Sandra Andina1
Level 1 (70 points)

Q: year-old 4S freezes up--what to do?

My year-old iPhone 4S had given me no trouble until three weeks ago, when it suddenly froze in the Charlotte, NC airport. Didn't respond to screen touch, nor to the Home or top power button. Just as I was about to look for a safety pin or toothpick to do a hard reset, it went black and then rebooted; it behaved fine till today. Suddenly, it froze first when Bluetoothed to my Ford Fusion and it took several attempts to pick up an incomng call. Then a few minutes later during texting--three times. Then during e-mailing, sometimes after typing a character or two; eventually, even when swiping to unlock from the home screen.  It behaved again when I plugged it into the car to recharge.  But I am tired of not knowing whether I can depend on it. I am 11 months from being eligibile to upgrade to a 5. What do I do? What causes it?

iPhone 4S, iOS 5.1.1

Posted on Nov 30, 2012 12:04 AM

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Sandra Andina1

Q: year-old 4S freezes up--what to do?

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  • by Appletini6,

    Appletini6 Appletini6 Nov 30, 2012 12:10 AM in response to Sandra Andina1
    Level 3 (830 points)
    Nov 30, 2012 12:10 AM in response to Sandra Andina1

    how often do you restart your phone? You should try shutting it off now and then because its a COMPUTER it needs to be restarted.

     

    Also while its on make sure you are closing out any open apps when you are done by double tapping your home button quickly and it opens up any open apps. Tap and hold on an app and it makes them all jiggle, it will show a minus sign and you need to click the minus sign to close them out.

     

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4211  Mulitasking

  • by ssschmidt,Helpful

    ssschmidt ssschmidt Nov 30, 2012 12:17 AM in response to Sandra Andina1
    Level 5 (4,820 points)
    Nov 30, 2012 12:17 AM in response to Sandra Andina1

    Out of curiosity, what version of iOS are you running?

    Is the phone in a case? - Overheating can cause the phone to lock up (freezing when heating just doesn't sound proper).

    As Appletini6 suggested, it is a typical situation to reset your phone by turning it off now and again.  Apple recommends completely draining the battery once per month, then fully recharging it.

    Also, if it fails to respond again, try holding the home button and the sleep wake button at the same time for at least 15 seconds.  The phone should reset, displaying the apple logo, and then reload.

  • by rusher2004,

    rusher2004 rusher2004 Nov 30, 2012 12:19 AM in response to Sandra Andina1
    Level 1 (135 points)
    Nov 30, 2012 12:19 AM in response to Sandra Andina1

    Let's clarify something real quick. The paper clip is not needed to reset your iPhone.  That is simply for removing your SIM card. Don't ever touch that unless you are swapping your iPhone to another.

     

    Or unless your are troubleshooting SIM card issues.

  • by Sandra Andina1,

    Sandra Andina1 Sandra Andina1 Nov 30, 2012 12:55 AM in response to Sandra Andina1
    Level 1 (70 points)
    Nov 30, 2012 12:55 AM in response to Sandra Andina1

    I usually turn off my phone once a week or so (top button, screen goes black, Apple logo comes up when I hit the top button again).  Otherwise, I put it to sleep (like my MacBook Pro, which never freezes or locks up). I get nervous about letting the battery completely drain--it gets close (<20% power) once a week or so--because I don't want to be caught without a phone when I need it. (I also have Sprint, but its phone hasn't worked no matter how often I reboot--which sometimes it'll do spontaneously over and over and over--so if my iPhone dies I'm incommunicado).

     

    I am using the most recent update of iOS 6--6.0.1, I think (I was still using 5 the first time it locked up in Charlotte, and when I got home to Chicago I figured I might as well give in and update when the first bug fix was announced). 

     

    Thanks for heading me off using the paper clip---some jerk in the Charlotte airport lounge (he was using an iPhone 4S also) suggested it, but the phone revived before I could do anything stupid.  And I AM using a case--albeit a thin Speck Pixel Skin (one piece of silicone that covers just the back and sides). I've shied away from OtterBox Defender after it caused my Sprint HTC EVO 4G to overheat dangerously (which probably set that perpetual reboot cycle in motion).

     

    Finally, thanks for the advice to hold both buttons down for >15 sec.--had no idea it'd take THAT long. Will try all these suggestions next time the phone acts up.

     

    But has anyone else here had an issue with their iPhones freezing up--and if so, not have the above measures work?

  • by Appletini6,Helpful

    Appletini6 Appletini6 Nov 30, 2012 12:57 AM in response to Sandra Andina1
    Level 3 (830 points)
    Nov 30, 2012 12:57 AM in response to Sandra Andina1

    yes its a common issue but neccessarily for everyone. and I typically tell people just to hold both buttons down for 6-8 seconds until they see the apple, then let go.

  • by Sandra Andina1,

    Sandra Andina1 Sandra Andina1 Nov 30, 2012 1:00 AM in response to Sandra Andina1
    Level 1 (70 points)
    Nov 30, 2012 1:00 AM in response to Sandra Andina1

    Oh, and thanks for clarifying how to close apps. I thought that tapping the minus sign while tha app icon jiggled deleted, not merely closed, the app.

  • by Appletini6,

    Appletini6 Appletini6 Nov 30, 2012 1:02 AM in response to Sandra Andina1
    Level 3 (830 points)
    Nov 30, 2012 1:02 AM in response to Sandra Andina1

    Nope thats only if you see the X sign =D the minus closes, the x uninstalls