The sales of Apple’s iPhone have steadily increased throughout the years, making it the top smartphone. However, some users can experience the iPhone unexpectedly turning off.

Here are some reasons why:

  • Water damageExtreme TemperaturesFaulty SoftwareOld OSFaulty BatteryNeeds a Reset

Read on to learn about these most likely reasons your iPhone could be randomly shutting down and what you can do about it.

Check for Water Damage

One of the most unfortunate reasons your iPhone could be unexpectedly shutting off is due to physical damage sustained to the device.

Water damage is the most common in the realm of physical damage to iPhones. 

If it is recent water damage and is not extensive: there could be a possible remedy without taking the phone to be repaired.

Minor water damage can often be remedied by letting the phone just dry out. 

Once the majority of moisture has evaporated, the iPhone can turn on again and function as normal.

If not, then it is best to take the phone to a repair shop (or Apple store) to get fixed.

Prevent Against Extreme Temperatures

Mobile phones can often be susceptible to extreme temperatures, and the iPhone is inclusive of this fault.

If the iPhone gets extremely hot from either extreme use, hot outdoor temperatures, or a combination of the two, the iPhone could get too hot to operate and shut off at random.

The reverse is also true. If the phone is exposed to extremely cold temperatures, this could place the phone in a state outside of the operating temperature range.

The best thing to do in these cases is to get out of the extreme temperatures, let your phone cool down (or warm up) and then turn the phone on & try again. 

In some cases, this may have zapped your battery, so charging it may be necessary as well.

Your Software Could be at Fault

Sometimes the OS on the iPhone or an app setting can get into an odd state. 

This can cause the phone to shut down, especially if the problem is an app draining lots of battery life.

The most comprehensive way to fix this is through a hard reset. 

This special type of reset will perform a deeper reset. It will not affect any of your phone storage.

To perform a hard reset on the iPhone:

  • Click and release the up volume button

  • Click and release the down volume button

  • Hold down the side button

  • Let go of the side button once the Apple logo appears

If there are any apps that are drawing an inordinate amount of battery level from the phone, a hard reset should fix this.

The OS is Old

Often, a phone upgrade can help an iPhone stop shutting down by regulating battery life, app usage, and general software operations easier.

If your phone is extremely out of date on iOS, consider updating to the latest. If your iPhone variant supports it, of course.

For the different ways to update iOS to the latest, check Apple’s instructions.

The Battery is Faulty

If the issue still persists, the iPhone battery could be old, faulty, or damaged.  

Contact Apple, or visit an Apple store to swap in a new battery for your phone. 

Since the battery is not removable, do not attempt this yourself, or you could risk voiding any warranty or AppleCare you still hold.

If this is within the general warranty since getting the phone, or within your AppleCare period of service, you might be able to get this service for free as the battery should not be faulty within that period.

Erase and Reset Your Phone

If you can’t find the issue and nothing seems to work: a reset/erase could fix the random shutdowns.

Make sure you connect your iPhone to your computer. 

From here, you need to create a backup of your phone, as this method will wipe everything saved on the device.

After this, reset and erase your iPhone by going into the Settings»General»Transfer or Reset iPhone.

You can either transfer to a new iPhone or erase all data.   

You can also reset your iPhone by being plugged into a Mac computer. 

Either in iTunes or Finder, simply find the iPhone in the respective application. 

From here, you have the option to select “Restore Phone.”

In Conclusion

No matter what smartphone you use, you could experience random shutdowns. 

With the advancement of technology, devices seem to have developed their own set of problems.

In looking into these reasons for random shutdowns and trying the solutions, you should be able to resolve random shutdowns.

The reasons for random iPhone shutdowns can include old or faulty batteries or software, extreme temperatures, water damage, or even that it needs a reset.

If the issue persists after all these attempts, contact Apple and their support online, or visit an Apple store.