How To Hard Reset / Force Restart iPhone 8 [Guide]

Here’s a guide on how to perform a hard reset / reboot or force restart on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus smartphones.

Apple’s iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus smartphones are now in the hands of excited customers the world over, and while it can be argued that demand is not as high has it perhaps could have been, thanks to the impending arrival of the iPhone X, there are still plenty of people who have new iPhones in their pockets.

Unfortunately, even when you own a brand new iOS device, there are going to be times where a hard reset or forced restart are required. As of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the special incantation required to make this happen has changed, apparently because the previous method would interfere with the new SOS feature that was recently added.

For owners of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, pressing and holding the sleep/wake button as well as the volume down button for around ten seconds would instigate a restart, however as holding those buttons now activates the SOS feature, Apple has changed the method this time around. It cannot go back to the old, old method of holding the sleep/wake button and the Home button for the same reason that method was changed for the iPhone 7 – the Home button is no longer a button, as such.

So, we have a new method for carrying out a hard reset / forced restart. We just happen to know what it is, too.

Step 1: Quickly press and then release the Volume Up button.

Step 2: Now quickly press and then release the Volume Down button.

Step 3: Press and hold the sleep/wake button – Apple now calls this the Side button on iPhone 8/8 Plus/X, by the way.

Step 4: Keep holding until you see the Apple logo, and release.

That’s all there is to it. If you ever find yourself in a position where an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus simply refuses to work, this collection of button presses should get you on your feet again. We expect this will also go for the iPhone X when it arrives on November 3rd.

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