How to turn off an iPhone — Steps for iPhone 12, iPhone 11 and older

How to turn off the iPhone
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

"How to turn off the iPhone" probably isn't something you thought about when it had a dedicated power button. But Apple made things more complicated with the release of the iPhone X and has never looked back.

Here's a quick look at how to turn off the iPhone whether you have one of the newer models with Face ID, like the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro, or one of the older models with a Touch ID home button.

How to turn off the iPhone 12, iPhone 11 or any iPhone with Face ID

  • Simultaneously hold down the button on the right side of the phone and either volume button on the left for approximately two seconds until a slider appears.
  • Drag the top slider all the way to turn off your iPhone.
  • That's it, your phone will be fully powered down in approximately 30 seconds.
  • To turn it back on, simply long-press the button on the right side of the phone until you see the Apple logo.

How to turn off the iPhone 12 or any iPhone with Face ID

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

How to turn off the iPhone 8, iPhone SE or any iPhone with Touch ID

  • Hold down the button on the right side of the phone until you see a slider appear at the top of the screen.
  • Drag the slider to the right to turn your iPhone off.
  • That's it, your phone will be fully powered down in approximately 30 seconds.
  • To turn it back on simply long-press the button on the right side of the phone until you see the Apple Logo.

How to turn off the iPhone 8 or any iPhone with Touch ID

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)
Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.