iPhone XS Max - black screen of death

I just had this happen. It’s very alarming when your fancy new iPhone XS Max suddenly becomes apparently inert.

I ended up forcing a restart (via the sequence of Volume Up, Volume Down, and then pressing and holding the side button that I found on some Apple support page), which got me back to a functioning iPhone. I’m hoping this is a software issue that will be resolved via an iOS update.

My new phone is back to working. Wasted a whole day with this nonsense. My debugging mind says... software crashed (most probably the app I was using for the first time to listen to books), and the crash put a black screen, and stopped all other apps. Very hard crash, which wouldn’t even allow reset buttons. Plugging it in just prolonged the problem because it kept the crashed process alive. When I finally gave up on it and stashed it away in a bag, the crashed process used up the battery power, and then the phone was just dead, dead for lack of power. For some reason, late yesterday afternoon I was really angry about this failure and got the phone out of the trip bag (I was going to take it on a trip to a country with Apple stores), and pressed buttons. Ta-da... The dead battery icon showed. I charged it 100%, and it’s fine.

So... letting it DISCHARGE overnight may be the solution for this type of problem.

deway,

Start here:

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won‘t charge

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won‘t turn on or is frozen

If no help, have your phone checked:

Find Locations

Let us know how it turns out.

Update: My iphone showed me the charge logo but nothing happened after i charged it for hours. I went to an apple store and they ran the system diagnostics on my phone. After that I got a new phone for free. Best solution is to go to an Apple Store.

This happened to me today. I was not using the phone and had just set it on the bedside table and left it untouched, fully charged, for about 2 hours. I then picked it up to use it and weirdly, the screen wouldn't come on and I couldn't turn the phone on. I had not powered it down. Tried the up volume, down volume, hold lock button many times and it wouldn't come on. My phone literally died completely out of nowhere. Luckily I live about 15 minutes from an Apple store so I went there. The tech plugged it up to their device to check it at the store, which pretty much verified my phone was dead as a doornail. I purchased this brand new iPhone XS Max on approximately December 14, 2018, and it is just now three months old on March 17, 2019 (needless to say, made for a very "unlucky" St. Patrick's Day). However Apple said I had a year warranty and they replaced it with a new phone no questions asked and helped me set the new phone up.

Overall it stunk that my phone mysteriously died, but I was very pleased with how the Apple store resolved my problem. Thankfully it happened now, and on a weekend, rather than in 2 weeks when I will be traveling out of state all by myself and my phone would've literally been my lifeline for communication and directions to get to and from home on my trip!

The tech also mentioned that my messed up phone would be sent away for Apple to check what happened and make sure it hopefully doesn't happen to new phones in the future. However, I will never actually know what caused my phone to mysteriously and suddenly die. It had never so much as glitched before today. Also served as a reminder for me to ALWAYS back up my data no matter how careful I am with the device! Hope you can get your issue resolved in a similar way if your phone will not come back on.

Same happened to my iphone10s max

black screen - completely dead - tried all the resets advised by Apple Care - Booked in for repair.

Next day - after leaving off for whole day - it responded when I plugged the charger in, showing it was completely drained.

now working fine after it re-charged

Wait 24+ hours for the phone to completely run out of battery. Try plugging in it to charger. If you see the dead battery icon, then your phone is ready to live again. Fully charge it and it should be fine. If you remember the apps you were using when it went black, try to avoid them? I am pretty sure mine died because an audible book app (Overdrive) locked it up. I would suspect apps which have locked screen notifications.

This was the second time I've had the black screen of death. The first time, I tried the forced reboot, attempted to charge (my fully charged) phone, which left it black and also did the whole try to restore via itunes with my black screen, which obviously didn't work. Took it to the Apple store (70 miles away) and I got it replaced.

This time, I went searching for answers and saw your solution. Shook my iPhone. It powered on. Thanks for the tip... but you've got to wonder WTF is wrong with these phones.

This has happened to my friend today. We took it to the apple store and they said the sequence for iPhone 10s max is tap volume up tap volume down and then hold the power button and it cut the phone right back on.

Hi estebitanvivar! My appointment’s at 1520H but I came in before the store opened, they accommodated me and run system diagnostics on my phone. After that I got a new phone, yes they replaced it. All of that in just 20 minutes. I only had to say goodbye to my 9H glass screen guard though. But that’s so much better than not having a faulty phone replaced.

I had the same problem. Charging the phone before I went to bed. When I woke up the phone was not working. Went to apple store. They just rebooted it and said it might be a APP glitch. After they rebooted it the battery was at 47% which was strange. I just unplugged it 3hrs ago and it’s been charging at least 5hrs. Still waiting for official response.

I suspect apps which have lock screen notifications. Mine did the same and I had been listening to an audiobook using Overdrive. Haven’t used that app since. No more problem. Coincidence?

I leave it overnight in a wireless charger and when picked up in the morning it was on but 20% battery.

Just happened to me as well. 10 years of using an iPhone and this is a most unwelcomed first. Thanks for the advice and encouragement to try the reset - it worked. I just hope it doesn't happen again in front of my Android-loving friends.