On most iPhones, a force restart without the side button depends on the model. If you mean a normal reboot, some models let you restart from on-screen settings; if the phone is frozen, the hardware button sequence is usually required.

What to try

  • iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, or later: press and hold either volume button and the side button until the power-off slider appears, then drag it to shut down and turn it back on later from the side button.
  • If the phone is frozen: Apple says to force restart by pressing and quickly releasing volume up, then volume down, then holding the side button until the Apple logo appears.
  • If the side button truly does not work: use Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch, then add a Restart option to the AssistiveTouch menu and tap it to reboot without physical buttons.

Important note

A true force restart on an iPhone generally still needs the side button on newer models; if that button is broken, AssistiveTouch is the practical workaround.

Model split

iPhone model| Button-free or reduced-button option
---|---
iPhone X / 11 / 12 / 13 / later| Use volume buttons + side button to bring up shutdown, or AssistiveTouch for software restart 82.
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus| Force restart uses volume down + side button, so a broken side button is a bigger problem 4.
iPhone 6s / earlier| Uses Home + top/side button, depending on model 8.

Practical workaround

If the side button is damaged and the phone still responds, turn on AssistiveTouch first and use its restart action. If the phone is completely unresponsive, the usual next step is repair or service, because the standard force-restart sequence requires the hardware buttons.

TL;DR: If the side button works, use the normal force-restart sequence; if it does not, use AssistiveTouch to restart from software.