iPhone 8: How to Hard Reset or Force Restart - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPhone 8: How to Hard Reset or Force Restart

by

Apple in 2017 changed the method to force restart or hard reset an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus.

While rebooting an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus requires pressing and holding both the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears, restarting an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus is a three step process that involves the Volume Up button, the Volume Down button, and the Side button on the device.

force hard reset iPhone 8 buttons

How to Force Restart (Hard Reset) iPhone 8

First, you need to press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then, press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button (aka power) until you see the Apple logo.

Powering off regularly still requires holding down the Side button for a few seconds until the "slide to power off" prompt appears. In iOS 11 and iOS 12, there's also a "Shut Down" option in the Settings app at the bottom of the General menu.

Apple made this change because on iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, pressing and holding the Side aka Sleep/Wake button and one of the Volume buttons now activates the Emergency SOS feature.

Top Rated Comments

goshya Avatar
goshya
113 months ago
What the...?

What was wrong with pressing the side button and volume button simultaneously?

Ridiculous combination.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
Nati-Yolie
113 months ago
This feels like the Konami code of Apple.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IG88 Avatar
IG88
113 months ago
What the...?

What was wrong with pressing the side button and volume button simultaneously?

Ridiculous combination.
It takes courage to take something simple and make it much more complicated.
[doublepost=1506188092][/doublepost]
This feels like the Konami code of Apple.
IPhone X procedure:
Vol up
Vol dn
Vol up
Vol dn
Side
Side
Wax on
Wax off
Sand floor
Paint fence
Sweep leg
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mlrollin91 Avatar
Mlrollin91
113 months ago
Cuz it's too easy to accidentally do on the plus when you're trying to just press the power button when using one hand.
How is it to easy? You are not holding the buttons down for 10 seconds when trying to only lock your screen one handed. I have never once accidentally hard reset my device.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5
5105973
113 months ago
With iOS 11 that activates the SOS mode.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208076
I'm so confused. I thought pressing five times on the power button did that.

Or is that clicking the heels on your ruby slippers while chanting "There's no place like home"?

Oh wait, no, it's "You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out, you put your left foot in and you shake it all around, you do the hokey Pokey...". No that's not it either.

Damn you, Apple! :mad: It used to be so simple!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
simonmet Avatar
simonmet
113 months ago
With iOS 11 that activates the SOS mode.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208076
Pressing the sleep/wake button 5 times rapidly activates SOS on the 7 Plus.

The iPhone 7 and 8 have the same physical layout so why have they broken consistency?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
Read Full Article • 35 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
Read Full Article • 65 comments
General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...
Read Full Article • 125 comments