How To Restart An iPhone Without Buttons (Settings, AssistiveTouch, Siri)

Guide 1m · Restart & Recovery

Side button broken or stuck? You can still restart your iPhone from the screen. Here are three ways, from simplest to most hands-free.

Works on: These steps work on any iPhone that can run iOS 16 or later. The Shut Down and AssistiveTouch steps also work on many older iOS versions. Siri restart needs iOS 16 or later.

Option 1: Shut Down From Settings

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Shut Down.
4. Drag the slider to the right. Wait about 30 seconds.

Turning it back on: you need a working side button or a charger. Plugging a turned-off iPhone into a charger usually starts it up after a minute. If you only need a restart, Option 2 is easier because the phone turns itself back on.

Option 2: Restart With AssistiveTouch

AssistiveTouch puts a small round button on your screen. It can restart the phone in one step, and the phone turns back on by itself.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Tap Touch.
4. Tap AssistiveTouch.
5. Turn on the AssistiveTouch switch. It turns green.
6. Tap the round gray button that now floats on your screen.
7. Tap Device.
8. Tap More.
9. Tap Restart.
10. Tap Restart again in the box that pops up. The screen goes black and the Apple logo appears in about a minute.

Option 3: Ask Siri

1. Wake Siri the way you normally do, by voice or with the button.
2. Say "Restart my iPhone."
3. Tap Restart when the phone asks you to confirm.

If Siri is off, turn it on first in Settings, under Siri (called Siri & Search on some iOS versions).

Source: Turn iPhone on or off, Use AssistiveTouch, Restart your iPhone (Apple Support, checked Oct 18, 2026).

Apple's support pages don't list the Siri restart command. It has been part of iOS since iOS 16.

Franchitti's Fix LLC is an independent repair shop, not affiliated with Apple.