Apple finally went big with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, bowing to peer pressure and outfitting its iconic phones with a larger touchscreen. The svelte iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have sold like hotcakes in the time since their debut in late-2014, even since the release of the next-gen iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Plenty of people have enjoyed their iPhone 6, but, sadly, many problems have arisen over the years. If you’ve run into any iPhone 6 problems, then you might find the answer you need right here.
Problem: iPhone shuts down on its own, or awful battery life
In 2016, Apple started a free battery-replacement program for iPhone 6S units that would shut down unexpectedly. People had complained that their iPhones would just turn off if they dipped below 30 percent battery life.
Apple hasn’t announced any such recall for the iPhone 6, but an increasing number of people have been complaining about their iPhone 6 smartphones shutting down on their own after dipping below 40 percent. Others have complained about very bad battery life.
Potential solutions:
- If you’re experiencing bad battery life, we recommend that you follow our iPhone battery tips to make your iPhone battery last longer.
- If you’re one of the unlucky owners of an iPhone 6 who is experiencing shutdowns, we are sorry to say that there is no replacement program for the iPhone 6, as there is for the iPhone 6S. We recommend that you visit your local Apple retail store or contact Apple directly on the phone. You may have a hardware issue.
- Battery performance will deteriorate over time, so it may be worth looking into getting a battery replacement. Apple offers a replacement service for $79.
Issue: iPhone is slow or lagging
There have been a few reports of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets becoming sluggish, particularly after receiving an update. If you find that there are delays when tapping or swiping, or perhaps apps take a few seconds longer to open than they once did, then there are a few things you can try.
Potential solutions:
- Begin by restarting your iPhone. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons simultaneously, until you see the Apple logo.
- If that doesn’t help, then try performing a factory reset and restoring your device from a backup.
Glitch: GPS not working
Quite a few people have run into an issue with the GPS function in the iPhone 6. They might be using Apple Maps, Google Maps, or any other app that employs the GPS, but find that it’s inaccurate or very slow to update. That said, it may still work fine when they’re connected to Wi-Fi.
Potential solutions:
- Check in Settings > Privacy > Location Services and make sure Location Services is toggled on at the top. Then, check the rest of the settings and ensure nothing important has been toggled off.
- If you have a case on your iPhone, then remove it and test the GPS again.
- You may want to try resetting your network settings via Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Keep in mind, however, that you will have to re-enter some passwords and set up your network connections again after this.
- There’s a chance that your hardware is failing, in which case replacing the antenna or the cable connecting it to the logic board will resolve the issue. This has worked for some people, but not everyone.
- You could try going into an Apple Store, but the employees may suggest that you buy a new iPhone.
Problem: iPhone screen freezes
Some iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users have found that their device’s display becomes unresponsive when using apps. The problem has been reported on the Apple forums many times, and we’ve seen the same issue reported back in iOS 9.3.1. The issue has been known to occur multiple times in a single day.
Workarounds:
- Use the lock button to turn the screen off and on again.
- Hold down the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons until you see the Apple logo appear to reset your iPhone.
- Factory reset and restore your device as a new phone, or restore it from a backup.
Potential solutions:
- If none of the aforementioned workarounds fixes the problem, consider contacting Apple or going to an Apple Store. The problem may be with the hardware, not the software.
Problem: Can’t send or receive iMessages and texts
Some users are struggling with an issue where a contact or multiple contacts are unable to receive iMessages and texts from an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus user, though they can still receive texts from other contacts. Some people are unable to send text messages, and for others, iMessages don’t appear to go through properly. This problem has cropped up in various versions of iOS, including iOS 10.
Potential solutions:
- Turn iMessage off and back on, or turn iMessage off to see if texts can be sent and received.
- Make sure the contact is not on your block list. To do so, go to Settings > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification, and confirm that the user is not on any block list.
- If you have an old iPhone or another iOS device that you sometimes use for iMessages, try toggling iMessages off there and sign out of your Apple account. You can sign out by going to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive and tapping on your Apple ID, then choose Sign Out.
- Delete your current conversation with the problem contact(s) and start a new one.
- Delete and re-enter said contact(s).
- Simultaneously hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons to reset your device.
- Try going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. You will have to re-enter some passwords and set network connections up again after this.
- You could try a factory reset of your iPhone.
- Contact Apple Support, or take your device to an Apple Store to get it checked out.
Problem: Unable to update to iOS 11
Every time a new iOS version rolls out, some users have trouble with the update, as discussed on this thread in the Apple forums.
Potential solutions:
- If you’re doing an OTA (Over The Air) update through WiFi, you will need around 1.5GB of free storage on your device. If you’re having issues with the OTA update, check out Apple’s over-the-air help page for more information.
- Make sure that Wi-Fi is on and go to Settings > General > Software Update on your iPhone.
- If you can’t update directly on your iPhone, then try plugging into your PC or laptop. Make sure you’re using the latest version of iTunes, which is 12.7 at the time of writing.
- If it doesn’t work, then hold down the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons together on your iPhone 6 while it’s still connected to your computer. Wait until you see the recovery screen — you should see the Apple logo and then the iTunes icon with the cable. Choose the Update option on your computer when it appears.
- If met with an error code, check Apple’s detailed support page on what the different error codes mean and what to do.
- Contact Apple Support, or take your device to an Apple Store.