iPhone 17 Won’t Turn On After Battery Dies? Here’s the Wireless Charging Fix
If you own one of Apple’s newest iPhone models, such as the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone Air, you should be aware that some users have reported being unable to turn their phones back on after the battery ran out. The issue, recently highlighted by 9to5Mac, may also affect other iPhone models, and the reason behind it remains unclear. Reports suggest the problem does not happen every time an iPhone 17 or iPhone Air completely drains its battery, but letting the battery hit 0% appears to be the main trigger.
Apple has a support page explaining what to do when an iPhone won’t turn on or the screen is black. However, the method it outlines—forcing a restart with a button combination—does not seem to make affected iPhones charge properly. So far, the most reliable fix reported by users is to charge the iPhone using MagSafe or Qi wireless charging instead of a wired connection.
In an iFixit forum post about the issue, one user tested their device with a USB power meter while experiencing the problem. When connected to a wired charger in this unresponsive state, the power meter gave readings that oscillated between 0 W and 2.1 W seemingly at random. As the user put it, “It’s like it’s trying to charge, but can’t for some reason.” Apple has not publicly addressed the issue, but it does not appear to have been caused by a recent software update, as early reports of the battery flaw date back to at least November 2025.
How to Make Your iPhone 17 or iPhone Air Turn Back On After the Battery Drops to 0%
If your iPhone’s screen is black and the device will not turn on, Apple’s official recommendation is to force restart the iPhone. This is done by pressing and quickly releasing the volume up button, then the volume down button, then holding the side button until the Apple logo appears. If the iPhone does not turn on after that, Apple recommends charging the device for one hour and then trying again.
However, these steps have not resolved the issue for all users. In a post on Apple’s support forum, several customers reported that they were only able to get their iPhone to turn on again after placing the device on a wireless charger for a period of time. After doing so, the Apple logo appeared, and the iPhone booted up. 9to5Mac’s Benjamin Mayo also reported that this method worked when his iPhone experienced the issue.
Other users, according to Mayo, said they took their devices to Apple, and the support agent solved the problem by placing the iPhone on a MagSafe charger. So Apple employees may be aware of the issue, but an official statement has not yet been released. Fortunately, the issue does not seem to corrupt users’ data. Therefore, if your iPhone will not turn on after its battery drops to zero, a wireless charger may be all you need to get things back to normal.
