What to do when your phone screen is frozen

What you will learn

In this guide, you will learn what to do when your phone screen freezes and stops responding to your touch. This is a common problem and is almost always easy to fix without losing any of your photos, messages, or apps.

What you need

• Your phone (iPhone or Android)
• Your fingers

The steps

Step 1: Wait a moment

Sometimes the phone just needs a few seconds to catch up. Wait about 15 seconds without touching the screen. The phone may unfreeze on its own.

Step 2: Try pressing the Home button or swiping up

If your phone has a Home button, press it once. If your phone has no Home button, try swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Sometimes this is enough to get past the frozen app.

Step 3: Force restart your iPhone

If the screen is still frozen, you need to force restart. This is safe and will not delete anything.

iPhone with Face ID (no Home button): Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo. Release the button and wait.

iPhone with Home button: Press and hold the Home button and the Side button (or Top button) at the same time. Keep holding both until you see the Apple logo. Release and wait.

Step 4: Force restart your Android phone

Most Android phones: Press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds. The phone will vibrate and restart on its own. Release the button and wait.

Samsung phones: Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down button at the same time for about 10 seconds until the phone restarts.

Step 5: Wait for the phone to start up

After the force restart, your phone will show its startup screen (the Apple logo or your phone brand logo). Wait patiently for about 30 seconds to one minute. Your phone will return to the lock screen as normal.

Step 6: Check if the problem is fixed

Unlock your phone and try using it as normal. Open the app that was running when the screen froze. If it freezes again on that specific app, the app may need to be updated or reinstalled.

Helpful tips

• Keep your phone updated: Software updates often fix bugs that cause freezing. Go to Settings > General > Software Update on iPhone, or Settings > System > Software Update on Android.
• Close unused apps: Having too many apps open at the same time can slow down your phone. On iPhone, swipe up from the bottom and hold to see open apps, then swipe them away. On Android, tap the square button to see open apps.
• Free up storage: A phone with very little free space is more likely to freeze. Delete old photos, videos, or apps you no longer use.
• Charge your phone: A very low battery can sometimes cause the screen to freeze. If your battery is below 10 percent, plug it in and try again.