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How does frequently performing hard resets affect an iPhone in the long term?

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How does frequently performing hard resets affect an iPhone in the long term?


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Jumping in here because I have been through this loop since the early days of iOS. Regarding what #1 said about "Frequently performing hard resets on your iPhone isn't..."

  • I kind of disagree on the storage wear part, though the warning is still valid for other reasons. I have been using these things since the 3G, and honestly, the NAND storage in something like the <a href=" https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Apple+ iPhone+15+Pro+256GB&linkCode=osi&t=t=5422-20" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Apple iPhone 15 Pro 256GB is way more durable than people think. You are not gonna kill the flash memory just by rebooting. But, be careful about the software side tho. I used to have an old <a href=" https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Apple+ iPhone+8+64GB&linkCode=osi&t=t=5422-20" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Apple iPhone 8 64GB that I would force restart every time it froze during a game. Eventually, I started seeing weird glitches where my photos would just show up as grey squares. Basically, when you do a hard reset, you are killing the power before the APFS file system can finish its writing process. Its like pulling the plug on a computer while its saving a document. You might want to consider a full restore through a Mac or PC instead. I would suggest a DFU restore if things are really buggy. It is a total pain, but it clears out the system junk properly without the risk of messing up your database files. I learned that the hard way after losing a bunch of old messages because a reset happened right while the phone was indexing... super frustrating.


2

^ This. Also, while the hardware might handle it, the software usually doesnt like being cut off mid-task. Ive seen file systems get messy over the years from too many force restarts. It's not about the storage chips wearing out, but rather the database files getting corrupted. If you're having to do this often, its usually a sign of a junked up OS or bad battery health. I disagree that it's totally harmless just because the NAND is tough. In my experience, you're better off doing a clean DFU restore using a Mac or PC. It costs nothing. Zero. And it clears out the system cache properly. Just make sure you're using a reliable cable like the Apple 60W USB-C Charge Cable 2m so the connection doesn't drop. Also, sometimes weird glitches are caused by power delivery issues. If you're using a cheap gas station brick, swap it for an Apple 20W USB-C Power Adapter before you assume the phone is dying. Way cheaper than a repair.


1

^ This. Also, I would suggest being really careful. Interrupting a write operation can cause bit rot or orphaned inodes in the APFS metadata. I have spent way too much time looking at hex dumps of corrupted partitions to ever trust a force restart.

  • used to run a massive home lab
  • spent way too many nights with hex editors
  • basically lived in the terminal for a year Honestly, that reminds me of this road trip I took through the Cascades a few years back. My old truck had this weird electrical short that would reset the dashboard clock every time I hit a bump. It was super annoying, but the view of the mountains was incredible... we stopped at this tiny little town that only had one gas station and they sold these homemade huckleberry jams. I think I bought like six jars and then forgot them in the backseat for a month. Anyway lol, sorry kinda went off topic there.


0

Frequently performing hard resets on your iPhone isn't ideal. While it can resolve temporary glitches, repeatedly doing so might eventually lead to data corruption or wear and tear on the internal storage. It's better to troubleshoot issues using less drastic methods first. Consider contacting Apple Support for persistent problems.


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