- If your iPhone screen is frozen or unresponsive after installing iOS 26 update, there are a few things you can try when troubleshooting the problem.
- First, try a force-restart. If that doesn’t work, you can update or reinstall the operating system.
- If you’re still having problems, you can always contact Apple support for further help.
If your iPhone is freezing after upgrading to iOS 26, your phone won’t respond to touch, with the display completely stuck or working intermittently. Touches may register in the wrong locations, and physical buttons may refuse to work.
The Home Screen or an app could become non-interactive. With a frozen iPhone—different from an iPhone stuck in a boot loop—standard troubleshooting steps will only take you so far.
If your iPhone is freezing after iOS 26 update, worry not; you’ve come to the right place to seek advice. Follow along with us as we show you how to unfreeze an iPhone after iOS 26 update.
How to unfreeze an iPhone after iOS 26 update
Make Sure Your iPhone is Not Too Hot or Too Cold
Extreme environmental temperatures, both hot and cold, can cause an iPhone to freeze. Apple advises avoiding the use of the device when temperatures are outside of the range of 0 to 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit).
Leaving your iPhone in a car is particularly problematic because the car’s interior can easily exceed this range when left in the hot sun.
Do your best to keep the iPhone within its operating temperatures of 0 to 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit).
Force Quit Apps
If a specific app is causing your iPhone to freeze, force quitting the problematic app can resolve the issue most of the time.
To force quit an app, swipe up from the bottom edge and stop near the middle of the screen. Find the problematic app by swiping left and right, then swipe up on the app to close it.
Upon identifying the app causing the freezing, update it. Follow these steps:
- Open the App Store app on your iPhone.
- Tap on your Account icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
- Scroll down to find a list of your apps with updates available.
- Tap Update next to the app or apps you want to update.
- You can also tap Update All to update all of your apps at once.
If your iPhone still keep freezing while using the app, your next step is to reinstall the problematic app. To do this, press and hold its app icon until a context menu appears, then tap on Remove App. Tap Delete App, then choose Delete to confirm.
Doing so will also delete any app settings from the device that might be causing issues. You can now redownload a fresh copy of the app from the App Store. If the iPhone display remains frozen and generally unresponsive, the next troubleshooting step is a force restart.
Force-restart your iPhone
If your iPhone screen is completely unresponsive after iOS 26 update, a force restart might unfreeze it. Forcing your iPhone to restart will not erase any apps or data. To force restart your iPhone, quickly press and let go of the volume up button. Quickly press and let go of the volume down button. Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
See also: iPhone won’t turn off after iOS 26 update? Here’s what to do
If, after a force-restart, your iPhone won’t turn on or start up, charging your phone is next on your list of potential fixes.
Charge your iPhone
It’s possible that charging your phone for a short time can unfreeze it. For the best results, plug your phone directly into a power adapter – avoid charging it wirelessly or plug it into a computer’s USB port. Let it charge for at least one hour and then try to use it again.
If your iPhone still isn’t working, or it gets stuck during start up, your next option is to update or reinstall iOS.
Reinstall iOS
As a last resort before contacting Apple Support, you can try updating or restoring iOS. This is a good option if your iPhone successfully restarts but can’t get past the Apple logo. Here’s how to do it.
- Connect your iPhone to a computer and start iTunes or Finder.
- Put your iPhone in recovery mode following these steps:
Quickly press and let go of the volume up button, quickly press and let go of the volume down button, then press and hold the side button. Hold the side button until you see the recovery mode screen, which has a lightning connector and iTunes logo. - When you see the option to restore or update your iPhone on your computer, click Update. iTunes or Finder will install a fresh copy of iOS 26. This may fix the frozen iPhone without deleting any apps or settings. Do not choose Restore, which will erase all of your data.
- If the Update doesn’t work, your final option is to choose Restore. This option will restore your iPhone to its factory settings.
. With the device restored and responsive again, now’s a good time to go to Settings > General > Software Update and install any pending iOS 26 update.
With that done, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and delete anything that’s clogging storage space, like massive photo libraries, cached videos in streaming apps, games, and so on.
iOS needs at least one gigabyte of free storage space to function smoothly. Clearing storage space is the best way to avoid issues like slow-downs that could lead to sudden freezes.
Contact Apple support
Is your iPhone still frozen even after trying out all the above tips? If so, we highly recommend contacting Apple support for further help.
Even better, you can make an Apple Store appointment at a Genius Bar, provided you have one nearby where you live.
An Unresponsive iPhone Is Virtually Useless
An iPhone that suddenly freezes is a brick in your hand. Whether a bug in iOS 26 is the cause of the issue, some apps are incompatible with it, the battery is low, or the device is running low on storage space, following the instructions in this guide should help fix a frozen iPhone.
Hopefully, you won’t have to factory reset your iPhone and wipe all the saved data and settings just to solve the responsiveness and freezing problems.
See also: iPhone battery drain after iOS 26 update? How to fix it!