve the problem. When all else fails, you’ll need to contact Apple customer service, or visit an Apple Store for in-person support. Make a Genius Bar appointment to get in-person support or contact Apple Support online.
See also: 6 Best Ways to Fix iPhone 13 Pro Stuck on Apple Logo