It happened again. You’re sitting in a quiet theater, or maybe a high-stakes meeting, and you realize your phone needs to be completely dark. Not just "sleep" dark. Dead dark. You reach for the side button, hold it down, and... Siri pops up. "How can I help you?" She's loud. It’s embarrassing. You realize that after years of owning this thing, the simple act of how I turn off iPhone X is still a bit of a localized mystery.
Since the iPhone X ditched the Home button in 2017, Apple changed the fundamental "handshake" between the user and the hardware. It wasn't just a design choice; it was a total remapping of the logic we’d used since 2007. Honestly, most people still struggle with it because the muscle memory for the old "Power" button is so deeply ingrained in our brains.
The Physical Handshake: Vol Up + Side Button
The most common way to shut down an iPhone X—and frankly, the one that causes the most accidental screenshots—is the button combination. You have to press and hold the Side button (on the right) and either Volume button (on the left) simultaneously.
Don't just click them. If you click them quickly, you’ll just take a screenshot of your lock screen and clutter up your camera roll. You have to commit. Hold them down for about two seconds. Eventually, a screen will slide into view with three options: Slide to power off, Medical ID, and Emergency SOS.
Once that "slide to power off" bar appears, let go of the buttons. Swipe that top slider to the right. The screen will go black, and a small spinning wheel might appear for a second before the device fully loses power. This process usually takes about 30 seconds to complete internally.
Wait. There's a catch.
If you hold those buttons for too long—we're talking five seconds or more—you might accidentally trigger the Emergency SOS countdown. If you hear a loud siren, let go immediately. This is why some people prefer the software method. It's less stressful.
Using the Settings Menu (The "No Buttons" Way)
Sometimes your buttons are jammed. Or maybe you have a bulky case that makes pressing two sides of the phone feel like a grip strength exercise at the gym. Apple actually buried a software shutdown toggle deep in the menus for exactly this reason.
Go to Settings. Scroll down and tap General. Now, scroll all the way to the very bottom. Most people stop at "Legal & Regulatory," but if you look just past that, there’s a blue-tinted link that simply says Shut Down.
Tap it. The familiar "slide to power off" bar appears. No physical force required. It’s elegant, but it’s hidden so deep that it feels like Apple is trying to discourage us from ever turning the devices off.
The Force Restart: When the Phone Freezes
There is a massive difference between "turning off" and "force restarting." If your iPhone X is frozen on a weird app or the screen is unresponsive, the standard methods won't work. You can't slide a bar if the screen doesn't recognize your touch.
In this scenario, you have to perform what's known as a "Hard Reset." This doesn't erase your data, but it cuts the power to the processor immediately.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side button.
- Keep holding that side button even when the screen goes black.
- Release it only when you see the silver Apple logo.
This sequence is specific. It feels like a cheat code for a video game. If you mess up the timing, nothing happens. But when the phone is acting buggy, this is the only way to "turn it off" and back on again to clear the system cache.
Why Does It Matter?
You might wonder why we even bother turning them off anymore. Most of us just let the battery die or keep it on 24/7 for years. However, the iPhone X uses an OLED display. While rare, leaving the phone on indefinitely with static elements can contribute to minor software glitches that mimic "burn-in" or ghosting. Giving the transistors a break actually helps the longevity of the hardware.
Also, security.
When you turn off an iPhone X, it enters a state called "Before First Unlock" (BFU). In this state, all your data is fully encrypted and cannot be accessed by most forensic tools until you manually enter your passcode. FaceID is disabled upon restart. If you're traveling through a checkpoint or in a situation where privacy is paramount, a full shutdown is a significantly higher level of protection than just locking the screen.
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Common Misconceptions and Troubleshooting
I’ve seen people try to turn off their phone by holding just the side button for a full minute. All that does is trigger Siri over and over again. Apple rebranded the "Power" button to the "Side" button for a reason: its primary job is no longer power; it’s an interface for the virtual assistant.
If your phone won't turn off because the screen is totally black but you still feel vibrations, it's likely a hardware failure of the display assembly. This was a known issue with some early iPhone X models where the display module could fail. In that case, the "Force Restart" method mentioned above is your only hope of seeing if the screen will kick back to life.
Another weird quirk: if you plug your iPhone X into a charger while it's off, it will automatically turn back on. You cannot charge an iPhone X while it is completely powered down. It’s a design choice Apple made years ago to ensure the device is always ready to receive "Find My" signals or emergency notifications.
Actionable Steps for a Healthy iPhone X
If you want to keep your device running smoothly, don't just wait for the battery to hit 0%.
- Perform a manual shutdown once a week. This clears out "zombie" processes that are hung in the background, drawing power and heat.
- Test your physical buttons. If the Volume Up or Side button feels "mushy" or doesn't click, start using the Settings menu method to avoid being stranded if the hardware fails completely.
- Update your iOS. Even though the iPhone X is an older model, the way the kernel handles power management is often refined in security patches.
- Check Battery Health. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If your maximum capacity is below 80%, the phone might start shutting itself off randomly because the battery can't provide the "peak performance" needed for the processor.
Shutting down the device is the simplest form of maintenance. It resets the RAM, stops any runaway background tasks, and gives the hardware a chance to cool down to room temperature. It’s a small habit that prevents the "my phone is acting weird" conversation with a technician later on.