A frozen phone is a common phenomenon, but thankfully, there are ways to bring your device back to life. If your iPhone isn’t responding and you’re not able to power it off and then on again, you can force restart it to hopefully fix the issue. 

Forcing a restart is different than a normal restart. Though that’s the first thing you should try in this situation, it may not be an option with an unresponsive phone. And as iPhone designs have changed over the years, so have the buttons and commands, which is why the steps for forcing a restart vary depending on the phone you have. 

So, here’s how to force a restart on any iPhone, from the latest iPhone 16 to older models like the iPhone 6S.

Read more: iPhone 16E vs. iPhone 16: What the $200 Price Gap Means for You

Force a restart on newer iPhones (8 and up)

If you’ve got an iPhone that supports iOS 16 or later (iPhone 8 and up, iPhone SE 2nd or 3rd generation and iPhone 16E), then you’ll want to follow these steps:

1. Quickly press and let go of the volume up button.
2. Quickly press and let go of the volume down button.
3. Press and hold the side button, until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Then let go.

Read more: You Can Turn Off Your iPhone’s Always-On Display. Here’s How

Force a restart on the iPhone 7

The steps for what to do on an iPhone 7 are a little different. Instead:

1. Press and hold the volume down button and sleep/wake button at the same time.
2. Let go of both buttons when the Apple logo appears on screen. 

Force a restart on older iPhones

If you have an older phone, like the iPhone 6 or the first-generation iPhone SE, the steps will look a little different. Here’s what to do:

1. Press and hold the sleep/wake button and home button at the same time.
2. Let go of both once the Apple logo appears on screen.

Also, good to know: How to Use the Action Button on the iPhone 16 Series and iPhone 15 Pro

Force restart FAQ

What’s the difference between force restart and regular restart?

A regular restart is a more straightforward and standard way to turn your iPhone on and off again. You’ll want to try doing this first by holding down one of the volume buttons and the side button, and dragging the power off slider. To turn your iPhone back on, hold down the side button again until the Apple logo appears. (If you have an iPhone 8 or older, just hold down the side or top button, then drag the power off slider.) If your iPhone isn’t responding to that, then you’ll want to force a restart.

Restarting versus resetting an iPhone

Resetting an iPhone is a more drastic measure that’ll wipe your device. You’ll want to do this before selling your iPhone or trading it in. Restarting it will just give it a refresh while keeping all your data.

Why does it differ based on iPhone model?

As Apple has changed the design of its iPhones over the years, it’s also moved around some buttons and commands. Thankfully, we’ve made it easy here by listing all the different ways to force a restart on your phone.

Is there another way to restart an iPhone?

Yes, you can actually set up your iPhone to restart with your voice; here’s how.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is one of those where certain letters are circled, and there’s a joke that develops once you see the letters. You can’t do much more than solve the clues in a regular way, but when the puzzle’s done, you’ll see the joke fill itself in. It should be pretty simple, but if you need some help with today’s Mini Crossword, read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Four before E
Answer: ABCD

5A clue: Stock market pessimist
Answer: BEAR

6A clue: Nick ___, college football great with seven national titles
Answer: SABAN

8A clue: Early word for many babies
Answer: MAMA

9A clue: Piece of marble
Answer: SLAB

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Six-pack» found in this puzzle’s circled letters
Answer: ABS

2D clue: Smiles proudly
Answer: BEAMS

3D clue: Shadowy group
Answer: CABAL

4D clue: What messy people love
Answer: DRAMA

7D clue: Snatch
Answer: NAB

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition might be tough today. How well do you know your teams from the Great White North, eh? Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Nike or Reebok.

Green group hint: Take me out to the ballgame.

Blue group hint: Like the Alouettes.

Purple group hint: Nature first.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Running shoe brands.

Green group: Seen on a baseball scoreboard.

Blue group: CFL teams.

Purple group: Teams whose names begin with a geographical feature.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is running shoe brands. The four answers are Adidas, Asics, Hoka and Saucony.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is seen on a baseball scoreboard. The four answers are errors, hits, inning and runs.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is CFL teams. The four answers are Argonauts, Elks, Lions and Tiger-Cats.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams whose names begin with a geographical feature. The four answers are Islanders, Lakers, Mountaineers and Seahawks.