Many users still prefer iPhones with actual home buttons on the front, either for overall simplicity or Touch ID's ease of use and fast response. Whether you have an iPhone 7, iPhone 8 or the new iPhone SE 2020, the method for performing a force restart is an important one to know when your device freezes up.
The trick to doing this is a bit different compared to older iPhone models that had actual, physical home buttons and didn't rely on the Taptic Engine. It's also changed over the course of the phones' lifespans, due to the introduction of the emergency SOS feature.
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Read on for instructions on how to force restart an iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus or second-generation iPhone SE on iOS 13 software. Note that this exact technique works on newer iPhones with Face ID, like the iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro, as well.
1. Press volume up, then volume down in quick succession.
2. Immediately afterwards, press and hold the side button on the right that triggers sleep/wake and Siri.
3. You'll see a shut down slider appear on the screen, without an emergency SOS control. Don't interact with it. Instead, continue holding the side key until the screen shuts off.
4. Release the side button when the screen goes dim. An Apple logo will inform you when the phone has begun to restart.
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