Your iPhone 15 should turn on with one physical button, but a drained battery or frozen startup can make it look dead. Start with the normal power-on step, then move to charging, force restart, or recovery mode only when the phone still will not start.
Turn it on with the Side button
Use this first when your iPhone 15 is off and has enough charge.
- 1.Find the Side button on the right side of your iPhone.
- 2.Press and hold the Side button.
- 3.Keep holding until the Apple logo appears.
- 4.Release the Side button and let the iPhone finish starting up.
Turn it back on after shutting it down
Press and hold either Volume button and the Side button until the power-off slider appears.
Drag the power-off slider to turn your iPhone off.
Wait 30 seconds for the device to shut down completely.
Press and hold the Side button on the right side of your iPhone until the Apple logo appears.
After the logo appears, give the phone a moment to finish booting before pressing more buttons.
Charge it from a wall outlet first
If the battery is very low, your iPhone 15 may not turn on immediately. Connect it to a power outlet using the included charging cable and an Apple USB power adapter or another compatible power adapter.
When the battery is very low, it may need to charge for up to 10 minutes before you can use it. If it is extremely low, the display may stay blank for up to 2 minutes before the low-battery image appears.
Once it has had time to charge, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
If this method fails, charge your iPhone for one hour, then try the force restart steps below.
Check for a drained battery
If your iPhone 15 does not turn on, the battery may be too low to start the phone right away.
Leave it connected to power and watch for signs that charging has started.
A blank screen can stay blank for up to 2 minutes when the battery is extremely low.
After the phone has charged long enough, hold the Side button again until the Apple logo appears.
Use wireless charging
Wireless charging helps rule out the cable or charging port.
- 1.Place your iPhone face up on a MagSafe Charger connected to an Apple 20W USB-C power adapter or another compatible power adapter.
- 2.Place it face up on a Qi-certified charger if you are using standard wireless charging.
- 3.Wait while the battery charges if it is very low.
- 4.Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
Force restart a black screen
Try a force restart when your iPhone 15 will not turn on normally or stays on a black screen.
Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
Press and hold the Side button.
Keep holding the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
Charge your iPhone for one hour if it still does not turn on.
Try the same force restart sequence again after that hour of charging.
Try recovery mode when startup gets stuck
If Recovery Assistant appears on your iPhone 15, select Continue and let it try to fix the startup problem. It needs a Wi-Fi connection and can take several minutes. Recovery mode is for an iPhone 15 that will not start up normally, keeps starting up to Recovery Assistant without recovering, or gets stuck on the Apple logo after a restore or migration. If a progress bar is on the screen, wait until it has not moved for at least one hour before using this option.
Make sure your Mac is up to date. On a PC, get the latest version of the Apple Devices app. Connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable, then open Finder on your Mac or the Apple Devices app on your PC.
Press and quickly release the Volume Up button, press and quickly release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Side button until the Connect to computer screen appears. Locate your device on the computer and choose Update first. Choose Restore only if needed, because Restore erases all data.
If this method fails, use Restore only after accepting that it erases the device.
Skip older button combinations
Older guides may mention holding the Side button and Volume Down button together, but that force restart combo is for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Other older instructions may mention holding a Home button with the Side button or Top button, but iPhone 15 has no Home button.
For iPhone 15, use Volume Up, Volume Down, then hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
Use recovery mode if the correct iPhone 15 force restart sequence still does not get the phone past startup.
Follow admin setup after it starts
If your iPhone 15 is deployed or managed by a company, school, or other organization, your administrator provides the setup instructions.
Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
Let the iPhone finish starting up.
Follow your organization’s setup instructions after the phone starts.
Contact your administrator for deployment instructions if setup stops after startup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which button turns on an iPhone 15?
Use the Side button on the right side of the iPhone. Press and hold it until the Apple logo appears.
How long should I hold the Side button?
Hold it until the Apple logo appears. During a force restart, this can take longer than 10 seconds.
Why is my iPhone 15 screen still black after I plug it in?
If the battery is extremely low, the display may stay blank for up to 2 minutes before the low-battery image appears. Very low power can require up to 10 minutes of charging before you can use the phone.
Can Siri, Control Center, or Settings turn an iPhone 15 on?
The Side button turns an iPhone 15 back on from shutdown. Settings and Control Center can turn iPhone off, but they do not turn it back on.