Use a force restart for a frozen screen, not just a regular restart.
The Cold Water Splash for a Frozen Brain
Imagine your phone’s brain is completely frozen in a panic, unable to listen to your commands. A regular restart is like gently asking it to calm down. But when it’s truly stuck, a force restart is the digital equivalent of a surprising splash of cold water to the face. It’s a powerful, direct shock to the system that bypasses the confused conscious mind and forces a complete reboot of its core functions. It’s the emergency intervention that can jolt a completely unresponsive device back to life when nothing else works.
Stop just closing an app when it misbehaves. Do check for an update in the App Store instead.
The Medicine vs. The Nap
When an app is acting glitchy, just closing it is like telling a sick employee to take a short nap. They might feel better for a moment, but the underlying illness is still there. Checking the App Store for an update is like giving that employee the specific medicine they need to cure their bug. The developer has identified the “illness” and has released a “cure” in the form of a software patch. You are not just treating the symptom; you are solving the root problem, ensuring the app comes back healthy and reliable.
Stop complaining about bad battery life. Do check your battery usage stats to see which app is the real culprit instead.
The Smart Meter for Your Phone’s Energy
Complaining about bad battery life is like getting a shockingly high electricity bill and just yelling at the power company. The Battery Usage stats in your settings are the smart meter for your house. It gives you a detailed, itemized report showing you exactly which “appliance” is secretly running all night and consuming all the power. You might discover that one rogue app is the “old, inefficient refrigerator” in your basement, silently draining your energy. It turns your vague complaint into a specific, actionable problem you can solve.
The #1 secret for fixing weird glitches that gurus don’t want you to know is the “Reset All Settings” option.
The ‘Factory Reset’ Button for Your Control Panel
Your iPhone’s settings are a vast, complex control panel with thousands of invisible switches and dials you’ve flipped over the years. A weird glitch is often just one of those switches being in the wrong position. The “Reset All Settings” option is the magical, red “factory reset” button for that entire control panel. It doesn’t touch your personal data—your photos, your apps, your contacts—but it instantly returns every single one of those thousands of switches back to its original, pristine, out-of-the-box position, often fixing the most mysterious and frustrating problems.
I’m just going to say it: 90% of iPhone problems can be fixed by turning it off and on again.
The ‘Good Night’s Sleep’ for Your Phone’s Brain
It has become a cliché for a reason: it works. Your iPhone is a tiny computer that is running 24/7. Over time, its short-term memory can get cluttered with the digital junk of daily use, leading to sluggishness and strange glitches. Turning it off and on again is the digital equivalent of giving a tired, overworked brain a good, refreshing eight-hour sleep. It clears out all the temporary clutter, wipes the slate clean, and allows it to wake up fresh, focused, and running smoothly again. It’s the simplest and most powerful fix of all.
The reason your Wi-Fi is slow is because you need to reset your network settings, not because your iPhone is broken.
The GPS That Needs to Recalibrate
Imagine your car’s GPS gets confused and thinks it’s in a different city. The GPS isn’t broken; it just needs to recalibrate its connection to the satellites. Your iPhone’s network settings can get “confused” in the same way. The “Reset Network Settings” option is that recalibration button. It won’t erase any of your data, but it will forget all your saved Wi-Fi passwords and reset its cellular connection. This often gives it the fresh start it needs to find a clear, strong signal again, just like a GPS finding its place in the world.
If you’re still not backing up your iPhone, you’re one accident away from losing everything.
The Fireproof Safe for Your Memories
Keeping your photos, contacts, and messages only on your phone is like storing your most precious, irreplaceable family photo albums and diaries in a single, flimsy cardboard box. A single, clumsy accident—a drop, a splash, a theft—is like a house fire that can turn that entire box to ash in an instant. An iCloud backup is the magical, fireproof, and off-site safe deposit box for your memories. It is the simple, automatic, and absolutely essential insurance policy that protects your digital life from a catastrophic and irreversible loss.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about iPhone problems is that they are always caused by a hardware failure.
The ‘Software’ vs. The ‘Engine’
When a modern car acts strangely, your first thought isn’t that the entire engine has exploded. You know it’s probably just a bug in the complex software that runs the car. Your iPhone is the same. It is a powerful computer whose “engine” (the hardware) is incredibly reliable. The vast majority of problems—glitches, crashes, and sluggishness—are not a sign of a broken engine. They are simply a temporary bug in the “software” that can almost always be fixed with a simple restart, an update, or a settings reset.
I wish I knew how to properly clean my iPhone’s charging port with a toothpick when it stopped charging reliably.
The Compacted Dust Bunny in the Garage
Your charging port is like a tiny garage. Over months of going in and out of your pocket, a dense, solid, and surprisingly stubborn layer of pocket lint gets compacted into the very back of that garage. Eventually, you won’t be able to park your car (the charging cable) all the way inside to make a connection. The port isn’t broken. A gentle, careful excavation with a non-metallic tool like a wooden toothpick will remove that compacted dust bunny, instantly solving a charging problem that felt like a catastrophic hardware failure.
99% of users make this one mistake when their storage is full: deleting photos instead of offloading unused apps.
The ‘Storage Unit’ vs. The ‘Bonfire’
When your house is full, you have two choices. You can take your precious, irreplaceable photo albums and throw them in a bonfire. Or, you can take the bulky furniture you haven’t used in years and put it in a self-storage unit. Deleting your photos is the bonfire. “Offloading” an unused app is the storage unit. It deletes the app itself (the furniture) to free up space, but it cleverly and carefully leaves a perfect, little “box” of all your personal data and settings, ready to be instantly re-downloaded if you ever need it again.
This one small action of updating to the latest iOS will solve more problems than you think.
The ‘Free, Professional Tune-Up’ for Your Phone’s Engine
A major iOS update is not just about getting fun new features and emojis. It is a free, comprehensive, and professional-grade “tune-up” for your phone’s entire operating system. The update contains dozens of small, invisible bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements that can solve a huge range of strange, random, and frustrating glitches. It is the single most important piece of preventative maintenance you can perform, ensuring your digital “engine” is running as smoothly, as safely, and as efficiently as possible.
Use an encrypted backup to your computer to save your passwords, not just a standard iCloud backup.
The Armored Truck for Your Safe Deposit Box
An iCloud backup is fantastic. But an encrypted backup to your computer is the high-security armored truck for your most secret valuables. A standard backup is like a moving van that will pack up all your furniture. But if you have a locked safe in your house (your saved passwords and health data), the standard movers are not allowed to touch it. When you “encrypt” the backup, you are giving the movers the special, high-security clearance to safely and securely transport the locked safe itself to your new home.
Stop just guessing what the problem is. Do use Apple’s Support app to run diagnostics instead.
The ‘Check Engine’ Light Scanner for Your Phone
When the “check engine” light comes on in your car, you can take it to a mechanic who will plug in a special diagnostic tool to read the error codes. The Apple Support app is that diagnostic tool, and it’s already in your hand. You can use it to run a check on your battery, your cellular connection, and other key components. It can give you a clear, simple, and data-driven “error code” that can help you to understand the root of the problem, turning a frustrating guessing game into a clear diagnosis.
Stop getting frustrated with Face ID. Do set up an “Alternate Appearance” to improve its accuracy instead.
The ‘Second Photo’ for Your Bouncer
Face ID is like a very strict, but very smart, bouncer at a private club. By default, you give the bouncer one, perfect, well-lit photo of yourself. But what if you sometimes wear heavy glasses or a winter hat? The “Alternate Appearance” feature is like giving that bouncer a second, authorized photo of you in your “disguise.” The bouncer will now have two official reference photos, making him dramatically smarter and faster at recognizing you in a wider variety of real-world situations, and dramatically reducing your chances of being denied entry.
The #1 hack for a non-responsive touch screen is to clean it with a microfiber cloth.
The ‘Dirty Window’ You’re Trying to Touch Through
Sometimes, your touch screen can feel buggy and unresponsive. Before you assume it’s a deep hardware problem, try the simplest fix first. Your screen is like a window. Over the course of a day, it gets covered in an invisible film of oil, dirt, and grime. This film can interfere with the delicate electrical connection between your finger and the screen’s sensors. A quick, thorough cleaning with a proper microfiber cloth is like washing that dirty window. It can often instantly restore the screen’s snappy, flawless responsiveness.
I’m just going to say it: The “Genius Bar” is not always full of geniuses, but they are a good starting point.
The ‘General Practitioner’ for Your Phone’s Health
The “Genius Bar” is the “general practitioner’s office” for your sick iPhone. They are not all world-renowned, Nobel-prize-winning “geniuses.” They are, however, trained, certified, and experienced “doctors” who have access to the best diagnostic tools. They can solve 90% of the common “illnesses” you will walk in with. And for the rare, complex “diseases,” they are the crucial first step who can give you an accurate diagnosis and a referral to the “specialist” (the repair center).
The reason your iPhone is so slow is because your storage is almost completely full.
The ‘Overstuffed Closet’ of Your Phone’s Brain
Your iPhone’s storage is like the closet in your brain where it keeps all its tools and short-term memories. When that closet is neat and has plenty of empty space, your brain can move freely, grabbing the tools it needs instantly. But when that closet is stuffed completely full, to the point where you can barely close the door, your brain has to spend all its time and energy just trying to find and access the things it needs. It can’t think; it can only rummage. A full hard drive will always lead to a slow brain.
If you’re still restoring your iPhone as new for every minor issue, you’re wasting a lot of time.
The ‘Bulldozer’ for a ‘Leaky Faucet’
Restoring your iPhone as a new device is the “nuclear option.” It is the digital equivalent of bulldozing your entire house and rebuilding it from scratch. While this is a powerful and necessary tool for a catastrophic problem, like a corrupt foundation, it is a massive, time-consuming, and overkill solution for a simple, minor issue like a “leaky faucet” (a single, buggy app). You should always, always try the simpler, targeted fixes first—the restart, the reset, the update—before you call in the bulldozer.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you need to take your phone to a repair shop for every problem.
The ‘Handyman’ vs. The ‘Homeowner’
Believing you need a professional “handyman” for every single, minor issue with your phone is a lie that benefits the handymen. In reality, you, the “homeowner,” are more than capable of solving the vast majority of common problems yourself. Just like you can change a lightbulb or reset a circuit breaker in your house, you can perform a simple restart, clear your cache, or reset your network settings on your phone. These simple, homeowner-level skills can solve 90% of the problems you will ever encounter.
I wish I knew that a failing battery could cause unexpected shutdowns and poor performance.
The ‘Aging Heart’ of Your Device
Your iPhone’s battery is the heart of the device. When it is young and healthy, it can pump out a strong, steady stream of power. As the “heart” gets older and weaker, it can struggle to keep up with the demands of a high-performance “brain” (the processor). To prevent a catastrophic “heart attack” (a sudden shutdown), the brain will intentionally slow itself down to reduce the strain. Those unexpected shutdowns and that sudden, sluggish performance are often not a sign of a broken brain; they are a sign of an aging, tired heart.
99% of people don’t know how to enter DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode for a deep restore.
The ‘Open-Heart Surgery’ for Your Phone
A standard restore is like giving your phone’s brain a powerful dose of medicine. DFU mode is open-heart surgery. It is the deepest, most fundamental, and most powerful “reset” that you can possibly perform. It’s a complex, hidden key combination that allows your computer to bypass the phone’s “conscious mind” (its operating system) and to talk directly to its “brainstem” (the firmware). It is the last, final, and often-successful resort for fixing the most catastrophic and seemingly unfixable software problems.
This one small habit of periodically restarting your iPhone will keep it running smoothly.
The ‘Weekly Tidying Up’ of Your Digital House
A periodic restart is the simple, “weekly tidying up” for your digital house. You don’t wait until your house is a complete, chaotic mess to start cleaning. The simple, two-minute habit of turning your phone off and on again once a week is a powerful piece of preventative maintenance. It’s like a quick dusting and vacuuming. It clears out all the temporary, invisible “cobwebs” and “dust bunnies” from your phone’s memory before they have a chance to build up and cause real, noticeable problems.
Use Wi-Fi calling if you have bad cell reception at home, not just complaining about dropped calls.
The ‘Secret Tunnel’ to the Cell Phone Tower
Bad cell reception at your house is like living in a remote valley where the signal from the cell phone tower is weak and unreliable. Wi-Fi Calling is a magical, secret tunnel that you can build from your house directly to the base of that tower. It allows your phone to use your strong, stable, home Wi-Fi network to send and receive its calls and texts, completely bypassing the weak, over-the-air signal. It’s a brilliant feature that can transform a one-bar “dead zone” into a five-bar, crystal-clear paradise.
Stop just deleting “Other” storage. Do a backup and restore to properly clear it instead.
The ‘Mysterious, Locked Box’ in Your Attic
The “Other” storage category is like a mysterious, locked, and unlabeled box that is taking up a huge amount of space in your attic. You can’t see what’s inside, and you can’t seem to get rid of it. This “box” is often just a collection of corrupted files and old, temporary system caches. The only reliable way to get rid of it is to perform a full “move out and move back in.” By backing up your phone and then restoring it from that backup, you are essentially moving all your good furniture into a new, clean house, and leaving the mysterious, locked box behind.
Stop trying to fix a water-damaged phone yourself. Do turn it off immediately and take it to a professional.
The ‘Electrical Fire’ in Your Walls
A water-damaged phone is not like a wet sponge; it is an active, ongoing electrical fire that is happening inside your walls. The water is creating hundreds of tiny short-circuits between the delicate, high-voltage components. The absolute worst thing you can do is to try to “turn the power back on.” The single, most important first step is to cut the power (turn the phone off immediately) and to not touch it. Then, you must call the professional “fire department” (a reputable repair shop) who have the specialized tools to safely address the damage.
The #1 secret for fixing Bluetooth issues is to “Forget This Device” and re-pair it.
The ‘Awkward, Misunderstood Handshake’
A faulty Bluetooth connection is like an awkward, misunderstood handshake. The two devices have gotten their “wires crossed” and are no longer communicating clearly. The “Forget This Device” option is the social “reset” button. It’s like both people stepping back, shaking their heads, and saying, “Okay, let’s pretend we’ve never met. Hello, my name is…” This act of completely erasing the old, corrupted “memory” of the connection and then creating a brand new, clean handshake from scratch will solve the vast majority of Bluetooth problems.
I’m just going to say it: Putting your wet iPhone in rice is a myth and does more harm than good.
The ‘Gummy, Starchy’ Band-Aid on a Deep Wound
Putting a wet phone in a bag of uncooked rice is one of the most persistent and most destructive myths in all of technology. It is like trying to fix a deep wound by packing it with a gummy, starchy, and dirty paste. Rice is a terrible drying agent, and, more importantly, the tiny grains of starch and dust can get into the phone’s ports and crevices, creating a corrosive, conductive mess that can cause more permanent damage than the water itself. It is a folk remedy that belongs in the dustbin of history.
The reason your personal hotspot isn’t working is because you need to toggle it off and on again.
The ‘Reboot’ for Your Personal Wi-Fi Router
Your phone’s personal hotspot feature is like a tiny, powerful, but sometimes-temperamental Wi-Fi router that lives in your pocket. And just like the big, physical router in your house, sometimes its software can get into a strange, confused, and buggy state. The single, most effective, and time-honored troubleshooting trick for any Wi-Fi router in the world is to simply turn it off, wait ten seconds, and then turn it back on again. This simple “reboot” will solve the problem 90% of the time.
If you’re still ignoring “iPhone Storage Full” warnings, you’re risking your phone crashing and becoming unusable.
The ‘Overstuffed Suitcase’ That Is About to Explode
Ignoring the “Storage Full” warning is like continuing to violently and forcefully stuff more and more clothes into a suitcase that is already stretched to its absolute limit. At some point, the zipper is going to break, the seams are going to burst, and the entire suitcase is going to explode in a catastrophic, unfixable mess. Your phone’s operating system needs a small amount of “breathing room” to function. By pushing it to 100% capacity, you are risking a fatal software crash that can leave you with a completely unresponsive, “bricked” device.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that a factory reset will fix a hardware problem.
‘Repainting’ a Car with a Broken Engine
A factory reset is like giving your car a brand new, beautiful, and pristine coat of paint. It can solve any and all problems that are related to the “paint” (the software). It can make the car look and feel brand new. However, if the car’s engine is physically broken, no amount of beautiful, new paint is going to make it start. A factory reset is a powerful software tool, but it is not a magical, mechanical handyman. It cannot fix a broken screen, a dead battery, or a faulty camera.
I wish I knew that poor cell service was a huge drain on my battery life.
The ‘Lost Dog’ That is Constantly Searching
When your phone is in an area with poor cell service, its internal radio is like a lost, loyal dog that is frantically and desperately running around the woods, sniffing and barking at full power, trying to find a signal from its owner (the cell tower). This constant, high-powered, and often-hopeless search is one of the single most draining and intensive activities your phone can perform. It is the secret, silent killer of your battery life, a loyal effort that will leave your phone exhausted and depleted.
99% of users don’t think to check Apple’s System Status page to see if a service like iMessage is down.
The ‘Power Company’s Outage Map’
When the power goes out in your house, you don’t spend an hour trying to fix your own circuit breakers. Your first thought is to check if the entire neighborhood is down. Apple’s System Status page is the official “power company outage map” for their digital services. If your iMessage or your iCloud is not working, a quick, 30-second check of this page can tell you if the problem is a massive, system-wide outage. It can save you from an hour of frustrating, and completely pointless, personal troubleshooting.
This one small action of clearing your Safari cache will often fix website loading issues.
The ‘Old, Outdated Blueprint’ in the Architect’s Office
When you visit a website, your phone will save a “blueprint” (the cache) of that site so that it will load faster the next time. But sometimes, the website’s owners will remodel, and your phone will be stuck with the old, outdated blueprint. This can cause the site to look broken or to not load at all. Clearing your Safari cache is the act of throwing away all the old blueprints and forcing your phone to go out and get a fresh, new, and up-to-date copy. It’s a simple fix for a very common problem.
Use a different charging cable and adapter to troubleshoot charging problems, not just blaming the phone.
The ‘Car That Won’t Start’
When your car won’t start, you don’t immediately assume that the entire engine has exploded. The first things you check are the simple, external factors. Is there gas in the tank? Is the battery connected? When your phone won’t charge, you should do the same. The problem is very often not the “engine” (the phone). It is the “fuel pump” (the charging brick) or the “fuel line” (the cable). By simply trying a different, known-good cable and brick, you can quickly and easily rule out the most common and most likely points of failure.
Stop just restarting your phone. Do try resetting your network settings for connectivity issues.
The ‘Reboot’ vs. The ‘Amnesia’
A simple restart is like a quick nap for your phone’s brain. Resetting your network settings is a much more targeted form of “amnesia.” It’s like telling your phone, “I want you to completely and totally forget every single thing you have ever known about Wi-Fi networks and cellular connections. I want you to wake up as a blank slate.” This act of forgetting all the old, potentially corrupted settings and starting fresh is a much more powerful and effective fix for stubborn, persistent connectivity problems.
Stop getting angry at Siri. Do retrain “Hey Siri” so it understands you better.
The ‘Voice Coach’ for Your Personal Assistant
Siri is your personal assistant, and she is trained to recognize the unique sound of your voice. But if you are in a new, echoey office, or if your own voice has changed slightly, your assistant might have trouble hearing you. “Retraining” Hey Siri is like giving your assistant a quick, five-minute “voice coaching” session. It allows her to re-learn the specific nuances of your voice in your current environment. It’s a simple recalibration that can dramatically improve her accuracy and reduce your frustration.
The #1 hack for an app that won’t open is to offload it and then reinstall it.
The ‘Magical, Self-Repairing’ App
When an app has become corrupted and refuses to open, the “Offload App” feature is a magical, self-repairing tool. It’s like a brilliant mechanic. It will carefully lift the “engine” (the app itself) out of the car, leaving the car’s “interior” (all your personal data and settings) perfectly untouched. It then brings in a brand new, pristine, and perfectly-working engine and installs it. This process replaces the broken software without you ever having to lose your valuable, personal information. It is a repair, not a demolition.
I’m just going to say it: Sometimes, the problem is your Wi-Fi router, not your iPhone.
The ‘Perfectly Good Car’ on a ‘Broken Road’
When your car is having a bumpy, terrible ride, it’s easy to blame the car. But sometimes, the car is a perfectly-tuned, high-performance machine, and the problem is that you are driving on a broken, pothole-filled road. Your home’s Wi-Fi router is that road. Before you spend hours troubleshooting your “car” (your iPhone), the first and most important step is to check the road itself. A simple, 30-second reboot of your Wi-Fi router will solve a surprising and significant number of “iPhone” problems.
The reason your AirDrop isn’t working is because the other person has their discoverability set to “Contacts Only.”
The ‘Bouncer’ with the ‘Strict Guest List’
Your AirDrop setting is the bouncer at your private nightclub. If you have it set to “Contacts Only,” you have given that bouncer a very strict, pre-approved guest list. When a stranger walks up to the velvet rope and tries to get in (AirDrop you a file), the bouncer will not even acknowledge their existence. He will just stare straight ahead. The stranger will not see you, and you will not see them. For the “handshake” to work with a new person, you have to tell your bouncer to open the doors to “Everyone” for one minute.
If you’re still using an old, unsupported iPhone, you’re going to have compatibility and security problems.
The ‘Classic Car’ with ‘No Modern Parts’
Using an old, unsupported iPhone is like driving a beautiful, classic car from the 1960s. It might still run, but you are going to have problems. Modern “parts” (new apps) will no longer be designed to fit your old engine, leaving you with compatibility issues. And, more importantly, the “locksmiths” (Apple) have stopped making new, modern “keys” for your old, outdated locks. This leaves you vulnerable to a new generation of sophisticated “car thieves” (hackers) who have already figured out how to pick your antique locks.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you need a third-party “cleaning” app.
The ‘Magic Elixir’ That’s Actually Just Water
Third-party “cleaning” or “memory boosting” apps are the modern-day snake oil. They are the “magic elixir” that is sold from the back of a traveling cart, promising to cure all your ailments. In reality, they are almost always just colored water. Your iPhone’s operating system (iOS) is a brilliant, self-cleaning, and self-managing machine. It does not need, and it does not want, these third-party “elixirs,” which are often just a clever disguise for intrusive ads and data-stealing malware.
I wish I knew how to check my battery health percentage to see if it needed replacing.
The ‘Odometer’ for Your Phone’s Engine
The “Battery Health” percentage in your settings is the “odometer” for your phone’s engine. It is the single, most important indicator of the internal, chemical age of your battery. A brand new “car” will show 100%. As you “drive” it over the years, that number will slowly go down. When the “mileage” gets too high and the health drops below 80%, it is a clear, data-driven signal from your own “mechanic” that it is time to consider getting a new engine (a new battery).
99% of people don’t know that extreme cold can cause their iPhone to shut down temporarily.
The ‘Hibernating’ Battery
Your iPhone’s lithium-ion battery is like a tiny, chemical-powered animal. And just like a real animal, it does not like extreme cold. When the temperature drops below freezing, the chemical reactions inside the battery slow down dramatically, and it can go into a temporary, self-protective “hibernation.” The phone will appear to be completely dead. But it is not broken. You just need to bring the “animal” back into a warm house, and it will slowly, and safely, wake up from its slumber.
This one small habit of keeping your iOS and apps updated is the best preventative maintenance you can do.
The ‘Vaccinations’ for Your Phone’s Health
Software updates are the “vaccinations” for your digital life. The new features are a nice side effect, but the real, crucial purpose of these updates is to protect you from the new, dangerous “viruses” (the security vulnerabilities) that have been discovered out in the wild. The simple, automatic habit of keeping both your main operating system and your individual apps updated is the single, most important, and most effective piece of preventative “medical care” you can perform to keep your phone healthy, safe, and secure.
Use the search bar in Settings to find a buried setting, not just hunting through menus.
The ‘GPS’ for the ‘Sprawling City’ of Your Settings
The Settings app on your iPhone is like a huge, sprawling city with hundreds of streets and alleys. Trying to find one specific setting is like trying to find a single address without a map. The search bar at the very top of the Settings app is the GPS for that city. Instead of wandering through endless menus, you can simply type what you’re looking for, and it will instantly give you a direct, clickable link to that exact location, turning a frustrating search into an effortless journey.
Stop just accepting app crashes. Do check the App Store for an update that might fix the bug.
The ‘Recall Notice’ for Your App
When an app is consistently crashing, it’s like a specific part in your car is constantly failing. Just closing the app is not a fix. The first thing you should do is to check the App Store. This is like checking for an official “recall notice” from the car manufacturer. More often than not, the developer has already found the “faulty part” (the bug) and has issued a free “replacement” (an update) that will permanently fix the problem.
Stop trying to fix a cracked screen with toothpaste. Do get it professionally repaired.
The ‘Home Remedy’ for a ‘Broken Bone’
Trying to “buff out” a deep scratch or a crack in your screen with toothpaste is like trying to fix a broken bone with a homemade herbal poultice. It is a foolish and ineffective folk remedy that will, at best, do nothing, and at worst, make the problem even worse by rubbing an abrasive paste into the delicate screen. A cracked screen is a physical, structural injury. It is a “broken bone,” and it requires the professional, expert attention of a “doctor” (a reputable repair technician) to be properly and safely set.
The #1 secret for when calls are going straight to voicemail is to check if Do Not Disturb or a Focus Mode is on.
The ‘Silent, Invisible’ Bouncer at Your Door
When all your calls are going straight to voicemail, your phone isn’t broken. It’s because you have hired a silent, invisible, and incredibly effective “bouncer” to stand at your front door. A “Do Not Disturb” or a “Focus Mode” is that bouncer. His one and only job is to politely and silently prevent anyone from ringing your doorbell. Before you start troubleshooting your phone line, the very first thing you should always do is to make sure you haven’t forgotten that you have a bouncer on duty.
I’m just going to say it: The answer to your problem is probably in the first result of a Google search.
The ‘Global Library of Problems Already Solved’
Your iPhone problem, no matter how strange or unique it feels to you, is almost certainly not new. It is a problem that thousands, if not millions, of other people have already had, have already solved, and have already written about on the internet. A simple, well-phrased Google search is like walking into a global library of every problem that has ever been solved. The answer is not a mystery. It is sitting right there, on the first page of the first book you open, waiting for you to read it.
The reason your notifications are silent is because you’ve accidentally flipped the physical mute switch.
The ‘Secret,’ Physical ‘Off’ Switch
It is the single, most common, and most face-palm-inducing “problem” in the history of the iPhone. You have checked all your software settings, you have rebooted your phone, and you are convinced it is broken. But you have overlooked the one, simple, physical “off” switch. That tiny, little switch on the side of your phone, if it is showing a small orange line, is the master, hardware-level “mute” button. It will override all of your software settings. It is the silent, secret killer of your sound.
If you’re still not using iCloud to back up your contacts, you’re risking a huge headache.
The ‘Master Rolodex’ in the ‘Fireproof Safe’
Your contacts list is the master Rolodex of your entire social and professional life. Keeping it only on your phone is like keeping that priceless, one-of-a-kind Rolodex in a flimsy, cardboard box on your desk. A single accident could destroy it forever. Syncing your contacts with iCloud is the act of placing that master Rolodex inside a secure, fireproof, and off-site safe deposit box. If your “office” ever burns down, you can walk into a new one, and your entire, perfectly-preserved Rolodex will be there waiting for you.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you can fix any problem yourself by watching a YouTube video.
The ‘DIY’ vs. The ‘Professional’ Electrician
YouTube is an incredible library of “do it yourself” tutorials. It can teach you how to fix a leaky faucet or to change a tire. However, it can also give you a dangerous and unearned sense of confidence. The biggest lie is that it can turn you into an expert in everything. Trying to perform a complex, delicate, and high-stakes repair—like a screen replacement or a soldering job—is like trying to rewire your entire house after watching a 10-minute video. It is a job that is best left to the trained, experienced, and professional “electrician.”
I wish I knew how to use the “Find My” app to put a lost iPhone into Lost Mode.
The ‘Message in a Bottle’ for Your Lost Device
“Lost Mode” is a powerful tool that is like sending a magical “message in a bottle” to your lost phone. From another device, you can remotely lock the phone and display a custom message on its screen, like “This phone is lost. If you find it, please call me at this number.” It also activates location tracking. It is a brilliant feature that can transform a lost, anonymous piece of glass into a personal, beaconing object that has a voice and can ask for help.
99% of users don’t think to check if an app has access to their microphone or camera in the privacy settings.
The ‘Hidden, Live Microphones’ in Your House
Granting an app access to your camera or your microphone is like installing a live, active microphone in a room of your house. Forgetting to check these settings is like leaving those live microphones scattered all over your house, in every single room, long after the “meeting” is over. Your Privacy settings are the master control panel. It allows you to walk through your “house” and see a clear, simple list of every single room that has a live microphone in it, allowing you to unplug the ones that have no business listening.
This one small action of documenting the problem with screenshots or screen recordings will help support staff diagnose it.
The ‘Video Evidence’ for the ‘Mechanic’
Walking up to a car mechanic and saying, “My car is making a weird, intermittent, squeaking noise,” is not very helpful. A much better approach is to take a video of the engine while it is making the noise. Documenting your iPhone problem with a screenshot of the error message or a screen recording of the glitch is that “video evidence.” It transforms your vague, hard-to-describe complaint into a concrete, objective, and undeniable piece of data that will allow the “mechanic” (the support staff) to diagnose the problem much more accurately and much more quickly.
Use Apple’s support forums to see if other people are having the same issue, not just thinking you’re alone.
The ‘Global Support Group’ for Your Problem
When you are having a strange, frustrating problem with your phone, it can feel like you are the only person in the world who is experiencing it. You are not. Apple’s official support forums are the giant, global support group for your specific problem. By searching the forums, you can instantly connect with thousands of other people who are having the exact same issue. This is not only a comforting and validating experience, but it is also a powerful troubleshooting tool, as you can see what has, and has not, worked for other people.
Stop just assuming your phone is broken. Do consider if a recent iOS update caused the problem.
The ‘New, Bumpy Road’ for Your ‘Perfect Car’
Your iPhone is a perfectly-tuned, high-performance car. A major iOS update is like the city has just repaved and slightly redesigned every single road in the entire country. Sometimes, your “car” can have a strange, bumpy ride on this new road. The car is not broken. The problem is a temporary incompatibility between your car and the new road surface. Often, a small, follow-up “patch” to the road (a minor iOS update) will be released a few weeks later that will smooth out all the bumps.
Stop letting your iPhone get extremely hot. Do take it out of the sun and close intensive apps.
The ‘Red-Lining’ Engine of Your Phone
Extreme heat is the number one enemy of your phone’s long-term health. Letting your phone get hot is like driving your car with the engine constantly in the “red zone.” A phone that is left in the direct sun while it is charging and running the GPS is an engine that is being pushed to its absolute thermal limit. The simple, common-sense solution is to treat it like a real engine. Take it out of the sun, give it some air, and close down the high-intensity “programs” that are causing it to red-line.
The #1 hack for a forgotten passcode is to erase the device via iCloud or a computer, not trying to guess 100 times.
The ‘Master Key’ vs. The ‘Brute Force’ Attack
Forgetting your passcode is like losing the key to an impenetrable safe. You are locked out. Trying to guess the passcode is a futile, “brute force” attack that will only lead to the safe being permanently disabled. The #1 hack is to remember that you, the owner, have a secret, magical “master key.” By logging into your iCloud account on another device, or by plugging your phone into your computer, you can prove that you are the legitimate owner and give the command to “open the safe.” This will erase the phone, but it will let you back in.
I’m just going to say it: User error is the most common “iPhone problem.”
The ‘Pilot’ vs. The ‘Plane’
The iPhone is an incredibly complex, but incredibly reliable, piece of machinery. It is a modern jet airliner. And while it is true that planes can sometimes have a mechanical failure, the vast, overwhelming majority of “problems” are not a failure of the plane, but a simple error made by the pilot. From forgetting to turn off the mute switch to not understanding a simple setting, the most common “iPhone problem” is, more often than not, the carbon-based life form that is holding it.
The reason your texts are green instead of blue is an iMessage activation issue, not because your friend hates you.
The ‘Private Railway’ vs. The ‘Public Road’
iMessage (the blue bubbles) is a private, high-speed, and encrypted railway that only connects the Apple “cities.” SMS (the green bubbles) is the public, universal road system. If your “train” to another Apple city is suddenly forced to take the “public road,” it is not because the other city hates you. It is almost always a temporary problem with the “train station” (your iMessage activation) or a bad signal. The system has simply defaulted to the more reliable, but less feature-rich, public road.
If you’re still trying to fix a hardware issue yourself, you’re likely voiding your warranty.
The ‘Sealed Engine’ in a Brand New Car
Your new iPhone is like a brand new car with a powerful, factory-sealed engine. That seal is your warranty. The moment you, an unlicensed, amateur mechanic, decide to open up that engine with your own tools to try and “fix” something, you have broken that seal forever. You have voided the warranty. From that moment on, the professional, certified mechanics at the “dealership” (Apple) will no longer be responsible for any damage you may have caused.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that third-party repair shops are always cheaper in the long run.
The ‘Cheap’ vs. The ‘Quality’ Mechanic
A third-party repair shop is like a cheap, independent mechanic. They might be able to replace your “brakes” for a lower upfront cost. But they might be using lower-quality, aftermarket “brake pads” that will wear out in a year, or they might not have the right tools to properly reset your car’s computer system. The official “dealership” (Apple) might be more expensive, but they are using genuine, high-quality parts, and their work is guaranteed. Sometimes, the “cheaper” option is much more expensive in the long run.
I wish I knew that a force restart could solve the “black screen of death.”
The ‘CPR’ for Your Phone’s Brain
The “black screen of death”—when your phone is on, but the screen is completely black and unresponsive—is like your phone’s brain has suddenly and unexpectedly fainted. A “force restart” is the digital equivalent of performing CPR. It is a specific, physical key combination that sends a powerful, electrical jolt directly to the phone’s core systems, forcing the “brain” to reboot and to start “breathing” again. It is a powerful, life-saving technique that can often revive a device that appears to be completely and hopelessly dead.
99% of people don’t know how to restore their iPhone from a backup.
The ‘Move-In Day’ for Your New House
Restoring your new iPhone from a backup is the magical “move-in day” for your new digital house. The “backup” is the perfect, detailed inventory of every single piece of furniture, every picture on the wall, and every book on the shelf from your old house. The “restore” process is the team of hyper-efficient, magical movers who take that inventory and perfectly recreate your old house inside your new one. It is the stunning, final step that transforms an empty, new device into your familiar, personal home.
This one small habit of checking your “Other” storage will alert you to a potential software glitch.
The ‘Mysterious, Growing Box’ in Your Attic
The “Other” storage category is like a mysterious, unlabeled box in your attic. A small box is normal; it’s just the house’s miscellaneous stuff. But the small habit of checking on that box once a month is a good idea. If you notice that the box is starting to grow, mysteriously and uncontrollably, it is often the first, and only, warning sign of a hidden “leak” (a software glitch or a corrupted file) that could eventually grow to fill your entire attic. It is the “canary in the coal mine” for your phone’s software health.
Use the “Reset Keyboard Dictionary” setting to fix bizarre auto-correct issues, not just fighting with it.
The ‘Amnesia’ for Your Autocorrect’s Bad Habits
Over time, your iPhone’s autocorrect can learn some of your bad habits and your unique slang. Sometimes, it can become a stubborn and unhelpful pest. The “Reset Keyboard Dictionary” is the “amnesia” button for your autocorrect’s brain. It’s like telling it, “I want you to forget every single, weird, and quirky thing that I have ever taught you. I want you to go back to being the pristine, well-educated, and helpful dictionary that you were on the day we first met.” It’s a powerful reset for a system that has gone rogue.
Stop just deleting photos. Do look for large video files that are taking up the most space.
The ‘Elephant’ in Your Storage ‘Room’
When your storage is full, deleting a few photos is like trying to make space in a crowded room by throwing out a few, small decorative pillows. The real problem is the giant, eight-hundred-pound elephant that is standing in the middle of the room. A single, one-minute video that you shot in 4K can take up the same amount of space as hundreds of photos. Before you start the painstaking process of deleting your precious pillow-sized memories, you should always look for the elephant-sized video files that are the real culprit.
Stop trying to fix your phone when you’re angry. Do take a break and come back to it with a clear head.
The ‘Angry, Fumbling’ Mechanic
Trying to fix a delicate, complex piece of machinery when you are angry and frustrated is like being a surgeon who is trying to perform a delicate operation while they are blind with rage. Your hands are clumsy, your mind is not clear, and you are far more likely to make a stupid, irreversible mistake that will only make the problem worse. The best troubleshooting tool is a calm and patient mind. Put the “scalpel” down, walk away, take a few deep breaths, and come back when you can be a calm, methodical mechanic, not an angry one.
The #1 secret for dealing with Apple Support is to be polite and have your serial number ready.
The ‘Well-Prepared’ Patient at the Doctor’s Office
When you go to the doctor’s office, you know that being polite and having your medical records ready will result in a much better experience. The same is true for Apple Support. The person on the other end of the line is a human being who is there to help you. Being polite, calm, and clear will make them want to help you. And having your phone’s “medical record number” (its serial number) ready to go is the secret to a fast and efficient check-in, saving you and the support agent a huge amount of time.
I’m just going to say it: A good case and screen protector are the best troubleshooting tools because they prevent problems.
The ‘Fence’ at the Top of the Cliff vs. The ‘Ambulance’ at the Bottom
Troubleshooting your phone after you have dropped it is like calling an expensive “ambulance” to meet you at the bottom of a cliff. A much, much smarter strategy is to build a simple, inexpensive “fence” at the top of the cliff. A good case and a screen protector are that fence. They are the ultimate, proactive troubleshooting tools. They are the simple, powerful, and cost-effective act of preventative medicine that can completely eliminate the single biggest and most catastrophic “health” problem your phone will ever face.
The reason your photos are blurry might be a dirty camera lens, not a broken camera.
The ‘Smudge’ on Your Glasses
When the world suddenly looks blurry, your first thought is not that your eyes have suddenly failed. Your first thought is to check if your glasses are dirty. Your iPhone’s tiny, unprotected camera lens is those glasses. It spends all day getting smudged by your oily fingerprints and covered in a fine layer of dust and pocket lint. Before you assume you have a major, expensive, broken camera problem, take two seconds to perform the simplest fix of all: wipe the smudge off your glasses with a soft, clean cloth.
If you’re still not using two-factor authentication, you’re creating a future problem for yourself.
The ‘Second, Dead-Bolted’ Door to Your House
Relying only on a password is like having a single, simple lock on the front door of your house. Two-factor authentication is the act of installing a second, heavy, steel dead-bolted door right behind the first one. A thief might be able to pick your first, simple lock (steal your password). But they will then be confronted with a second, much more difficult barrier that requires a physical “key” (your phone). It is an essential, fundamental, and non-negotiable layer of security for your entire digital life. You are not just preventing a problem; you are building a fortress.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that your iPhone is supposed to be perfect all the time.
The ‘Myth’ of the ‘Perfect, Self-Healing’ Car
The biggest lie is the one that marketing departments create: that your iPhone is a magical, perfect, and self-healing object that should never, ever have a problem. This is a myth. Your iPhone is an incredibly complex, high-performance, and delicate piece of machinery that you are using for hours every single day in a chaotic, unpredictable environment. It is a car, not a unicorn. And just like any car, it will sometimes get a flat tire, it will sometimes have a software glitch, and it will sometimes need a tune-up. It is not perfect.
I wish I knew that some issues are caused by a specific app and not the iPhone itself.
The ‘Bad Tenant’ in a ‘Perfect Apartment Building’
When one apartment in a big building has a constant, disruptive problem, you don’t blame the entire building. You blame the one, bad tenant. The same is true for your phone. If your battery is suddenly draining or your phone is constantly crashing, it is often not a problem with the “building” (iOS). It is the fault of one, single, poorly-coded, “bad tenant” of an app that you have recently installed. The first step in troubleshooting is to think about which new “tenant” has just moved in.
99% of users don’t think to test their problem on a different Wi-Fi network.
The ‘Bumpy Road’ vs. The ‘Car’
When your car is having a bumpy, terrible ride, it’s easy to blame the car. But a smart mechanic will first ask, “Have you tried driving it on a different road?” Before you assume that your “car” (your iPhone) has a broken suspension, you should always try to connect it to a different, known-good “road” (a different Wi-Fi network). This one, simple, diagnostic step can instantly tell you if the problem is with your car, or if you have just been driving on a bumpy, pothole-filled road all along.
This one small action of taking your case off can sometimes solve overheating or signal issues.
The ‘Heavy Winter Coat’ on a ‘Hot Summer Day’
Your iPhone’s case is like a heavy, insulated, winter coat. It’s great for protecting it from bumps and scratches. But that same, heavy coat can also trap in a huge amount of heat, especially when the phone is working hard. It can also slightly interfere with the delicate, wireless signals of Wi-Fi and cellular. The simple, temporary act of taking off the “coat” can sometimes be the one, simple fix that allows your phone to “breathe” and to get a clearer, stronger signal.
Use the “Analytics & Improvements” data to see if there are recurring crashes, not just ignoring it.
The ‘Black Box’ Flight Recorder for Your Phone
The “Analytics & Improvements” data is the “black box” flight recorder for your phone. It is a dense, technical, and admittedly-geeky log of everything that is happening behind the scenes. And while most of it is unintelligible to a normal person, it can be a powerful diagnostic tool. By scrolling through these logs, you can often find a clear, repeated pattern of a specific app that is crashing over and over again in the background. It is the raw data that can give you the crucial clue to solving a mysterious problem.
Stop just saying “it doesn’t work.” Do try to identify the exact steps to reproduce the problem.
The ‘Vague Complaint’ vs. The ‘Detailed Report’ for the Mechanic
Walking up to a car mechanic and saying, “My car is broken,” is not helpful. The mechanic will have to spend hours just trying to figure out what you mean. A much better approach is to give them a detailed, specific report: “The car makes a loud, squeaking noise every time I turn the steering wheel to the right, but only when it’s cold.” This is the “reproducible bug report.” It is the single most valuable piece of information you can provide to a support agent or a Genius Bar employee, and it will lead to a dramatically faster diagnosis.
Stop getting frustrated with your carrier. Do reset your network settings first.
The ‘Amnesia’ for Your Phone’s Connection to the World
When your phone is having a stubborn, persistent problem with your cellular connection, it’s easy to get angry at your carrier. But before you spend an hour on hold with customer service, you should try one, simple fix first. “Reset Network Settings” is a powerful form of “amnesia.” It forces your phone to completely forget every single thing it has ever known about its connection to the cellular and Wi-Fi world. This “fresh start” will often re-establish a clean, strong connection to the cell tower and solve the problem instantly.
The #1 hack for a phone that won’t turn on is to leave it charging for at least 30 minutes before trying again.
The ‘Completely Empty,’ ‘Dead’ Fuel Tank
When a battery is completely, totally, and utterly dead, it is not just at 0%; it is in a deep, empty, and unresponsive state. It is a car that has run out of gas a mile from the station. When you first plug it in, it is like you have started to refuel it with a tiny, slow eyedropper. The “engine” does not have enough “fuel” to even turn over. The #1 hack is to just be patient. Leave it plugged in for at least 30 minutes to allow the “tank” to get a baseline, minimal level of fuel before you even try to start the engine.
I’m just going to say it: Sometimes, you just have to book a Genius Bar appointment.
The ‘DIY’ vs. The ‘Professional Surgeon’
You can be a smart, capable, and well-informed “do-it-yourselfer.” You can use the internet to diagnose and to fix a huge number of your own problems. But there will come a time when you are faced with a problem that is beyond your skill level. There will come a time when you need a professional surgeon. When you have exhausted all the simple, common-sense fixes, it is not a sign of failure to book a free appointment at the Genius Bar. It is the smart, humble, and correct decision.
The reason your speaker sounds muffled is because it’s probably full of dust and lint.
The ‘Clogged-Up’ Shower Head
Your iPhone’s earpiece and speaker grills are like tiny, high-tech shower heads with dozens of little holes. Over time, those holes can get clogged up with a fine, compacted layer of dust, makeup, and pocket lint. Just like a shower head that goes from a powerful, clear spray to a weak, muffled dribble, a clogged speaker will sound quiet and distorted. A gentle, careful cleaning with a soft, dry brush can dislodge that debris and “unclog the nozzles,” instantly restoring the sound to its full, crystal-clear volume.
If you’re still using a very old SIM card, you’re potentially causing network connectivity issues.
The ‘Old, Worn-Out’ Key for Your House
Your SIM card is the physical “key” that identifies you to your cellular network’s “house.” A very old SIM card is like an old, worn-out, and slightly-bent brass key. It might still work most of the time, but its old technology and its physical wear-and-tear can cause it to have an inconsistent and unreliable connection with the modern, high-tech “lock” of the cell phone tower. Getting a new, fresh SIM card from your carrier is like getting a brand new, perfectly-cut key. It can often solve a surprising number of mysterious network issues.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you need to be a tech genius to solve common problems.
The ‘Simple, Common-Sense’ First Aid Kit
You don’t need to be a trained, professional paramedic to handle a small cut or a scrape. You just need to know the basics of the simple, common-sense first aid kit—clean the wound, apply pressure, use a band-aid. The same is true for your iPhone. You don’t need to be a computer scientist. You just need to learn the simple, “first aid” steps of troubleshooting: the restart, the update, the reset. These three, simple “band-aids” will be able to handle 95% of the “injuries” your phone will ever sustain.
I wish I knew that restoring from a backup can sometimes bring the old problem back.
The ‘Moving Van’ with the ‘Gremlin’ in the Box
Restoring your phone from a backup is like hiring a moving company to perfectly recreate your old house inside your new one. But what if the problem was not the house itself? What if the problem was a small, invisible “gremlin” (a corrupted file) that was hiding in one of your moving boxes? The moving company will, with perfect, flawless execution, move that gremlin into your beautiful new house. Sometimes, to truly solve a deep, software-corruption problem, you have to leave the old boxes behind and start completely fresh.
99% of people don’t know what to do when their iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo.
The ‘Reboot Loop’ of a Confused Brain
An iPhone that is stuck on the Apple logo is like a brain that is stuck in a reboot loop. It is trying to wake up, but something in its core “startup sequence” is corrupted, and it keeps failing and trying again. This is a serious, but often fixable, software problem. The solution is to connect the “brain” to a more powerful, external “computer” (your Mac or PC). This will allow you to perform a deeper, more powerful “restore” of the operating system, which can break the cycle and allow the brain to finally wake up.
This one small habit of keeping your charging port clean will prevent a lot of headaches.
The ‘Daily Sweeping’ of Your Front Doorstep
The simple, 30-second habit of periodically and gently cleaning out your phone’s charging port is like the daily sweeping of your front doorstep. It is a small, simple, and almost unnoticeable piece of preventative maintenance. But this one, small habit will prevent a huge, annoying, and frustrating pile of “dirt” (the compacted pocket lint) from ever building up and blocking your “front door.” It is the simple, proactive chore that can prevent a major, future “crisis.”
Use an official Apple power adapter and cable if you’re having charging issues, not a cheap gas station charger.
The ‘Gourmet Meal’ vs. The ‘Junk Food’ for Your Battery
An official Apple charger is like a clean, healthy, and perfectly-balanced gourmet meal for your phone’s battery. A cheap, uncertified charger from a gas station is a greasy, unregulated, and potentially-dangerous piece of junk food. When your phone is “sick” and is having trouble “eating” (charging), the very first thing you should do is to stop feeding it the junk food and to try feeding it a clean, healthy, and known-good “meal.” This will instantly tell you if the problem is the food, or the stomach.
Stop just deleting apps. Do try offloading them first to keep their data.
The ‘Bonfire’ vs. The ‘Self-Storage Unit’
Deleting an app is like taking all your furniture and throwing it into a bonfire. It frees up space, but your furniture is gone forever. “Offloading” an app is like putting that same furniture into a convenient, magical self-storage unit. It removes the bulky furniture from your house to create space, but it leaves behind a perfect, little “box” that contains all your personal settings and data. If you ever need the furniture back, you just tap the box, and it is instantly returned, exactly as you left it.
Stop blaming the phone for a dead pixel. Do get the screen replaced under warranty if possible.
The ‘Burned-Out Lightbulb’ in a ‘Giant Chandelier’
A “dead pixel” is a single, tiny, microscopic “lightbulb” in the giant, beautiful chandelier of your iPhone’s screen that has permanently burned out. It is not a software glitch, and it is not a sign that your phone is “broken.” It is a minor, but permanent, and often-covered-by-warranty, hardware manufacturing defect. You cannot fix a burned-out lightbulb with a software update. The only solution is to have a professional “electrician” (Apple) replace that one, specific part of the chandelier.
The #1 secret for a forgotten Screen Time passcode is the “Forgot Passcode” option that uses your Apple ID.
The ‘Master Key’ That is Your Own Identity
Forgetting your Screen Time passcode is like losing the key to a specific, locked room in your house. But you are the owner of the house. You have a secret, magical “master key” that can open any door. The “Forgot Passcode” option is that master key. By simply entering your Apple ID and your password, you are proving to the “house” that you are the legitimate owner. It will then allow you to instantly and easily reset the password for that one, specific room, without having to tear down the door.
I’m just going to say it: The solution to “my phone is slow” is often “stop keeping 200 Safari tabs open.”
The ‘Brain’ with a ‘Thousand Open Projects’
Your phone’s brain is powerful, but it is not infinite. Every single, open Safari tab is like a small, active “project” that your brain has to keep a small part of its attention on. Having a few tabs open is fine. Having two hundred tabs open is like trying to be the project manager for a chaotic, disorganized office with two hundred simultaneous, ongoing projects. Your brain will be overwhelmed, its performance will grind to a halt, and it will have no “RAM” left for anything else. Close your tabs.
The reason your AirPods won’t connect is because you need to reset them.
The ‘Re-Introduction’ for Two Confused Friends
Sometimes, the Bluetooth connection between your phone and your AirPods can become corrupted. It’s like two good friends have had a strange, confusing misunderstanding. The solution is a “re-introduction.” By putting the AirPods in their case, holding the button on the back, and “forgetting” them from your phone, you are forcing them to completely forget their old, corrupted friendship. You can then re-introduce them, and they will form a brand new, clean, and perfectly-working connection from scratch.
If you’re still trying to fix a shattered screen yourself, you’re risking cutting your fingers and causing more damage.
The ‘DIY Surgery’ with a ‘Butter Knife’
A shattered screen is not a simple crack; it is a web of tiny, razor-sharp, and microscopic shards of glass. Trying to replace it yourself, without the proper tools and training, is the modern equivalent of performing delicate surgery on yourself with a butter knife and a pair of pliers. You are almost guaranteed to cut yourself, you are very likely to cause further, catastrophic damage to the phone’s delicate internal “organs,” and you will probably end up with a much bigger, more expensive mess than you started with.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that water damage indicators are always accurate.
The ‘Litmus Test’ in a ‘Humid Jungle’
The Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI) is a tiny, litmus-test-like sticker inside your phone that turns red when it touches water. It is a helpful, but not an infallible, piece of evidence. It’s like a litmus test that you have taken into a hot, steamy, tropical jungle. It is possible, though rare, for the extreme humidity and condensation to trigger a “false positive.” It is a strong indicator, but it is not the final, undisputed word on whether your phone has truly suffered a full, submersion-level water damage event.
I wish I knew that a simple software update could fix a major security vulnerability.
The ‘New, Un-pickable Lock’ for Your Front Door
A major security vulnerability is like a master locksmith discovering a new, secret way to pick the most common type of deadbolt in the world. A software update from Apple is the lock company’s emergency, overnight response. It is a brand new, redesigned, and un-pickable lock that they are offering to you, for free. Every day you delay that update, you are knowingly and deliberately leaving the old, vulnerable, and easily-picked lock on your digital front door, even though you have been warned that the burglars have a new key.
99% of users don’t know how to check their iPhone’s warranty status online.
The ‘CarFax’ Report for Your Phone
Your iPhone’s serial number is its unique Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Apple’s website has a free, instant “CarFax” report for every single device it has ever made. By simply typing in your phone’s serial number, you can instantly see a detailed report of its “history”—its exact model, its purchase date, and, most importantly, whether it is still covered by its original, one-year warranty or by an extended AppleCare+ plan. It’s a simple, two-second check that gives you a powerful piece of information.
This one small action of asking a tech-savvy friend for help can save you hours of frustration.
The ‘Phone a Friend’ Lifeline
When you are stuck on a difficult question in a game show, you have a “phone a friend” lifeline. You should treat your frustrating iPhone problems the same way. We all have that one, tech-savvy friend or family member who genuinely enjoys solving these kinds of puzzles. The simple, humble, and often-overlooked action of sending them a quick text or giving them a call can often result in a simple, two-minute solution to a problem that you have been banging your head against a wall over for the last three hours.
Use troubleshooting as a learning opportunity, not just as a frustrating experience.
The ‘Puzzle’ vs. The ‘Brick Wall’
When you are faced with an iPhone problem, you can see it in two ways. You can see it as a solid, frustrating, and immovable brick wall. Or, you can see it as a fun, interesting, and solvable puzzle. By reframing the experience, you can transform a moment of pure frustration into an opportunity for learning. Every problem you solve, from a simple settings reset to a complex software restore, is a new skill that you are adding to your own, personal, technical toolbox. You are not just fixing your phone; you are upgrading your brain.