iPhone "black screen of death"

Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
AL
Hello! I have an iPhone 4, and I updated to iOS 7 the day it came out. Yesterday, my iPhone completely shut off and will not turn back on. It wasn't due to a drop or water damage. Normally, I'd reset it by simultaneously holding down the power and home buttons, however, my lock button is broken. I hooked the phone up to my computer and there was absolutely no response. Unfortunately, I haven't backed up this phone. At all. (It's a shame, I know.) I was wondering if there was anything I could do to save my photos. Is there any way an Apple or Verizon store could somehow transfer what's on this phone to a new one? Thanks in advance, guys.
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
Welcome to Mac-Forums..

Assuming the battery just died for some reason, keep it plugged in and see if it recovers. If not, you might want to visit your local Apple store to see if they can get it going again and allow you to back it up and then decide how to proceed..
 
OP
S
Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
AL
Tried charging it. No response whatsoever and the screen stayed black. I've tried just about everything. I haven't had time to visit an Apple store, but I plan on it as soon as I have free time. The phone is unrecoverable, or at least it seems to be. But the phone itself doesn't matter to me as I have a new one on the way. All I'm worried about is losing my contacts and my photos. Since I can't restore from a backup, I'm wondering if everything on the phone is also unrecoverable.
 
Joined
Sep 27, 2013
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Temp fix...

Hi sarahmy3rs

Obviously this problem is not normal and you should probably either restore the phone or take it to the Apple Store. I had the same issue on my iPhone 5 with the final Gold Master iOS 7 release. What I did to combat that issue, even though I couldn't see anything on the black screen, was to power down the phone with the top button and slide my finger across the top of the screen as if the red "Slide to Power Off" banner were there. Wait a second and power it back on... worked every time. I just got the new 5s and so far no issues...
 
Joined
Sep 27, 2013
Messages
11
Reaction score
1
Points
3
According to me razoredge is 90% correct it could be a battery fault, get a new battery and see if the phone starts still you would need to show it to a customer center they are the best people to help you and they will take a backup of your phone, I am 99% sure it is a hardware issue and not a software problemso your images will remain safe.
 
OP
S
Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
AL
Hi sarahmy3rs

Obviously this problem is not normal and you should probably either restore the phone or take it to the Apple Store. I had the same issue on my iPhone 5 with the final Gold Master iOS 7 release. What I did to combat that issue, even though I couldn't see anything on the black screen, was to power down the phone with the top button and slide my finger across the top of the screen as if the red "Slide to Power Off" banner were there. Wait a second and power it back on... worked every time. I just got the new 5s and so far no issues...
Unfortunately, I can't turn the phone on at all because the lock button has stopped responding. I have a Genius Bar appointment today to see what can be done. Thank you!
 
OP
S
Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
AL
According to me razoredge is 90% correct it could be a battery fault, get a new battery and see if the phone starts still you would need to show it to a customer center they are the best people to help you and they will take a backup of your phone, I am 99% sure it is a hardware issue and not a software problemso your images will remain safe.
I really hope it's a simple battery issue and not a software problem. I'll definitely look into getting a new battery and then take it to a store to see if my photos and contacts can be salvaged. Thank you for your help!
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2013
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Same problem

I had the same problem with my device, and i had to go Apple Store.

It was the battery that suddenly died, so I had to change it. Hope you get lucky with that! :D
 
M

MacInWin

Guest
If you have a Mac of any recent version, you might try connecting to your phone by USB cable and see if Image Capture (In the Applications folder) can communicate with the iPhone. If the phone is running but the screen is out for some reason, that may help getting your pictures saved. It's a long shot, of course, but hey, it's better than nothing.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top