Apple's newest range of smartphones, the iPhone 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ Pro Max, share the same overall design of last year's iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max. As such, the physical buttons have inherited the same range of functions, including powering on and off, forcing a restart, entering DFU mode, entering recovery mode, activating Emergency SOS, and temporarily disabling Face ID.


In this article, you'll find step-by-step guides for performing the button combinations of all of the above functions, along with explanations of what the more obscure ones do and why they might one day come in useful.

iPhone 11 Button Basics

Apple changed many of the physical button functions on its smartphones with the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 8 and ‌iPhone‌ X, so if you're upgrading from a device that pre-dates these 2017 models, you'll want to familiarize yourself with them.

button basics iphone 11 pro
Face the screen of your new ‌iPhone‌ and you'll see that there are two volume buttons on the left-hand side, and a single Side button on the right-hand side. With no Home button to speak of, these three side buttons work in combination to undertake all of the necessary functions.

How to Power on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

To turn on your new ‌iPhone‌, press the Side button once. If the Apple logo doesn't appear on the screen, the device may need charging – plug it into a power outlet using the supplied Lightning cable, and let it charge for at least a few minutes before trying again.

iphone x xs 11 power on
If after charging your ‌iPhone‌ still doesn't respond to a press of the Side button, try the button combination for exiting DFU mode. If that doesn't work, you may need to take it back to Apple to check that the handset isn't faulty.

How to Power off iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

power off

  1. Press and hold the Side button along with the Volume Up or Volume Down button until two sliding buttons appear on the screen.
  2. Release the physical buttons and swipe right on the slide to power off button at the top of the screen.

How to Activate Emergency SOS on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Max

Activating Emergency SOS on your ‌iPhone‌ automatically calls emergency services and sends a text message with your location information to the people in your emergency contacts. For this reason, you should only use it when you're in danger or facing a genuine emergency. Note that you'll need to enter your ‌iPhone‌'s passcode to reenable ‌Face ID‌ and unlock your ‌iPhone‌ after performing Emergency SOS.

sos

  1. Press and hold the Side button as well as either one of the Volume buttons, so that you're essentially squeezing either side of the device.
  2. Keep squeezing until the Emergency SOS countdown initiates on the screen. You can either wait for the countdown to finish or slide it across to call the emergency services immediately and alert your emergency contacts.

If you don't want Emergency SOS to automatically call emergency services when the Side button is pressed, make sure to disable Auto Call via Settings -> Emergency SOS -> Disable Auto Call.

settings

How to Disable Face ID on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

Disabling ‌Face ID‌ on your ‌iPhone‌ makes it so your passcode has to be entered to unlock it. By disabling facial authentication, a police officer or malicious person can't unlock your ‌iPhone‌ simply by holding it in front of your face.

iphone11faceid

  1. Press and hold the Side button.
  2. Press and hold either Volume button.
  3. Tap the Cancel button that appears at the bottom of the screen.

Troubleshooting Functions

Apple changed the process of activating the following troubleshooting functions with the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 8 and ‌iPhone‌ X, so if you upgraded from a device that pre-dates these 2017 models, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with them in case you run into problems.

How to Hard Reset the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

  1. Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
    hard reset buttons iphone 11
  2. Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears, then release the Side button.

During this process, you will see a slider to power off the ‌iPhone‌. You're going to want to ignore it and continue holding down the Side button until the screen goes black. At that point, the Apple logo will pop up, and after the restart is complete, the screen will activate once again.

Using the force restart process prevents you from having to shut the ‌iPhone‌ down entirely, which takes several more steps.

If you do want to shut the ‌iPhone‌ down, you can do so by going to the General section of the Settings app, scrolling down to the bottom, and choosing the Shut Down option.

How to Enter Recovery Mode on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

Entering recovery mode can help if you're having trouble updating or restoring your ‌iPhone‌ over the air. For example, if the screen shows the Apple logo for several minutes but no progress bar appears, you can try putting the device in recovery mode and restoring it with iTunes. Here's how it works.

  1. Using the Lightning cable that came with your ‌iPhone‌, connect the device to a computer that has the latest version of iTunes installed.
  2. Launch iTunes on your Mac or PC.
  3. With the ‌iPhone‌ connected, force restart it with the following steps, but don't release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Instead, wait until the recovery mode screen appears.
  4. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.

  5. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  6. Press and hold the Side button until you see the recovery mode screen with the "Connect to iTunes" screen, then release it.
    connect to iTunes

  7. Select your device in iTunes.
  8. You should see a message in iTunes saying that your ‌iPhone‌ is in Recovery Mode. You'll then be given options to update or restore your ‌iPhone‌’s software.

How to Exit Recovery Mode on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

Simply press and hold the Side button until the "Connect to iTunes" screen disappears, and your ‌iPhone‌ should reboot back into iOS.

How to Enter DFU Mode on iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

The forced restart procedure described above can help if an ‌iPhone‌ is freezing, throwing up errors, or has stopped responding completely. DFU mode (standing for Device Firmware Update) on the other hand restores an ‌iPhone‌ if a restart or entering standard Recovery Mode doesn't solve the problem you're experiencing.

iphone 11 lightning to usb c
DFU mode lets the device interface with iTunes, update the firmware, and restore the OS without automatically installing the last downloaded version. It's useful for installing older versions of iOS if a beta persistently hangs your phone, or if a jailbreak goes bad.

Before following the steps below, make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer.

  1. Turn on your ‌iPhone‌ if it isn't already.
  2. Connect it to your computer using a Lightning to USB cable.

  3. Launch iTunes on your computer, and check that your ‌iPhone‌ appears in the list of devices.
  4. On your ‌iPhone‌, press the Volume Up button immediately followed by the Volume Down button.
  5. Next, press and hold the Side button (or power button) until your ‌iPhone‌'s screen turns black.
  6. Release the Side button and then hold down both the Side button and Volume Down button together for approximately five seconds.
  7. Now release the Side button, but continue to press the Volume Down button.
  8. Wait for at least five seconds for iTunes to recognize DFU recovery mode has been enabled.

You should see a message dialog saying "iTunes has detected an ‌iPhone‌ in recovery mode. You must restore this ‌iPhone‌ before it can be used with iTunes". If you don't see the message, repeat the steps above.

Once you've closed the iTunes recovery prompt you can go ahead and restore your ‌iPhone‌ back to factory settings by selecting Restore iPhone on the ‌iPhone‌ Recovery Mode screen. Once restored, your ‌iPhone‌ will automatically exit out of DFU mode and boot up to its activation screen.

How to Exit DFU Mode

If you enabled DFU mode and want to manually exit out of it, here's how it's done.

  1. Press the Volume Up button on your ‌iPhone‌ and quickly release it.
  2. Press the Volume Down button and release it.
  3. Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears on your ‌iPhone‌'s screen.

Your ‌iPhone‌ should now have exited DFU recovery mode.

Tag: DFU
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Macpro2019 Avatar
66 months ago
Must be a konami code...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SonicSoundVW Avatar
66 months ago
You NEVER do this type of reset unless the phone is either not responding, or COMPLETELY jacked up. If you're able to close your background apps beforehand, you must. Holding down the side button after seeing the power off slider is the equivalent to unplugging your Mac Pro or PC from the wall while it's running. ALWAYS try to shut it down using the slider and then turn it back on to see if it fixed the problem. Holding the side button down for a hard reset is a last resort.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zunamo Avatar
66 months ago
You will see something like this after successfully entering that combo

Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
-BigMac- Avatar
66 months ago
This has been the case for several years now. Good tip for first time owners, but a quick google search will bring you this info already..
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stenro Avatar
66 months ago

You NEVER do this type of reset unless the phone is either not responding, or COMPLETELY jacked up. If you're able to close your background apps beforehand, you must. Holding down the side button after seeing the power off slider is the equivalent to unplugging your Mac Pro or PC from the wall while it's running. ALWAYS try to shut it down using the slider and then turn it back on to see if it fixed the problem. Holding the side button down for a hard reset is a last resort.
Not sure why you say it’s the equivalent of unplugging a MAC or PC that is on. That’s not entirely accurate.
I’ve been doing this for many years with no detriment to the devices. In fact, I’m almost positive I read about this from Apple themselves years ago. It was suggested to do a full reboot once a week to maintain performance or after updating many apps (like 15-20 or more.) This method fully clears RAM and memory cache. The slider shutdown method basically puts the device into a deep sleep without the full clearing of RAM cache.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B4U Avatar
66 months ago
Pretty sure it is supposed to be ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA Select Start.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Alleged M4 MacBook Pro Leak Video

Alleged M4 MacBook Pro Unboxing Video Reveals These Four Upgrades

Sunday October 6, 2024 6:10 pm PDT by
An alleged unboxing video for an unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The video was later linked to on social media platform X by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. It is possible that this is the same MacBook Pro box shown in photos that were shared by leaker ShrimpApplePro in late September, as he claimed that this MacBook Pro...
M4 Real Feature Red

Gurman: Apple to Launch First M4 Macs and Potentially iPad Mini 7 on November 1

Sunday October 6, 2024 6:40 am PDT by
Apple will announce several new M4 Mac models around the end of October, with the company planning to launch at least some of them as soon as Friday, November 1, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple will launch a new M4 version of its low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, as well as higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models...
space black mbp

Apple Potentially Facing Worst Leak Since iPhone 4 Was Left in a Bar

Monday October 7, 2024 3:03 pm PDT by
Alleged photos and videos of an unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip continue to surface on social media, in what could be the worst product leak for Apple since an employee accidentally left an iPhone 4 prototype at a bar in California in 2010. The latest video of what could be a next-generation MacBook Pro was shared on YouTube Shorts today by Russian channel Romancev768, just...
top stories 5oct2024

Top Stories: iOS 18.1 Coming Soon, October Apple Event Rumors, and More

Saturday October 5, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
It's hard to believe we're already into October with the iPhone 16 launch behind us, but there's lots more still to come from Apple this year on both the hardware and software fronts. We're still expecting a number of Mac and perhaps some iPad updates in the very near future, while Apple Intelligence features are set to begin rolling out with iOS 18.1 and related operating system updates....
Generic iOS 18

Apple Plans to Release iOS 18.1 With Apple Intelligence on October 28

Sunday October 6, 2024 6:18 am PDT by
Apple intends to launch iOS 18.1 with the first set of much-anticipated Apple Intelligence features on October 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman says the release date is arriving this month later than initially expected, as Apple is reportedly taking extra time to ensure a smooth rollout and prepare its AI cloud...
watchos 11 vitals

Apple Watch Users Report Vitals App Detecting Illness Before Symptoms Appear

Monday October 7, 2024 5:34 am PDT by
Apple's new Vitals app for watchOS 11 appears to be impressing some users with its ability to detect potential illness days before symptoms manifest, according to recent reports on Reddit. The Apple Watch app, which analyzes key health metrics measured during sleep over the last seven days, appears to be providing early warnings of impending sickness for at least some Apple Watch wearers...
Prime Big Deal Days Hero 3

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Friday October 4, 2024 10:43 am PDT by
Amazon is hosting another Prime Day event this year, called Amazon Prime Big Deal Days and offering shoppers the first chance to save on holiday shopping from a major retailer. Similar to the first Prime Day, it will last for two days (October 8-9) and you can already find a large selection of early deals across Amazon's storefront, covering savings on tech, clothing, video games, groceries, and...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.0.1 With Touch Screen Bug Fix and More

Thursday October 3, 2024 2:22 pm PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.0.1 and iPadOS 18.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.0.1 and iPadOS 18.0.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, the...
maxresdefault

Two Weeks With the iPhone 16 Pro Max

Friday October 4, 2024 12:04 pm PDT by
Now that it's been two weeks since the iPhone 16 models were released, we've been able to spend enough time with the new devices to share a more in-depth review on their performance, battery life, feature set, and more. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've been testing the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, but the gap between the Pro models and the standard iPhone 16...