Phone stuck on the logo or in a boot loop

Look for a progress bar. Apple says that when you restore or migrate data on iOS 13 and later, the Apple logo and progress bar can appear for over an hour, and that you should only act once the bar hasn't moved for an hour. An update started overnight on hotel Wi-Fi can look frozen for a long time.

Apple treats it as stuck when the screen shows the Apple logo for several minutes with no progress bar, or when the phone keeps restarting. A Galaxy or Pixel that shows the logo, goes black and starts again is in a boot loop.

1. Connect the iPhone to a computer: a Mac with Finder (macOS Catalina or later) or iTunes (Mojave or earlier), or a Windows PC with the Apple Devices app or iTunes.
2. Put the iPhone into recovery mode. The button sequence depends on the model; Apple's support page lists each one.
3. When the computer asks whether to update or restore, choose Update. Apple says this reinstalls iOS without erasing your data.

Apple warns that if the download takes more than 15 minutes, the iPhone may leave recovery mode, and you repeat the steps. Restore reinstalls iOS and erases all your data, so only choose it if your photos are backed up. Apple says the phone may need service if recovery mode can't update or restore it, or if a button doesn't work.

Samsung lists software glitches, low battery, incompatible apps and hardware issues as the causes. Its steps:

1. Charge it to at least 5%; if the battery was completely drained, charge for at least 15 minutes with a suitable charger.
2. Force restart: hold Volume down and the Side button for about 10 seconds. If Maintenance mode appears, choose Normal Boot.
3. Try Safe mode. If the phone starts normally in Safe mode, an app is the likely cause. If the problem persists in Safe mode, Samsung says it is likely hardware.

Samsung's last software step is a factory data reset, which Samsung says removes all data. Don't do it unless your data is backed up.

Google says a Pixel frozen with the screen on can be restarted by holding the power button for about 60 seconds. It also says a Pixel can have problems when less than 10% of its storage is free, so clear space if the phone starts long enough to let you.

If it won't boot at all, Google describes a factory reset through Fastboot mode and Recovery mode (volume down and power on Pixel 6 and later; volume up and power on earlier models). Google is clear that a factory data reset removes all data from the phone, so treat it as a last resort.

When the software steps don't change anything, or the phone loops even in Safe mode, which Samsung says points to hardware. The usual culprits we find: a worn or swollen battery that can't supply enough power during start-up, water damage corroding the board, a drop that cracked a solder joint, and a failing storage chip.

A boot loop that started after the phone got wet or was dropped is almost always hardware, and repeated restarts on a wet board make it worse. Switch it off and bring it in.

Often, yes. A battery or board fault can usually be repaired without wiping the phone, and A1 Computers does board-level micro-soldering and data recovery at Local 4, Centro Comercial San Eugenio, Av. de los Pueblos 20, Costa Adeje. Tell us at drop-off if your photos matter most; nothing that erases data is done without asking you. You get the price before any work starts. Diagnosis costs €15.

Walk in Monday–Saturday 10:45–21:30 or Sunday 10:45–14:00, or ask first on WhatsApp 641 780 077 or by phone on 922 71 35 82. More on saving data from a dead phone: getting photos off a broken phone.