To turn an iPhone off, the exact steps depend on which model you have, but the basic idea is always: bring up the “slide to power off” screen, then drag the slider.

Quick Scoop: How to turn iPhone off

1. Newer iPhones (Face ID – no Home button)

These are phones like iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, etc.

  1. Press and hold the Side button (right side) and either Volume Up or Volume Down (left side) at the same time.
  2. Keep holding until you see the “slide to power off” slider.
  3. Drag the Power Off slider all the way to the right.
  4. The screen goes black; your iPhone is now off.

To turn it back on:

  • Press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.

2. Older iPhones (with a Home button)

These include iPhone SE, iPhone 8 and earlier.

  1. Press and hold the Power/Side button (on the side, or on the top for very old models like iPhone 5).
  2. Wait until “slide to power off” appears.
  3. Drag the slider to the right to shut down.

To turn it back on:

  • Press and hold the Power/Side button until the Apple logo appears.

3. Turn iPhone off from Settings (no buttons needed)

This works on all models if the screen still responds and is handy if a button is broken.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to General.
  3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Shut Down.
  4. When the Power Off slider appears, drag it to the right.

Your iPhone will power off just like with the buttons.

4. If your iPhone is frozen and won’t power off normally

If the screen is totally unresponsive, you may need a forced restart (this doesn’t erase data; it just forces the phone to reboot).

For Face ID models (X and later):

  1. Quickly press and release Volume Up.
  2. Quickly press and release Volume Down.
  3. Press and hold the Side button.
  4. Keep holding until the screen goes black and the Apple logo appears, then release.

For iPhone 7 / 7 Plus:

  • Hold Volume Down and the Side button together until the Apple logo appears.

For iPhone 6s or earlier:

  • Hold the Home button and the Top/Side button together until you see the Apple logo.

This is more of a “force restart” than a gentle power off, but it’s what people often use when the phone is stuck.

5. Little 2026 context & forum flavor

People still ask “how do I turn this thing off?” on forums in 2025–2026, especially when coming from Android or when iOS changes buttons (for example, Face ID models using the Side + Volume combo instead of just one button). Some discussions even joke that Apple hides the power-off option on purpose, while others point out the Settings > General > Shut Down option as a quieter, accessibility-friendly method.

“You’re basically commanding the iPhone to listen, like a tech exorcist.” – as one user jokingly described the force-restart button combo.

TL;DR

  • Newer iPhones (Face ID): Hold Side + Volume , then slide to power off.
  • Older iPhones (Home button): Hold Power/Side/Top button, then slide to power off.
  • Any iPhone via Settings: Settings > General > Shut Down, then slide.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.