How To Turn Off Your iPhone 17 Effectively

Figuring out how to turn off an iPhone 17 can sometimes be a little tricky, especially if you’re dealing with a frozen screen or a broken button. Apple’s latest models — including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air — have made things a tad different than older ones. The hardware buttons, control center, and even Siri all offer various ways to power down, which is handy when some methods don’t work or the device isn’t responding. Understanding these options is useful, not just in normal situations but also when things go sideways and the screen is unresponsive or damaged. It’s good to know what to do without messing around too much or force restarting blindly. These approaches cover most scenarios: from quick hardware button presses, soft touches through the control center, to voice commands with Siri. Just keep in mind, some tricks might be a little quirky or may take a second to kick in, especially if the device is frozen or glitchy. The important part: knowing you’ve got options. Sometimes, the way you turn off the phone directly impacts what you can do next—for example, if you want to troubleshoot or preserve battery life. Here’s how to get these methods working smoothly.

Powering Off iPhone 17: All Methods Explained

Using Hardware Buttons

This is probably the fastest and most straightforward way — no fuss, no screens, just muscle memory. On some setups, it’s kind of weird, but pressing the Side button together with either Volume Up or Volume Down triggers the shutdown slider. Usually, this is how you do it:

• Press and hold the Side button and one of the volume buttons at the same time.
• Pay attention for the power-off slider to pop up.
• Swipe right on that slider, and bam — phone powers down.

On some devices, especially if you’re used to older iPhones, this feels a little different but it works reliably once you get the hang of it. When you’re ready to turn it back on, just hold the Side button until the Apple logo shows up. Weirdly enough, on some setups, the screen might not respond instantly, and the power-off slider takes a second to appear — just hang in there.

Via Control Center (iOS 18+)

This one’s handy especially if you’re more of a swipe person and don’t want to mess with hardware buttons. Apple added a new shortcut in iOS 18 that’s a little different from previous versions, making it quicker to power down without digging in menus. Here’s how:

• Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center.
• Tap and hold the Power icon (it looks like the power button icon) in the top-right corner.
• Drag the slider that appears to the right, and your iPhone 17 will turn off.

This method works well across all the iPhone 17 models, including the iPhone Air. Be aware: sometimes it takes a second for the slider to respond if the phone’s busy or frozen, but it’s pretty dependable once you get used to it.

Through Settings (No Buttons Needed)

This is perfect if your Side button is acting up or you’re dealing with accessibility needs. Basically, instead of using hardware buttons, you dive into the Settings menu. Here’s what’s involved:

• Go to Settings > General.
• Scroll all the way down, then tap Shut Down.
• Swipe the slider to turn off your device.

It’s simple, and surprisingly effective. Plus, it’s useful if the physical buttons are broken or unresponsive. Only thing — this isn’t the fastest method if you’re in a hurry, but it beats fiddling with unresponsive buttons for sure.

Using Siri (No Touch Required)

This one’s kind of a lifesaver if your screen’s frozen, broken, or if you just don’t want to touch anything. Just say:

• “Hey Siri, turn off my iPhone.”

If Siri’s enabled and your device is listening, it’ll initiate the shutdown automatically. Sometimes, if the screen’s totally unresponsive, this is the only real option — the voice command bypasses all hardware and software hiccups. Just be prepared for a second or two of delay while Siri processes the request.