How To Turn Off Iphone 5

How to turn off your iPhone

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Turning off your iPhone seems like it should be a simple task — and it is, provided you remember the specific buttons you're supposed to press to power down your device. The challenge is that Apple has changed the method every few models so that turning off your iPhone on an older device is quite different than what's required to turn off an iPhone 12.

Apple's phones have a long shelf life, thanks to the company's support of multiple years of software updates. For example, iOS 14 — the current version of Apple's phone software — runs on devices as old as the iPhone 6s and original iPhone SE. That means there are phones released five to six years ago that are still in circulation, and if you're upgrading from one of these older handsets to a new model, you may not be familiar with the changes Apple's made over the years.

iPhone 12 tips: 10 features to enable and disable
How to use AirPods and AirPods Max

To help you turn off your iPhone, here are the different ways you can shut down a phone based on Apple's assorted models. It all comes down to the position of the Sleep/Wake button and whether your iPhone is unlocked with a passcode, Touch ID or Face ID.

Here's how to turn off your iPhone.

Turn off an iPhone 5 or iPhone SE (1st generation)

Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the top of the phone until the power off slider appears on the screen. (That takes approximately 3 seconds.) To turn off your phone, drag the slider toward the off position, which will prompt your iPhone to power down.

how to turn off your iPhone: iPhone 5 or iPhone SE — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

iPhone SE owners, take note — these instructions only apply to the original version of Apple's compact phone. The newer iPhone SE uses a different method outlined below.

Turn off an iPhone 6, iPhone 7, iPhone 8 or iPhone SE (2020)

The Sleep/Wake button is in a different place on these models, so the mode of shutting down your iPhone changes. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the right hand side of the phone until the power off slider appears. (Again, that will take about 3 seconds.) Then, drag the on-screen slider to the off position.

how to turn off your iphone: iPHone 6, iPhone 7, iPHone 8, iPhone SE — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Turn off an iPhone X or later (including the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12)

For iPhones with a notch display — basically anything from the iPhone X or later, excluding the iPhone SE (2020) — you'll need to press two buttons to turn off your phone. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the right side of your phone along with either of the volume buttons. In a couple of seconds, the power-off slider will appear, along with the medical ID and Emergency SOS options. Dragging the on-screen slider to an off position completes the task.