Fix iPhone or iPad failing to wake up

Go through these quick tips if you’re unable to wake your iPhone or iPad display and thus can’t unlock or use it.

You can wake up your iOS device using one of these ways:

• Tap the screen with one finger or tap the iPad screen with Apple Pencil
• Press the power button or Home button (or older models)
• Raise your iPhone (not iPad) like you normally do
• Say “Hey Siri”
• Press the Camera Control switch on iPhone 16 or later (except iPhone 16e and 17e)
• Plug the device into a charger
• Connect it to a Mac or PC
• Press a key on the connected physical keyboard
• Send a notification or call
• Open Camera Control on Apple Watch
• Using things on your Mac or Apple TV that trigger your iPhone or iPad to wake up. For instance, if you open a typing box on Apple TV, it can make the keyboard pop up on your iOS device. Similarly, you can sign documents on a Mac using an iPhone or iPad, thus waking it up (but it will lock soon after).

As the above list shows, there are many ways to wake up your iPhone or iPad, but some are impractical for everyday use. So, in this troubleshooting guide, we’ll cover what to do if you can’t wake your device using standard methods (raising it, tapping the screen, and pressing the button).

Try another way and restart the device

If you can’t wake up your iPhone or iPad in one way, like Raise to Wake, try tapping the screen or pressing the side button. If the other methods work, that could mean the specific feature (like Raise to Wake) is turned off, or there is a system glitch. Restart your iPhone or iPad to fix the glitch part, and move to the next tip to ensure the said feature is active.

Fix the power button not waking up your iPhone or iPad

The side or top power button on iPhone or iPad may not work because of temporary glitches, an issue with the case you’re using, or a major hardware fault.

Ask Siri to “restart iPhone.” Then, try using the side button, and it should work.

If not, remove the case and recheck.

If both fail, the problem may be hardware-related (did you drop your iPhone on a hard surface recently?). But before you rush to the Apple Store to get it fixed, I recommend going through these tips:

• Clean the area around the side button
• Try force restarting your iPhone or iPad (it’s different from a normal restart)
• Update to the latest version of iOS
• Reset all settings

And remember that even if the side button fails, you can still:

• Power off using the Settings app or Control Center
• Power it on by plugging it into a charger
• Invoke Siri by saying ‘Hey Siri.’
• And you can also create a shortcut that locks the phone without using the power button (see the image below)

Fix Raise to Wake not working

If your iPhone screen doesn’t light up when you lift it, go to iOS Settings > Display & Brightness and make sure Raise to Wake is on.

Fix Tap to Wake not working

If you can’t wake the iPhone or iPad screen with a tap, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch and turn on Tap to Wake or Tap or Swipe to Wake. Then, lock your device and tap once with a single finger.

In case the problem continues, check out this guide: Unable to wake your iPhone or iPad by tapping the Lock Screen? Here’s how to fix it

Other fixes

Use these tips if Raise to Wake and Tap to Wake don’t work even after you have turned them on in iOS Settings (as explained above):

• Force-quit all apps, lock your iPhone, and try to wake it up again
• Charge your iPhone or iPad for 10 minutes
• Reboot your iPhone or iPad
• Update to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS
• Reset all settings (please read its effects in our linked tutorial)
• If nothing helps, erase your iPhone or iPad and set it up again (but before you do that, you must create a full device backup or at least back up the important stuff to iCloud)

If you face the above problems on a new device

Both Tap to Wake and Raise to Wake are enabled by default on every new device. In case these features don’t work right after setup or stop working within a few days, I recommend returning your new iPhone or iPad (provided you’re within the 14-day return window) and placing another order.

If it has been more than 14 days but your device is still under warranty, Apple will likely fix the problem for free.

And in case your device is no longer under warranty, I recommend resetting all settings and performing a full device erase before getting a paid repair at the Apple Store or an authorized service center.

Also, check out: 13 things not covered under your iPhone warranty

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/03/25/fix-iphone-ipad-not-waking/