How to Turn Off iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 Pro Max

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 23 Oct 2020

How to Turn Off iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro

Got a new iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro and upgrading to it from an iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, or iPhone 8? Well, you are going to be in for a surprise when you try and switch off the device. Gone are the days of long pressing the power button to turn off your iPhone. While there’s a power button on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, one simply cannot long-press it to turn off iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro.

There’s no need to feel dumb or embarrassed if you are not able to power off your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro. The process to shut down these phones is different from previous iPhones as well as almost every other smartphone in the market. Find the steps below on how to turn off your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro.

Turn Off iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro

Step 1: Press and Hold Side button and Volume Up/Down button

You need to press and hold the Side key and the Volume Up or Volume Down button on your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro simultaneously. Do not let go of the buttons as that will lead the phone to take a screenshot.

iPhone Turn off - Buttons

Step 2: Drag the ‘Slide to Power Off’ Slider

The power menu should come up and you will see a ‘Slide to Power Off’ slider at the top. Drag it to the right to power off your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro.

You can also trigger the Emergency SOS mode from here by dragging the SOS slider to the right. If you don’t want to switch off your iPhone, simply press the Cancel button at the bottom. Do note that your iPhone enters into a lockdown mode if you bring up the power menu. So make sure to enter your passcode to unlock it if you bring up the power menu and then decide not to shut down your iPhone 12.

Shut Down iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro From Settings Menu

There is another easier method to bring up the power menu and shut down your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro as well.

Step 1: Go to Settings -> General

Open the Settings app, go to the General menu, and scroll to the very bottom where you will see the Shut Down option.

Step 2: Tap ‘Shut Down’

Tap on the Shut Down option which should bring up the power menu. Drag the ‘Slide to Power Off’ slider to the right to power off your iPhone 12/Pro.

iPhone 12 Shut down

Thankfully, the process to turn on your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro is straightforward. Just press and hold the Side key until you see the Apple logo on the display.


Just like the Power Off process, the method to take a screenshot on the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro is also very different from previous iPhones so make sure to check our guide on that.