iPhone 12 Pro: Apple logo flashes not steady when doing a restart???

Yes, it’s a bug in the startup procedure; the logo should stay on until the phone restarts, but it goes off, then comes back on. If you release the side button when the logo first flashes the phone will restart normally in about 15 seconds; it’s just a cosmetic bug. Rumor has it that iOS 14.5 will fix it.

BTW, that isn’t the best way to restart the phone, as it kills all processes without giving them a chance to save their local data. Usually this won’t be a problem, but occasionally it can result in recently updated data loss. The better way is to hold Volume Up and the Side button until Slide to Power Off appears, and do so. Then wait about 30 seconds, and hold the Side button to restart the phone. This procedure DOES notify all of the apps that they should save data before the phone shuts down; that’s why you wait 30 seconds for that process to complete.

I have 2 brand new iPhone 12 Pros in the household exhibiting the same flashing logo symptom. Genius Bar wiped and reinstalled 14.3 on one of them but problem persisted. Their diagnostics showed no hardware issue so they were not able to process an exchange. Their suggestion is to wait for an upcoming software patch in hopes this will be addressed. Btw, I purchased from my carrier (Bell Mobility Ontario) rather than directly from the Apple store.

A couple of friends also recently got this phone but are not seeing this though so not sure if this is a firmware etc problem as it seems to be inconsistent.

Updating the iOS doesn’t fix the quick logo flash before proper power on. It is believed to be a hardware problem with the phone.

It is not resolved with the reset : volume up, volume down, hold power button.

Also factory resetting, and performing a complete restore with iTunes does not resolve.

I went through all of the troubleshooting steps with Apple support and the next step would be a submission for a MFR warranty. Where I had the phone less than 14 days I processed a return with Verizon and have the same problem with the replacement out of the box without setting it up or updating iOS.

SN prefix: G6DT, Model : MGK93LL/A

Hello AI Q,

We understand you'd like to find out if you're having an issue with your new iPhone 12 Pro. We'd be happy to help.

There wouldn't be any reason for concern if it's restarting normally after performing a force restart. If you're having an issue with creating an encrypted backup though, check out the steps here: About encrypted backups on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

You can also always backup your iPhone using iCloud, as it will always be encrypted when doing so.

We hope this information helps clarify things for you.

Take care!

I’ve seen this happen on three new iPhone 12 Pro now over the past week. While it seems to work fine after the phone eventually boots up, the issue degrades after a few more restarts, and persists after a forced update or completely wiping the phone. Eventually the Apple logo will flash once when the phone is powered on, then shut off again, until it’s put to charge again, either wired or wireless. Will approach the Genius Bar later today to see what they say now that there are more reports of this issue in different regions.

Your mistake is in believing that the boot process doesn't change, graphically or otherwise, or that it has anything to do with any of the other issues you experienced. In fact, if the Apple logo represents the time to load the initial image and execute it, I would expect it to become faster over time; for example an M1 MacBook Pro takes almost zero time to boot from power off, not what you expect if you're used to an older MacBook Pro booting from a hard drive.

I've seen few complaints about powering on or transferring data, and those that have been raised are usually due to configuration issues on the phone itself.

Whether the Apple logo flashes or remains solid literally has nothing to do with anything, and is certainly not proof of a bug because it isn't the same as what occurs on older phones.

Today Apple officially released iOS 14.5 and I confirm that the update finally fixed the flashing logo issue at startup.

Enjoy your powerful iPhones, stay safe and have a great day!

A1 Q,

Yes, this would be normal behavior and isn't something you should be concerned about at all.

We're a little confused by the information in your second paragraph though. You've mentioned both being able to create an encrypted backup to your Mac and not being able to. Which one is it? Do you mean that you're unable to create a non-encrypted backup directly to your Mac? What happens when you disable encryption?

Please provide some clarity so we can continue to help out further!

Thanks.

I’ve returned 3 phones and am on my 4th with the logo flash on startup. First phone started with the flash right out of the box (it was preloaded with iOS 14.3) and #2 and #3 developed the flash over time (both also preloaded with 14.3). One of the two that developed it over time (#2) was set up as a new phone with no transfer of data and no addition of any apps at all and the other (#3) had a restore from backup done and remained without the flash on startup for about 12 days before developing the flash without any changes at all made to it after the restore. Phone #3 (the one set up as new) did show some decreased responsiveness of the touch screen, apps freezing, and difficulty in restarting that all started at the time the logo flash on restart began. So Phone #3 ran normally out of the box and ran normally after a restore from backup without any logo flash for about 12 days then the flash began and all the other issues started.

Have you noticed any degredation or change of anything on your phone or has it remained as just the apple flash issue with no other associated issues? I’m talking to a senior engineer today and am hoping to provide them with as much info as possible so I can find out if I have one or more issues happening.

Thanks to both you and @Time Pilot for your thoughtful insights!

Oh, as an aside, my husband also had the flash issue right out of the box with his first graphite iPhone 12 PM and got a replacement and the second one did not have the issue and has not developed it even over a month of heavy usage and updating to the current iOS - his phone was restored from an encrypted backup just as my last one was, so clearly there is something either software or hardware related that only affects certain iPhone 12’s and those appear to be the ones assembled mid December and shipped with iOS 14.3 preloaded from what I can tell as my don and daughter in law also have 12 PM’s that shipped near launch day loaded with earlier IOS versions and neither of them has ever had, or developed, the flash or developed any other degradation issues either.

I simply don't get why this is an issue for anyone.

Regardless of behavior, this is what is stated to reset the phones being discussed:

Force restart iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, or iPhone 12

Press and quickly release the volume up button, press and quickly release the volume down button, then press and hold the side button. When the Apple logo appears, release the button.

Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

There's nothing there about the Apple logo staying on or for how long, just When the Apple logo appears, release the button.

Done.

If your phone does not reset following the instructions above, follow these:

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won't turn on or is frozen - Apple Support

14.5 fixed my flashing logo issue as well!

I installed iOS 14.4 beta 2 to see if it resolved the issue, but it seems that once it manifests itself, the single flash logo on startup will persist. Rolling back to 14.3, then trying 14.4 beta 2 didn't fix it.

I approached the Genius Bar, and after demonstrating the problem, they restored the iPhone to 14.3 themselves, but it persisted. They issued a refund as they felt it would take a while to get to the bottom of it, and given that this was the third different iPhone 12 Pro that I picked up from the same Apple Store that exhibited the problem, it just might be related to a specific batch.

I'll see in a couple of weeks if they have more info after they escalate the issue internally.