Dealing with iPhone App and iOS Freezes

These solutions for dealing with your iPhone freezes are well known among iPhone and tech enthusiasts, but I still find myself answering related questions for everyday users that need help with a locked up iPhone or iPhone app.

There are basically three conditions where you may need to reset an application or phone to resume from an error or lockup.

I.  App Not Responding - Home Button Works

 

In this case, the app you're using may have stopped responding or locked up.  Or, it may simply be stalled on the "Updating..." screen endlessly without ever continuing or even failing.  If pressing the home button returns you to the home screen from where you can see the icons for your apps try this:

1. Double-tap the Home button.
   
   
2. From the app switching ribbon at the bottom of the screen, hold your finger on the icon for the offending application until it wiggles.
3. Click the red circle in the upper-left corner of the app's icon to force it to close.
   
   
4. Press the Home button to return to the home screen.
5. Re-launch the app.

II.  App Not Responding - Home Button Not Working

In this case, not only has the app stopped working, but pressing the home button has no effect.  In this case:

1. Hold the Lock (Top) button on your phone until the "slide to power off" option appears.
2. Release the Lock button.
3. Hold the Home button until the application closes.
4. Re-launch the app.

III.  Phone Not Responding

If nothing else works and the entire phone is unresponsive:

1. Hold the Home and Lock buttons at the same time until the Apple logo appears.
2. Wait for the phone to reboot.