Why a turned off iPhone turns on by itself whenever connected to charger?

[hajime]

Hi, whenever I turned off my iPhone 15 Pro Max and then connected it to a charger, it turned itself on automatically. How come? Is there a setting for it to remain off?

 

[User #07242024]

It’s always been like that. Charge first then turn off phone.

 

[Iwavvns]

I suspect that, given that iPhones can be “found when turned off”, modern iPhones are never really in a powered down state to begin with. Something has to be running in order to 1)negotiate a network connection, 2) identify the phone, 3) communicate with other devices, etc and this implies an operating system must be online for all of this processing to happen.

 

[hajime]

So having it turned off does not mean stopping all activities inside the phone.

 

[Iwavvns]

So having it turned off does not mean stopping all activities inside the phone.

Which makes me think it is not possible to “turn off” an iPhone.. short of pulling the battery.

 

[headlessmike]

Hi, whenever I turned off my iPhone 15 Pro Max and then connected it to a charger, it turned itself on automatically. How come? Is there a setting for it to remain off?

This was a feature also for iPods. In some ways it's very useful because it allows you to power up a device that has a damaged power button, which does happen from time to time.

 

[headlessmike]

I suspect that, given that iPhones can be “found when turned off”, modern iPhones are never really in a powered down state to begin with. Something has to be running in order to 1)negotiate a network connection, 2) identify the phone, 3) communicate with other devices, etc and this implies an operating system must be online for all of this processing to happen.

If the battery level is low enough then it will fully power off to avoid damaging the battery. Running a lithium ion battery below 3.3 V can permanently damage it so most devices will have protection circuitry to prevent this from happening.

The few features that remain active with an iPhone is power off all work over Bluetooth Low Energy, the same standard that an AirTag uses to run for more than a year on a CR2032. An operating system isn't needed as the chip is just sending out a low bandwidth bluetooth beacon signal that other devices can interpret. The iPhone's firmware will briefly show the display when a button is pressed in this low power state, but iOS is not running.

 

[Iwavvns]

If the battery level is low enough then it will fully power off to avoid damaging the battery. Running a lithium ion battery below 3.3 V can permanently damage it so most devices will have protection circuitry to prevent this from happening.

The few features that remain active with an iPhone is power off all work over Bluetooth Low Energy, the same standard that an AirTag uses to run for more than a year on a CR2032. An operating system isn't needed as the chip is just sending out a low bandwidth bluetooth beacon signal that other devices can interpret. The iPhone's firmware will briefly show the display when a button is pressed in this low power state, but iOS is not running.

Thank you for explaining that. These devices, and technology in general, continue to amaze me.

 

[Fred Zed]

I remember the only Android device to do this was Huawei.

 

[goldmac2006]

This was a feature also for iPods. In some ways it's very useful because it allows you to power up a device that has a damaged power button, which does happen from time to time.

Hey everyone! If you’re having trouble turning on your iPhone with broken side buttons, here’s a new trick. Since iOS 18 added customization to the control center, you can now turn off your iPhone by tapping and holding the power button. This way, you don’t have to do the side button and volume up combo, which can sometimes confuse when taking screenshots.

I also ask Siri to restart or turn off my iPhone.

But if your side button is completely broken, you’ll be stuck and unable to do in DFU and recovery mode until you can replace it, if the time comes. If you’re having trouble using recovery mode, don’t hesitate to visit an Apple Store genius for help.