The iPhone 12 mini black screen of death causes the phone’s screen to be blank and won’t respond to touch, but you can tell by vibrations or sounds that the device is still functioning. This issue can be quite frustrating because, without screen visibility or touch responsiveness, your iPhone 12 mini is not much more than a vibrating paperweight. In this article, I’ll show you what to do when your iPhone 12 mini screen is black so you can fix the problem for good!
How an iPhone 12 mini Black Screen Appears
An iPhone 12 mini black screen is not the same as an iPhone 12 mini that won’t turn on. If your iPhone 12 mini has a black screen you may see:
- The lights on the phone flash and blink appropriately, but the screen not working.
- You can utilize the buttons on the phone and hear or feel the appropriate responses, but nothing is displayed on the screen.
- The phone rings or makes sounds for notifications, but you cannot interact with the phone.
What Causes an iPhone 12 mini Black Screen?
Unfortunately, there’s no one single thing that can cause your iPhone 12 mini to have a black screen. Here are a few causes, but there could be others, too.
There are mainly three kinds of reasons why your iPhone 12 mini screen is black and won’t turn on.
Reason 1: Hardware Issues
Firstly, your iPhone 12 mini could have black screen of death because of a hardware problem, for example, a black screen of death issue can happen from damage to the screen during a bad drop or accident. If the components connecting the screen to the motherboard sever, the phone screen will be unresponsive. If that’s the cause of your iPhone 12 mini black screen, it’s usually hard to handle the problem by yourself, so you had better take the phone to Apple Store.
Reason 2: Software Problems
Also, the iPhone 12 mini black screen of death could be caused by a software problem, for example, the black screen of death can happen because of software issues in the device. Malfunctions with an iOS upgrade or downgrade can potentially cause the issue, as well as complications from attempting to jailbreak or modify the firmware on your own.
Mostly, when you don’t drop your iPhone but it cannot turn on while still functioning or just keep restarting, this is due to a software problem. As for the software-related black screen problem, in the following parts we will provide the best solutions to fix it.
Reason 3: Drained Battery or Crashed App
Apart from the hardware or software issues, there’s also possibility that your iPhone 12 mini screen turns black because of drained battery or a crashed app. Remember to have a check beforehand.
If that’s the case, just charge your iPhone or remove the app. If your phone is long time no use, you have to charge it for a longer time (usually more than 30 min) to see it function. And besides removing the glitchy app, you can also check for some updates. Anyway, the fix is easy, so we will not develop more here.
How to Fix a Black Screen on an iPhone 12 mini
Regardless of the reason, there are a few things you can try to fix your iPhone 12 mini Black Screen issue. Note: The following solutions applies to iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
1. Charge your battery to fix iPhone 12 mini black screen of death
This might sound obvious, but before you panic, take the time to check that your IPhone’s battery isn’t just dead. When you try to interact with an uncharged iPhone, it’ll usually flash an empty battery icon. But if the battery’s been totally drained, the screen might go completely blank.
It’s always worth plugging your iPhone into the nearest outlet and leaving it to charge for a while. If a lack of power is responsible for the iPhone 12 mini black screen, then Apple’s “charging” icon should appear after a short period of time.
See also: iPhone 12 mini Not Charging? Here’s How To Fix It!
2. Hard Reset to Fix iPhone 12 mini Black Screen of Death
When your iPhone 12 mini has a black screen and unresponsive, you can restart the device to troubleshoot black screen.
By restarting your phone, usually many subtle system errors can be fixed.
Some users have also reported that their iPhones continue to function, even though their screens are black. For example, perhaps you can hear incoming notifications and calls, but the screen refuses to turn on. This typically indicates that your iPhone 12 mini may be frozen or crashing – both of these problems may be resolved by a reboot.
While this is unlikely to resolve any major issues with your iPhone, it only takes a few seconds to hold down your phone’s side and any of the volume button, so this is always worth a try.
3. Fix iPhone 12 mini Black Screen by performing a Force Restart
Many critical iOS errors can be cleared up with a force restart. So, if a regular reboot doesn’t resolve your iPhone 12 mini black screen problem, you may want to escalate to a forced restart. This simulates removing the device’s battery, and should provide positive results – assuming that there’s no hardware damage.
First, plug in iPhone, wait five minutes, and then try to do a Force Restart. This ensure the phone has enough power to restart, and restarting could clear any errors that might be affecting the screen.
To perform a forced restart on your iPhone 12 mini:
- Press and quickly release your iPhone’s “Volume Up” button.
- Press and quickly release your iPhone’s “Volume Down” button.
- Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
Unless your device’s hardware is damaged, this should trigger a successful forced restart.
See also: iPhone 12 mini Shows Apple Logo and Turns Off? Here’s The Fix!
4. Restore Factory Settings
If charging and rebooting aren’t enough to resolve your iPhone 12 mini Black Screen issue, you may need to restore your iPhone to its factory settings.
Restoring your iPhone will erase all the data from your device, so hopefully all your valuable content is already backed up to an online service, such as iCloud.
To perform a factory reset, connect your iPhone to your computer and then open iTunes. Once iTunes recognizes your phone, select “Summary” and then choose “Restore iPhone.”
iTunes will now return your phone to its original factory settings and then update it to the latest version of iOS.
5. Update or Restore in Recovery Mode
If restoring factory settings doesn’t resolve the iPhone 12 mini black screen issue, you can try forcing your device into recovery mode. Recovery mode is a feature that lets you connect your iPhone to a computer so the computer can repair it. It usually does this by installing a fresh version of iOS, the software that your phone runs on.
Forcing your phone into recovery mode can repair damage to your operating system. However, it can also result in data loss, so I’d only recommend attempting this step if you haven’t already backed up all your important data (or you’re desperate to restore your iPhone!).
To force your iPhone into recovery mode, connect it to your computer and then open iTunes. press and quickly release the “Volume Up” button. Next, press and quickly release the “Volume Down” button. Finally, press and hold the “Side button for ten seconds. Keep holding this button until your screen prompts you to connect to iTunes.
When prompted, choose “Update” from the pop-up that appears. iTunes will now attempt to reinstall iOS without deleting your data. Note that if you select “Restore,” iTunes will wipe your phone and restore its factory settings.
6. Contact Apple support
If you’ve attempted all the above fixes and are still experiencing the Black Screen of Death on your iPhone 12 mini, then you’ve run into a problem that you probably can’t fix on your own. It’s probably a hardware issue — for example, the wires that power your iPhone’s screen might be faulty. In this scenario, we recommend contacting Apple support.
It’s also worth checking your contract if you suspect there’s a chance your device may still be under warranty.
If it’s easier, you can also try going to a third-party repair store. Just note that this might void your official warranty.
How to prevent black screens on your iPhone 12 mini in the future
Hitting an unresponsive black screen can be scary, especially if your iPhone plays a critical role in your job or social life. So once you’ve fixed the iPhone 12 mini black screen issue, take steps to make sure that it doesn’t come back.
Uninstall glitchy apps
If the black screens started appearing on your iPhone 12 mini after you installed a certain app, the two might be connected.
Uninstall any apps you’ve downloaded recently and continue using your phone. If the black screens stop happening, you know what caused it.
Keep your iPhone 12 mini at a normal temperature
Despite its price, the iPhone is a delicate device that needs to be handled carefully. Obviously, this means that you shouldn’t drop it or smother it in honey. But it also means that you need to keep track of its temperature.
An iPhone 12 mini that gets too hot or too cold will shut down and give you a black screen — worst case scenario, your battery might short out permanently. This can be a big problem if you’re trying to run multiple high-performance apps at once, or have your iPhone in a thick case that traps heat.
Apple recommends storing your iPhone in areas where the temperature ranges from -4º to 113º F (or -20º and 45º C).
In some cases, your iPhone 12 mini might get frozen and show a warning message telling you to let it cool down. If you see this, move to a cooler area and leave your iPhone alone for a while.
iPhone 12 mini overheating? Here’s How To Fix It!
iPhone 12 mini black screen: fixed!
It can be incredibly stressful when your iPhone suddenly stops working. Make use of the above suggestions to fix the black screen issue on your iPhone 12 mini.
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