My phone just keeps flashing the apple Icon

Hi tabv21,

Since the buttons are broken, you'll need to seek service for your device to help resolve the behavior, as troubleshooting the issue requires putting your iPhone into recovery mode to reinstall the software. You can see that process outlined below:

If your iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo - Apple Support

1. Make sure that the progress bar on your iPhone screen hasn't moved for at least one hour.

2. If the progress bar hasn't moved for more than one hour, connect your device to a computer, then put your device into recovery mode with these steps:

* iPhone 6s and earlier: Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button. Keep holding the Home button until you see the recovery mode screen.

3. On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, open the Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, or on a PC, open iTunes. When asked to update or restore, choose Update. This will update your device to the latest version of iOS. If you choose Restore, it will erase your iPhone.

The following article will help you to seek service for your iPhone: Get your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch ready for service - Apple Support

Kind regards.

When you say that the buttons are broken, does this mean that they have been physically damaged, or does it mean that the buttons are simply not responding to touch?

As a last resort......perform a Forced Restart on the phone. Follow the instructions very carefully, as this is a bit tricky. You may need to repeat this several times.

Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

There are only 2 possible results when you perform a Forced Restart:

1) The phone returns to normal operation.....or.....

2) There is a hardware problem with the phone that will need attention at the Apple Store (make an appointment) or take the phone to an authorized Apple Service shop.

You can find a list of authorized service shops in your area using the link just below:

Find Locations

Note.....because of the age of the iPhone, Apple Service may not be able to offer repairs on the device.