Dealing with an unresponsive iPhone can be frustrating, particularly when triggered by a sudden ‘home critical alert’ notification.
If you’re experiencing this issue, don’t worry.
In this guide, I’ll provide you with simple tips to review your iPhone if it’s stuck on the home critical alerts screen.
Let’s get started!
TL;DR Version
If you can’t get past the ‘home critical alert’ prompt, you can try these steps:
1. Wait for 2-3 Minutes to See if Alert Goes Away
Before pressing the panic button, see if your iPhone becomes responsive after several minutes.
Leave your iPhone for 2-3 minutes and see if you can get rid of the home critical alert afterward.
2. Force Restart Your iPhone
If your iPhone is still unresponsive, try force restarting it.
A force restart cuts off power directly from your iPhone’s battery, which allows you to restart the system when it’s unresponsive.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Press and release the Volume Up button.
- Now, press the Volume Down button once.
- Hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
- Release the Side button.
3. Reset HomeKit Configuration (*Need Another iOS Device)
If you have another iOS device connected to your iCloud, you can reset your HomeKit configuration from that device to get rid of the home critical alert.
To resolve the ‘home critical alert’ on your iPhone using a different iOS device linked to the same iCloud account, you can reset your HomeKit configuration.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Open the Home app on your other iPhone.
- Now, tap on More in the upper right corner.
- Go to Home Settings.
- Tap on Remove Home and follow the prompts.
After completing these steps, go back to your unresponsive iPhone and perform a force restart.
4. Update Your iPhone via iTunes
Your iPhone’s unresponsiveness could stem from a bug or error.
Apple, aware of such issues, often releases fixes through software updates.
To update your iPhone using iTunes, follow these steps:
- Launch iTunes on your computer.
- Use a genuine Lightning/USB-C cable to connect your iPhone to the computer.
- Allow time for your computer to detect your iPhone.
- In iTunes, select Summary, then Check for Update.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to update your iPhone.
Note
- Keep your iPhone connected to your computer during the update.
- Updates through iTunes might take 5 minutes or more.
- If the update process seems stuck, don’t press anything and let the update complete.
5. Restore Your iPhone
If no software update is available, restoring your iPhone to a previously backed-up version where the Home app functioned correctly is your next course of action.
However, this only works if you have backed up your iPhone via iTunes before.
Here are the steps for this process:
- Launch iTunes on your computer.
- Connect your iPhone using an authentic Lightning/USB-C cable.
- Allow your computer time to detect the iPhone.
- In iTunes, go to the Summary tab.
- Choose Restore iPhone, which will display all available backups.
- Select the most recent backup and proceed as directed.
Note:
Be aware that any files or apps added to your iPhone after the backup date will be lost during this restoration process.
6. Contact Apple’s Support
If none of the options above worked, I recommend contacting Apple for further assistance.
You can schedule a visit to have your iPhone checked by their team for a better diagnosis. The issue may relate to your device’s firmware or a hardware malfunction causing the freezing.
FAQs
How do you unfreeze an unresponsive iPhone?
If your iPhone is unresponsive to touch or input, perform a force restart with these steps:
- Press and release the Volume Up button.
- Press and release the Volume Down button.
- Continue holding the Side button until the Apple logo is displayed.
What are home critical alerts on iPhone?
Critical notifications, introduced way back in iOS 12, are designed to deliver high-priority alerts that require immediate attention. These include notifications from security systems, water leak sensors, and other urgent updates.
How do I get rid of critical messages on my iPhone?
To stop critical messages on your iPhone, you can need to:
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to Notifications.
- Select the app you want to remove critical notifications.
- Look for Critical Alerts and turn it off.
Will I lose everything if I force restart my iPhone?
No, a force restart is Apple’s recommended solution for a completely unresponsive iPhone.
It safely restarts the system by temporarily disconnecting power from the battery without deleting any user data.
