iPhone XS / XR: forced reset, DFU mode, SOS, etc.

Now that the iPhone XS and XS Max have arrived and the iPhone XR is at hand, many users are buying iPhones no longer featuring Home button. The trend, of course, began with the iPhone X, which is now a year old, and, over time, the home base of iPhones without Home buttons will only grow.

If you've recently upgraded from a device like an iPhone 8, 7 or an older iPhone, you've probably noticed how different it is to use a phone without a button. Physical welcome. But what about the basic reset functions of the iPhone, such as how to force the restart of the iPhone XS, or even more advanced features, such as the input in recovery mode or DFU? All these functions previously required the input of the Home button. The methods have been modified with the last crop of new iPhones.

In this article and this video tour, we show you everything you need to know about performing these functions on your iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR.

Three essential buttons

The new iPhones have three physical buttons: a Volume Down button, a Volume Up button, and a Side button. You can perform a variety of functions with your iPhone using various combinations of these three buttons. What you will not see is a home button, an essential element of the design of the iPhone until the release of the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus.

How to turn off iPhone XS, iPhone XR or iPhone X

Step 1: Press and hold the side button until the button is pressed slide to turn off the dialog appears.

2nd step: Release the buttons and slide your finger on the slide to turn the dialog off and the phone will turn off.

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How to turn on iPhone XS, iPhone XR or iPhone X

Step 1: Press the power button once to turn it on.

Note: You do not need to hold the power button to turn on the device when it is really turned off and it has enough battery power.

How to force the restart of the iPhone XS, iPhone XR or iPhone X

Note: Each of the following steps must be done in rapid succession. Watch the video above for an example on how to force the restart of the iPhone XS

Step 1: Press and release the Increase Volume button.

2nd step: Press and release the Volume Down button.

Step 3: Press and hold the side button until the device restarts.

How to enter recovery mode on iPhone XS, iPhone XR or iPhone X

Note: Steps 2-4 must be performed quickly. Watch the video above for an example.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your Mac (or to a computer on which iTunes is installed) using a Lightning cable to USB.

2nd step: Press and release the Increase Volume button.

Step 3: Press and release the Volume Down button.

Step 4: Press and hold the side button while the device restarts.

Step 5: Even after the Apple logo appears, continue to press the side button.

Step 6: Release the side button after viewing the logo and the Connect to iTunes dialog box.

Step 7: Launch iTunes and a message will appear to acknowledge receipt of your connected iOS device in recovery mode. You will then be given options to update or restore your iPhone software.

How to exit recovery mode on iPhone XS, iPhone XR or iPhone X

Step 1: Press and hold the side button until the Connect to iTunes logo disappears. Your iPhone will then restart to normal.

How to enter DFU mode on iPhone XS, iPhone XR or iPhone X

Note: Steps 2-4 must be performed quickly. Watch the video above for an example of how to switch to DFU mode on iPhone XS.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your Mac (or to a computer on which iTunes is installed) using a Lightning cable to USB.

2nd step: Press and release the Increase Volume button.

Step 3: Press and release the Volume Down button.

Step 4: Hold down the side button for 10 seconds until the iPhone screen turns black.

Step 5: While holding down the side button, press and hold the volume down button for 5 seconds, then release the side button while holding down the volume down button for an additional 10 seconds. The screen should stay black if it is done properly.

Step 6: Open iTunes and you should see a message stating that "iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. You must restore this iPhone before you can use it with iTunes. "

How to exit DFU mode on iPhone XS, iPhone XR or iPhone X

The DFU mode output is a bit more complicated than the normal recovery mode output.

Step 1: Press and release the Increase Volume button.

2nd step: Press and release the Volume Down button.

Step 3: Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

Note: You can also use this same method to exit the recovery mode.

How to temporarily disable Face ID on an iPhone XS, iPhone XR or iPhone X

Step 1: Press and hold the side button + one or the other volume buttons.

2nd step: Press the Cancel button.

You will be asked to enter the authentication code of your iPhone to reactivate the face ID.

How to call SOS emergency on iPhone XS, iPhone XR or iPhone X

Note: SOS Emergency will contact emergency authorities and send a text message stating your location to your emergency contacts. Obviously, this should only be used in case of real emergency.

Step 1: Press and hold the side button + one or the other volume buttons.

2nd step: Continue holding these buttons while the emergency SOS countdown continues or drag the SOS button to the SOS Emergency Cursor.

Conclusion

If you are using an older device, such as the iPhone 6, iPhone 7 or iPhone 8, it may take some time to get used to the new mechanics of forced reboot, going into recovery mode, etc. On newer devices, such as the iPhone X, the iPhone XS and XS Max, and the iPhone XR, Apple had to come up with an alternative method, such as forcing the restart of the iPhone. iPhone XS. I recommend to bookmark this page as it will serve as a good refresh of memory in case you need to perform any of the above functions.

For more details on the iPhone XS, be sure to watch our handy video as we discuss the major new features and device changes. Make sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos.