iPhone For Dummies
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Sometimes, you may need to restart your iPhone. And if that doesn't work, you can try resetting it. If your iPhone acts up on you — if it freezes, doesn't wake up from sleep, doesn't do something it used to do, or in any other way acts improperly — don't panic. You have some tricks you can try.

Apple recommends trying to restart your iPhone before you try resetting it.

Restarting your iPhone

Just like restarting a computer often fixes problems, restarting your iPhone sometimes works wonders:

  1. Press and hold the sleep/wake button.

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    A red Slide to Power Off slider appears on the screen.

  2. Slide the red slider to turn off the iPhone, and then wait a few seconds.

  3. Press and hold the sleep/wake button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

If your phone is still frozen, misbehaves, or doesn't start, do a force-quit:

  • First-generation iPhone or iPhone 3G: Force-quit by pressing and holding the Home button for 6 to 10 seconds.

  • iPhone 3GS or 4: Press and hold the sleep/wake button until the red Slide to Power Off button appears, and then release the sleep/wake button. Don't drag the red slider. Instead, with the red slider still on the screen, press and hold the Home button for 6 to 15 seconds.

Resetting your iPhone

If your iPhone refuses even to restart, you can reset it. Resetting your iPhone is like forcing your computer to restart after a crash.

To reset your iPhone:

  1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button while pressing and holding the Home button on the front.

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  2. When you see the Apple logo, release both buttons.

Your data shouldn't be affected by a reset, so don't be shy about giving this technique a try. In many cases, your iPhone goes back to normal after you reset it this way.

Remember to press and hold both the sleep/wake button and the Home button. If you press both and then release them, you create a screen shot — a picture of whatever is on your screen at the time — rather than reset your iPhone. (This type of screen picture, by the way, is stored in the Photos app's Camera Roll.)

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