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10 Common iPhone 4s Problems & How to Fix Them

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The iPhone 4s won’t get anymore software updates which means iPhone 4s owners are on their own when it comes to fixing problems plaguing the former flagship device.

Apple left the iPhone 4s behind on iOS 9.3.5. The popular 4-inch device will never get iOS 10 and we don’t expect Apple to roll out a surprise iOS 11 update.

This means it won’t get any new features, security patches or bug fixes to alleviate the iPhone 4s problems still plaguing users in 2017.

iPhone 4s problems include abnormal battery drain, broken Wi-Fi, finicky Bluetooth connectivity, UI lag, random reboots, and an assortment of bugs and other performance problems.

If you’re running into trouble on your iPhone 4s, you can’t rely on Apple to fix your problems. Unless you live near an Apple Store, you’ll need to fix the issue(s) yourself.

This list of fixes covers the most common iPhone 4s problems. Some of these remedies will take you a few seconds to complete. Others are a little more involved.

How to Fix iPhone 4s Battery Life Problems

Battery drain is one of the more common iPhone 4s issues and it’s a problem that you can fix in just a few minutes.

Apple’s iOS updates have been known to cause abnormal battery drain but there’s a good chance it’s not the operating system causing the abnormal battery drain on your device.

Third-party apps and bad habits are typically the culprits.

iphone-4s-cam

While there are a ton of things that people recommend, we think these are the fixes iPhone 4s users should try.

These fixes range from small tweaks to your settings to changes in daily overall use.

All of them have the potential to fix bad iPhone 4s battery life and we highly recommend looking at them before throwing your phone against the wall or into the ocean.

How to Fix iPhone 4s Wi-Fi Issues

iPhone 4s continue to complain about a wide variety of issues from grayed out Wi-Fi to unstable connections. These are extremely common.

There is no guaranteed fix for iPhone 4s Wi-Fi issues but there are a few things that users can try before performing a factory reset, replacing a router, or taking the iPhone 4s down to an Apple Store.

These fixes have been passed down from the iOS 7 and iOS 8 updates and they’ve worked for tons of people in the past.

The first thing iPhone 4s users will want to try is resetting network settings. This is an extremely easy process though it could take a couple of minutes to complete. iPhone 4s users need to set aside some time to ensure that the process goes smoothly.

To do this, open up the iPhone 4s and head to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

You will need the passcode for the iPhone and again, a few minutes of time because the phone is going to reboot itself to complete the changes.

Those of you performing this fix will also want to track down commonly used Wi-Fi passwords because this process will force you to enter them once it completes.

If that doesn’t fix things, iPhone 4s users can also try turning off Wi-Fi Networking. To do that, head to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. Toggle them off and reboot the phone.

Once the phone’s rebooted there’s a chance Wi-Fi will be functioning normally again.

How to Fix iPhone 4s Cellular Data Issues

We continue to see complaints about iPhone 4s cellular data issues. Slow connections, no connections and other random problems have plagued users for years.

To try and fix these cellular data issues, users will first want to try restarting the iPhone 4s. This has worked for us in the past. If that fix doesn’t work, try toggling cellular data on and off. This has worked for us in the past. To do that, Cellular > Cellular Data > Toggle Off.

iPhone-4s

Finally, if none of that works, try flipping Airplane Mode on, waiting 30 seconds, and then flipping it off. This, like the other fixes, has worked to dislodge cellular data issues on the iPhone in the past.

If none of that works, make sure that there isn’t an outage in your area. You’ll need to check in with your service provider for details.

How to Fix iPhone 4s Bluetooth Problems

Bluetooth problems are among the most common iPhone 4s problems and we’ve heard numerous complaints from iPhone 4s users in the many months since the iOS 9 release date.

If you’re dealing with Bluetooth problems the first thing to do is to toggle Bluetooth off and then on again. You might also want to restart your phone.

If this doesn’t work, try forgetting all of your Bluetooth connections. To do that, go into Bluetooth, tap the blue i in the circle and tap Forget This Device.

If that doesn’t work, you’ll want to “Reset All Settings”. To do this, open up the iPhone 4s and head to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. This will cause your device to forget Wi-Fi passwords so make sure you have those handy.

How to Fix iPhone 4s App Issues

We’ve been getting a lot of complaints about various applications crashing and freezing.

To fix these, make sure the applications on you iPhone 4s are updated with the latest bug fixes.

It’s easy to forget about installing app updates so we recommend turning on automatic updates to ensure that you’re always up-to-date.

To turn on Automatic app updates, head into Settings > iTunes & App Store > Toggle Automatic Downloads to On.

If you’re updated and the app still isn’t working properly, try reinstalling it. If that doesn’t help, complain to the developer.

Most developers encourage feedback and yours could help it come up with a fix in a future software update.

How to Improve Performance on iPhone 4s

Some iPhone 4s users have seen a drop in overall performance after installing the iOS 9 operating system. Lag and crashes are common issues.

There are some ways to speed up the performance on the iPhone 4s should it get a little choppy after an upgrade or out of the blue.

We’ve outlined a number of different strategies including reducing animations and pretty effects, resetting settings, or restoring back to factory settings.

How to Fix iPhone 4s Landscape Issues

If your iPhone 4s gets stuck in landscape mode, there are a few fixes to try.

Try resetting your phone. This fixed the issue for us when it started happening when the device was on iOS 8.

You can also lock the device’s orientation in portrait. This way, the device will remain in portrait mode when trying to use a third-party app or the camera.

To lock the iPhone 4s in portrait mode, pull up Control Center from the bottom of the phone, look for the lock in the top right corner, and hit that. This will lock the screen so that it won’t move out of portrait mode when you shift the device.

How to Fix iPhone 4s iMessage Problems

We’ve been running into a number of iMessage problems on the iPhone 4s. Messages sometimes fail to send, even when in good coverage areas and we often get messages hours and sometimes days late.

iphone-4s-review- 9

If this happens, the first thing to try is toggling iMessage off and on. If that doesn’t work, try rebooting the phone. If neither of those work, it’s time to reset the device’s network settings.

To do that, head into Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. The iPhone 4s will reboot. And while the stored Wi-Fi networks will be lost, reentering a Wi-Fi password is a small price to pay for working iMessages.

How to Fix iPhone 4s Random Reboots

iPhone 4s users continue to see random reboots on iOS 9 and older iOS software. This is a very common iPhone problem. Unfortunately, they can be hard to fix.

First, try restarting the iPhone 4s. This helped us when we encountered random reboots on the iPhone in iOS 7 and iOS 8.

We also recommend performing a reset on all settings. To do that, Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. It also might be worth it to uninstall recent apps if the problems just started.

We’ve also heard that performing a full on factory reset cures these issues but that should be a last ditch resort.

How to Fix iPhone 4s Keyboard Lag

We’ve encountered the occasional keyboard lag on the iPhone 4s when shooting off an email or iMessage. There are a few things iPhone 4s users can try to solve these problems should they pop up during email or messaging.

iPhone-4s-iOS-9.2-8

First, try turning off Documents & Data in iCloud. To do this, Settings > iCloud > Documents & Data. If everything returns to normal, it should be okay to flip that back on.

If that doesn’t work, try resetting all settings. To do that, General > Reset > Reset All Settings.

How to Fix iPhone 4s Problems If Nothing Else Works

If none of these fixes work and Apple’s discussion forums fail you, we have two recommendations.

First, take the iPhone 4s to a Genius Bar at the local Apple Store. They might be able to diagnose your problem in a matter of minutes.

Those that can’t or don’t want to go that route will want to consider performing a factory reset. Factory resets will wipe the iPhone 4s clean but it could work wonders for your iPhone 4s’ performance.

To do that, choose Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

Again, this will wipe everything from the iPhone 4s so make a back up before doing this, even though we don’t recommend installing from a restore.

Setting all of this up is extremely consuming, but it may be the fastest way to fix the worst iPhone 4s problems.

3 Reasons Not to Install iOS 10.3.3 & 9 Reasons You Should

Install iOS 10.3.3 If You Want Better Security

Install iOS 10.3.3 If You Want Better Security

If you value your security, you'll want to seriously consider downloading the iOS 10.3.3 update on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

iOS 10.3.3 brings 24 security patches addressing vulnerabilities plaguing Contacts, Messages, Notifications, and Safari.

It also includes a patch for a potentially dangerous Wi-Fi exploit dubbed "Broadpwn." That patch alone is a great reason to install iOS 10.3.3 right now or in the immediate future. 

If you failed to download previous versions of iOS, your iOS 10.3.3 update will bring even more security features.

If you passed on iOS 10.3.2, iOS 10.3.3 will deliver 23 additional security patches for potentially dangerous issues. 

If you skipped iOS 10.3.1, your iOS 10.3.3 update will bring its lone security patch. If you skipped iOS 10.3, iOS 10.3.3 will bring its monster list of patches to your device.

The iOS 10.3 update delivered over 60 known patches for potential exploits. That's substantial, even for a milestone upgrade.

If you skipped the iOS 10.2.1 update and/or the iOS 10.2 update, iOS 10.3.3 brings their security patches with it. The iOS 10.2.1 update had 14 important patches on board. You can see them all right here

If you failed to install Apple's iOS 9.3.5 update, iOS 10.3.3 will also bring the three crucial security patches it delivered last year. These patch up serious security problems that could potentially expose your calls, contacts, texts, and emails.

These patches enhance the security on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch making them ideal for those of you who store sensitive files/data on your device. 

66 Comments

66 Comments

  1. sharon carrington

    11/13/2014 at 10:14 am

    I am not able to call out on on my iphone 4s calls can come in

  2. joe

    11/21/2014 at 8:23 pm

    Ok my iphone 4s keeps crashing when I open an app the word and picture gets pixalated, my safari mail and games keeps crashing, to top it all off when I dial out it returns back to the dial scrern can’t send out text messages. Don’t have a computer, amd when I go to reset from settings> General> (“reset”) it crashes and goes to home page any button options that could help it long enough for me to reset by phone?

  3. haseeb arshad

    12/14/2014 at 7:16 am

    i have a i.phone 4s in pakistan and i,m also lieve in pakistan when i refresh my mobile then the mob need aa ID and P.S which i can,t hve so wht cn i doo plz tel me

  4. Tom

    12/16/2014 at 12:14 pm

    My Bluetooth continually disconnects and reconnects until I turn off location services, after which Bluetooth stays connected. (iPhone 4s, iOS 8.1.1) Pretty annoying when I want GPS and Bluetooth while driving.

  5. alan

    12/20/2014 at 1:34 am

    Its easy to fix your i phone problems sell it and buy a samsung galaxy s5

  6. shiwkat

    01/22/2015 at 1:19 pm

    My iPhone 4s fall down from my hand on bar surface after that didn’t work only showing apple logo I tried all means software update reboot but nothing worked. Any suggestion

  7. isay

    03/29/2015 at 5:04 pm

    the lcd of my iphone 4s become graywhite screen.. it didnt work anymore, how can i fix it

  8. Ghanshyam kharal

    05/28/2015 at 9:06 pm

    Dear sir/mam I have I phone 4s . In this set it has busy when call will comming without cal . But next cal will reach to me . I am suffering from this problem long time . Dear if you provide solution for this I fell pleasure thank you

  9. Roger

    06/06/2015 at 10:48 pm

    Ghanshyam if you read the tips & tricks on your phone you will see amongst the settings a “busy” setting that rejects first call and lets next come through.

  10. Pramod

    06/12/2015 at 7:43 pm

    Never thought Apple would be least botherd for their products….. Had iPhone 4s for a year.. From 6th month started getting problems. Battery drains out in half a day.. Apple support will reset the phone change the settings.. Next take it to the store… Not sure if Apple service centre are trained.. They just updated the phone and said it is fixed. I believed started using the phone now it is become even more worse cannot turn off my phone, sound does not work, phone freezes & strats work . I call up phone support same steps to reset the phone. I have done more than 10 times.. Last fix what phone support said ” take it to different service centre” bottom line iPhone life is only for 4-5 months.. BS SERVICE…..

  11. Godfrey Obeng Anim

    06/16/2015 at 3:02 am

    I am trying to reset my iPhone 4s but it keeps asking me for a pass code , what pass code is that

    • Ahmad

      01/30/2016 at 11:35 pm

      same problem

  12. Connie Branum

    06/18/2015 at 3:42 pm

    I have been working three days to find my iphone 4s problem. It all of a sudden it will not go on wifi – won’t accept my password. I can not even reset it because it will not reset without turning off findmyiphone, which I can’t do because it will not take my password, and will not reset without it. My wifi, Icloud and itunes password work just fine on my PC and my husbands phone is fine.. I have tried every suggestion, talked to apple support and still nothing works.

  13. Lorri A

    06/19/2015 at 10:36 am

    THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I thought my iPhone 4S was dying a slow death. No sounds for txt, phone, mail. Bluetooth wouldn’t turn on. I found this post, reset my settings and Waa Laa… FIXED! I can not say thank you enough.

  14. dawakiusman

    06/25/2015 at 2:52 pm

    Pls I have reset my iPhone 4s an I was unable to active it keep on saying sim not valid that I should use a valid sim an I hav use mtn, etisalat, Airtel, and glo but still the same response pls what is the solution

  15. Edmond

    06/29/2015 at 1:30 am

    I can’t play music at loudspeaker

  16. Sally Empire

    07/16/2015 at 11:01 am

    My iphone 4s had 85% battery life. just went dead. now nothing. What do I do?

    • srinivas

      11/18/2015 at 6:27 am

      my 4s iphone suddenly not getting charged i tried with another charger still same situation now it was completely dead what is the remedy….

  17. steve

    07/16/2015 at 4:53 pm

    my 3rd 4s since christmas,speaker keeps dying slowly but surely, now it is completely gone ,i have to use the loudspeaker when calling,,carephone warhouse are a complete waste of time and i cannot book an appointment at the apple store,,so ive decided to start using public phones and the postal service,

  18. deibel216

    07/17/2015 at 7:05 pm

    My I Tunes is all messed up. Keeps repeating either same song or same album over and over. I have turned off the shuffle. Can’t find a permanent fix. All very complicated since I updated the phone to 8. I’d like to go back to before I did the update w/o losing all my data. Any suggestions? Very disappointed in Apple.

  19. ANKANNA G

    07/19/2015 at 4:01 pm

    my I phone 4S having turn on VOICE OVER because of this problem I am unable to give ring but getting calls due to above problem I am not in position to reply the inward calls . Please advise me in this regard to upcoming problem.

  20. Kathy

    07/20/2015 at 11:46 am

    My iPhone 4s cannot turn on wi-fi or bluetooth. I have rebooted phone 4 times without success. Any suggestions? Thank you.

  21. jane porter

    07/31/2015 at 12:36 am

    My iphone 4’s is displaying ‘searching’ running across screen ever since I was in my sisters house for no reason that was months ago still doing it. I took it to local phone shop to be fixed guy said he’d send it away went to get it back next day he said he couldn’t fix it but he’d removed screws off it n forgot to put em bk in ?

  22. Breenajo Gallick

    08/04/2015 at 11:26 pm

    My IPhone 4s is trying to tell me about a software update and is also asking for my voicemail passcode and i cant do anything. I’ve tried turning it off, locking and unlocking it, going to the shutdown screen and pressing cancle, and even taking out the sim card, and none of it did anything. It just went to the same screen. HALP!

  23. Ahmed

    08/18/2015 at 11:03 am

    My iphone 4 start but stuck on boot, and disply itune logo with cable,
    Plz help

  24. RogerDRodgers

    08/29/2015 at 2:08 am

    /…. Hey Friends,,,,!my classmate’s step-aunt makes $79 /hr on the laptop .!!She has been fired for 5 months but last month her income was $19889 just working on the laptop for a few hours.
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  25. Jess

    09/01/2015 at 6:40 am

    My iPhone is not opening showing sign of charging but I charge it almost 2hrs and not opening. What happen to my phone

  26. Aryan

    09/26/2015 at 1:00 am

    Never forget that:
    1)With advantages there come dis advantages.
    2)with new solution there comes new problems.
    3)last but not the least ,keep up with technology because when you will look back you will realise that you are a way behind them

  27. Xdougx

    10/09/2015 at 7:22 am

    My iPhone keep switching off for no reason? Why can’t even use it for 5 min .. I need to keep turning it on and the gone again pls help .. What is this prob??

  28. salwanorelden

    10/12/2015 at 11:21 am

    كيف يمكنني إلغاء i
    cloud

  29. Dr Sneha

    10/16/2015 at 7:25 am

    My iphone 4s touchscreen stopped working all of a sudden without even falling down. Im not even able to unlock my screen. How m i supposed to get it repaired?

    • Anne Kerr Lim

      10/18/2015 at 6:24 am

      I have the same problem. The touchscreen of My iPhone 4s suddenly stopped working can’t do anything. Can’t even shut down the phone.

      • Troy C

        10/25/2015 at 5:00 pm

        I’m having the same problem . the touchscreen just stopped working . I was using my phone I put it down and 5 min later couldn’t open or turn it off. Did you ever find a solution ?

  30. Nannette Carman

    10/21/2015 at 6:06 am

    My iphone4 can’t change between apps. Was initially stuck on phone calls. Used Siri to open email and finally reminders. But can’t switch between apps without using Siri. Can anyone advise? Thanks

  31. Janice Peart

    11/03/2015 at 10:42 am

    I can’t turn on my wifi , can anyone help me please

  32. Juni

    11/06/2015 at 5:41 am

    I can’t turn on my wifi, what should i do?

  33. eula

    11/22/2015 at 7:08 am

    My iphone 4s shuts down without warning and i can’t turn it on unless i plug it to an outlet. This happens even when it is fully charged. help!

  34. mehmood

    11/23/2015 at 3:08 am

    i load an application SPENDING TRACKER it was helpfull for me but after seven months i try to open it opens for a scond and suddenly shut plz help me

  35. Anthony Jackson

    12/06/2015 at 3:17 am

    hello i updated my 4s, and later after some hours that day my phone went off all of a sudden, and never came up, even after i charged it, no sign of battery, no sign of apple logo, all just went blank. am really dissapointed please how can you help me

  36. Anthony Jackson

    12/06/2015 at 4:06 am

    i just fixed my iphone after 12hours of trying to fixed it, am the happiest man now

  37. lucille

    12/15/2015 at 6:16 am

    my iphone 4 is frozen all see is the iTune logo an arrow and the plug shut it down it by passes everything shows apple logo and that’s it

  38. Stephanie

    12/16/2015 at 5:16 pm

    My iPhone 4s shut itself off and I can’t get it to come back on

  39. arman prince

    12/16/2015 at 6:18 pm

    my iphone 4s is not working good. b/s when i”ll going to open any app like google app store ets it shows a message that you cannot open this app plz tell me what can i do b/c i don’t no what’s happen with my iphone 4s plz give me some hints to solve this problem thnx….

  40. Angel

    12/22/2015 at 9:44 am

    my phone died so I put it back on the charger and its charging but its been charging for an hour already and it still on the screen with the battery , my iPhone 4 is not turning on or restarting even when its on the charger. What do I do ?

  41. Jolene

    01/05/2016 at 4:22 am

    My iPhone 4s screen won’t respond

  42. Allison

    01/12/2016 at 5:59 am

    I am not receiving picture messages on my Apple iPhone 4. Can anyone help me?

  43. Michaelafraser

    01/12/2016 at 6:34 am

    1=4my neighbor’s step-aunt makes $68 hourly on the internet . She has been out of work for 6 months but last month her payment was $20028 just working on the internet for a few hours.

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  44. autumn

    01/14/2016 at 3:36 pm

    my iphone 4s has randomly shut itslef down, and i have no idea how to fix it. it had plenty of battery left (around 80%). i have now tried every button possible – but no responses. i can’t seem to turn it back on. what do i do?

  45. Bela

    01/22/2016 at 5:16 pm

    My iPhone 4 has a jammed power off button. I haven’t been able to go to the store, but I have tried to fix it. I haven’t dropped it or put it in water… It also then shut off while I was at school, I thought it just died but it hasn’t responded since and its been charging for several hours. I have check that everything is plugged in, tried turning it on with the home button, but nothing has worked. It was working fine this Moring but now its messed up.

  46. Rashed ahmed sujan

    01/25/2016 at 10:11 pm

    MY iPhone 4s has a jammed power is off button.but not open my phone.so i trying so many times for open but nothing has worked.also charging for several hours but not come to power.it was working fine night time but morning not work.

  47. blackflower

    02/04/2016 at 11:15 am

    Since a recent software update, my iPhone 4S jumps in and out of wifi connection but mostly “not connected”. It keeps prompting me to enter Apple ID password and when I do, tells me “cannot verify Identity” or some shite like that. Tried all the tricks. Neither my carrier nor Apple support know what to do. 2 year shelf life. I will never buy Apple in my future.

  48. tpa

    02/06/2016 at 4:29 am

    To autumn, the only solution I have found for this is to plug it into a mains charger, then it comes back to life; hardly an ideal scenario for a mobile device. Apple support no help and as problems are intermittent and not user repeatable taking it to an Apple shop could just be a waste of money. Other problems relate to refusal to send or receive SMS. Also delayed sending, despite timer showing it sent until iMessage turned off then on again. Unfortunately it appears Apple is beginning to mimic Microsoft in introducing issues it is not prepared to resolve.

  49. Mxolisi

    02/15/2016 at 8:39 am

    My iPhone 4s just shut down and doesn’t come on , how can i fix it please help

  50. karthik

    02/26/2016 at 7:37 pm

    i hav prob. on my iphone 4s. suddenly network service stopped. searching …. is showing . two time switched off and restarted even though searching only show … where is the signal that. place. i tried to replace the sim (twice).. Sim is ok condition while checking another mobile.

    i found the “carrier serivce ” is missed that means dispersed from my phone.

    from sterday 1400onwards my phone is showing searching… only.

    Can u give some tips for resolve this issue.

  51. Bawanoor

    03/10/2016 at 4:34 am

    My iphone 4 start but stuck on boot, and disply itune logo with cable,
    Plz help

  52. Kelly

    03/23/2016 at 4:59 pm

    my iphone 4s, it is fully charge. but after 1 our use of the iphone. and turn it into lock mode.. now it doesn’t work or open,, what is the remedy..?

  53. Mathew

    03/27/2016 at 8:42 pm

    my iphone 4 16 gb mobile has a Bluetooth and wifi problem not opwning just it is loading plz do help AND does ios 8 or 9 can be updated in my iphone 4

  54. Margaret Hall

    04/04/2016 at 3:53 am

    I have a problem with iphone4s when I make outgoing calls I have to have my phone on loud speaker otherwise there is no ringing and I can’t talk to the person on the other unless on loud speaker. When I receive an incoming call my phone rings, but I have to have my phone on loud speaker to be able to talk otherwise I can’t hear what the person on the other end is saying. Very frustrating.

  55. Jensen hall

    04/04/2016 at 9:46 am

    I have an iPhone 4s that I can’t restore… Upon turning it on it shows the power cord symbol connection to iTunes.. I connect it to iTunes… Go through the restore and the next step says.. Unable to restore I phone.. Idk what to do? Dose any one know what to do here or is my phone shot?

  56. Louie Evia

    04/26/2016 at 7:13 am

    Hi Jensen! We have the same problem. Did you fix it already? How.

  57. samcorpuz

    05/09/2016 at 8:22 am

    hi jensen,and Louie, we have the same problem.and my Apple Id was disabled..did u fix it already?

  58. Chirag Shah

    06/28/2016 at 1:54 am

    Yesterday I update my iPhone 4s version 9.3.2
    Today my phone is gone in ded position. But I call on my number that is ringing. But I can’t receive or see anything else. Please do something.

  59. Mesele aleme

    07/25/2016 at 3:33 pm

    Hi, my iphone4s just blocked out the screen but when someone calls the number it rings but I can not pick the call because the screen is black and nothing you can see. Help needed

  60. debbie

    08/08/2016 at 5:35 pm

    y I-phone froze in the games area tried to shut it off to reboot but screen went black suri still talks to me so phone is on what do I do ?

  61. Kelly

    08/15/2016 at 2:09 am

    hi i got a problem of Iphone4S… Just now i didn’t use my phone and i leave it charging. But when i want to use it, i can touch the screen but i can only touch the assistive touch and i can’t type my password…

  62. Mercury cauton

    08/30/2016 at 7:53 am

    My iphone 4s got shutdown and just vibrating what is the problem

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