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-geniPhone 8and 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 beencomplainingabout their iPhone 6 smartphones shutting down on their own after dipping below 40 percent. Others havecomplainedabout very bad battery life.
Potential solutions:
Issue: iPhone is slow or lagging
There have been afewreportsof 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.
Glitch: GPS not working
Quite a fewpeoplehave 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.
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 beenreported on the Apple forumsmany times, and we’ve seen the same issuereported back in iOS 9.3.1. The issue has been known to occur multiple times in a single day.
Workarounds:
Problem: Can’t send or receive iMessages and texts
Some users are struggling with anissuewhere 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 peopleare unable to send text messages, and forothers, iMessages don’t appear to go through properly. This problem has cropped up in various versions of iOS, including iOS 10.
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 thisthreadin the Apple forums.
Problems with red screen flashing, hearing calls, and more
Problem: Red screen
A number of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners havereportedaproblemin which their iPhone’s display goes — or flashes — red before showing the Apple logo. Sometimes the problem goes away on its own and returns later, and sometimes it sticks around and the display refuses to turn off.
Workaround:
Glitch: Enlarged image or icons filling screen
It’s fairly common to hearreportsabout enlarged images or icons on the iPhone screen making it difficult for people to see properly or navigate. There’s a good chance that this has been caused by the accessibility feature,Zoom, and it’s easy to fix.
Issue: Can’t hear during calls
Quite a few people have run into an annoyingissuewhere they can’t hear the other caller during a phone call. They can make and receive calls as normal, but they can’t hear the person on the line, or they sound muffled even when the volume is turned up.
Problem: iPhone 6 won’t charge
We’ve heard a few iPhone 6ownerscomplainingthat they are unable to charge their device up. They plug it in as normal and nothing happens or it will only charge so far.
Glitch: No SIM card error
Afewpeoplehave run into a glitch where the iPhone 6 keeps complaining about the SIM card. It might say “Invalid SIM” or “No SIM card installed.” There are a few things worth trying.
Problems with bent iPhones, cracked screens, and more
Problem: Bent iPhone 6 Plus
The bent iPhone 6 Plus problem has stirred up a storm of coverage online, but Appleclaims it’s not commonand that only nine people have actually contacted the company to complain about a bent iPhone 6 Plus. We suspect there will be more in the coming weeks. The thin design and larger body obviously make it a lot more likely to bend than last year’s model, but if you look after it and don’t attempt to bend it, then it’s not likely to happen to you. Whether you believe it’s a big issue or not, there’s only one thing to do if it happens to you.
Issue: Cracked screen
A lot ofpeoplereportthat the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are easy to damage when dropped. There’s always a risk when you drop your smartphone that the screen is going to crack. That’s why it’s a good idea to invest in a protective case. If you’ve got a broken iPhone 6 screen, then here’s what to do:
Bug: Touch ID not working
We’ve seenthreadafterthreadon the Apple forums about iPhone 6 owners being unable to use Touch ID. It sometimes stops working after a software update and occasionally attempting to remove and re-add fingerprints can lead to a situation in which Touch ID setup fails over and over.
Glitch: Bluetooth not working
A lot of new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus owners are having trouble connecting with Bluetooth devices, particularly systems incars. Some people can’t get the in-car system to work, while others are having trouble establishing any connection at all. It doesn’t seem limited to any specific manufacturer. We’ve seenreportsabout a wide range of car models, including Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Honda, Acura, BMW, Jeep, and more. There are reports that the connection works fine with older models of iPhone.
Issue: Unresponsive touchscreen
Afewpeoplehave been complaining that the touchscreen on their new iPhone 6 is randomly unresponsive. This seems to manifest as a keyboard problem where it’s sluggish and certain keys don’t seem to work in portrait mode, but somereportstalk about the whole side of the screen being unresponsive. In some cases, it’s accompanied by a gray flickering bar at the top of the screen.
Problems with the camera, random crashing, and more
Problem: Camera not working
There seems to be more than one problem with the iPhone 6 camera.Tom’s Guideran a piece about purple tinges and possible chromatic aberration, though that appears to be software related as it happens on the iPhone 5S with iOS 8, as well. We’ve seen a fewreportsof people starting up the camera app on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus only to find a black screen. We’ve also seen reports of photographs being rotated to the wrong orientation.
Bug: Random crashing, and boot loop
A few iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners have run into anissuewhere their iPhone repeatedly crashes or shuts down without any apparent reason. For some people, the iPhone 6 is then getting stuck in a boot loop where it repeatedly turns itself off and on again. It might happen when launching an app and it might display a blue or red screen.
Problem: Dye coloring the plastic strips
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have plastic strips in the svelte body to ensure that the antennas can hold a signal. Unfortunately, they are a necessary evil, though plenty of people find them ugly.Some ownershave found that slipping the phone into a tight jeans pocket results in some of the dye sticking to the white plastic on the gold model and discoloring it. This has happened with many other smartphones in the past (like the white HTC One X), so it’s not a new or exclusive problem.
Issue: Headphones crackling or odd behavior
Quite a fewpeoplehave had trouble getting their headphones to work perfectly with their new iPhone 6. It seems that there are a couple of different issues here. One relates to the headphones poking out the top and crackling noises. The other concerns Siri auto-launching and other strange behavior like music stopping or volume controls on the headset not working.
Issue: Overheating iPhone
Smartphones get warm to the touch when charging, or if you’re playing a graphically intensive game, but they should never get burning hot. There aresomereportsthe iPhone 6 and 6 Plus can get especially hot, and not under the conditions mentioned above. Areas of concern include the rear panel, particularly near the volume controls.
Problems with booting, Wi-Fi, iTunes, and email
Problem: iPhone won’t turn on
You might find that your iPhone 6 sometimes refuses to turn on when you press the Sleep/Wake button. Perhaps it unexpectedly turned off and now seems to beunresponsive, or you’ve just reached for it only to find that itwon’t wake up. Here’s what to do:
Issue: Won’t connect to Wi-Fi or drops
Alotofpeoplehave had trouble with their Wi-Fi connections on the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. If you find that you can’t connect to a Wi-Fi network, or that your connection frequently drops or slows down, then there are lots of things you can try.
Problem: iTunes restore error 53
A number of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus ownershaveencounterederror 53 upon plugging the iPhone into a PC or Mac and attempting to restore through iTunes. It effectively leaves your iPhone in a reboot loop where it goes into recovery mode, prompting you to plug it in, and then iTunes says, “The iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (53).”
Apple admitted that the “Error 53” was their mistake and rereleased a patched version of iOS 9.2.1 that fixed this issue.
Glitch: Email not updating
Some iPhoneownershave been havingtroublewith their email accounts not updating. New emails are not coming into the inbox, or perhaps they’re only coming in when the Mail app is opened.
Issue: No alert sound for incoming messages
If you find that you aren’t hearing any alert sound when a new message comes in, or perhaps you’re only getting alerts intermittently, then you aren’t alone. This is quite a commonlyreportedproblem.
Update: We refreshed some of the solutions here and added a problem with the iPhone shutting down due to the battery.
