Quick answer: Face ID not working?

• No error on screen: it’s almost always something you can fix in a few minutes. Wipe the top of the screen, take off a privacy screen protector or a thick case, and check Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Still failing? Restart, update iOS, then reset Face ID.
• “Not available” or “has been disabled”: that almost always means a hardware fault. Update once, then book a repair.

Face ID not working? Clear the TrueDepth camera and your face first

Your iPhone reads your face with a set of sensors hidden in the dark strip or Dynamic Island at the top of the screen. Apple calls them the TrueDepth camera. Anything that blocks them, even slightly, gets you the passcode screen instead. Start with this list: it costs nothing and it’s the most common cause.

1. Wipe the top of the screen. A fingerprint smudge or a bit of dust over the sensors is enough.
2. Check the screen protector. A privacy screen protector (the kind that looks black from the side) can block the sensors, and so can a cheap tempered glass that’s cracked or lifting near the top. If Face ID stopped working the day you fitted a new one, that’s your answer.
3. Check the case. A thick lip or a flip cover can sit over the sensors.
4. Show your face. By default Face ID needs to see your eyes, nose and mouth. A mask, a helmet visor or a dupatta pulled over your nose will stop it, unless you’ve set up Face ID with a Mask (more on that below). Some sunglasses block the infrared light Face ID uses, so try without them.
5. Hold it like you’re taking a selfie. Apple puts the sweet spot at about 25 to 50 cm from your face. On iPhone 13 and later, Face ID also works in landscape; on older models, turn the phone upright.

Got an iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max? Its TrueDepth camera sits towards the top left corner, so in landscape your palm can cover it without you noticing.

Check Face ID is switched on for what you’re doing

Face ID unlocks the phone but won’t approve App Store downloads, or works for unlocking and not for a payment? Then it’s switched off for that one thing. This is the quickest fix on the list when only one app or task is affected. Open Settings > Face ID & Passcode, enter your passcode, and look at the switches under Use Face ID For.

• iPhone Unlock for the Lock Screen.
• iTunes & App Store for downloads and in-app purchases.
• Contactless & Payments for paying with your iPhone.
• Password AutoFill for saved passwords in Safari and apps.
• Other Apps lists the apps that sign you in with Face ID. If your banking or UPI app is switched off here, it can’t use Face ID at all and falls back to its PIN.

Turned the app on and it still asks for the PIN? Many banking apps also have their own biometric switch, usually under the app’s settings or security menu, and some only offer Face ID after you’ve logged in once with your password. UPI app misbehaving in other ways too? Our UPI app fixes for GPay, PhonePe and Paytm go through the rest.

No face saved at all? You’ll see Set Up Face ID where Reset Face ID should be. Skip to the reset section below.

Restart, then update iOS

This is the boring step that fixes more than you’d think, and it’s near the top of Apple’s own Face ID checklist. Hold the side button and a volume button together until you see the power-off slider, then slide it. Give the phone half a minute to shut down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. It’ll ask for your passcode once, which is normal after every restart. Lock it and try Face ID again.

Then check for an update in Settings > General > Software Update and install anything waiting.

Face ID not working after an update? This one comes up after nearly every big iOS release, including iOS 26 and iOS 27. When a bug is to blame, the fix usually arrives in a point update, so keep checking Software Update for a week or two. In the meantime, a restart and then resetting Face ID (below) is worth a try before you assume the worst. If the update was followed by a “Face ID issue detected” alert, though, skip ahead to the hardware section: that alert means iOS has found a fault.

Glasses, a beard or a mask? Add an alternative appearance

Face ID keeps learning as your face changes, so a haircut or a few days’ stubble won’t usually trip it up. A big change will: heavy make-up for a wedding, a full beard you grow every winter, or glasses you wear only some of the time. For that, iOS lets you save a second look. Open Settings > Face ID & Passcode and tap Set Up an Alternative Appearance, then scan your face the way you look when Face ID fails. Wear the glasses, or the make-up, while you do it.

Face ID not working with a mask? From iPhone 12 onwards, Face ID can work with a mask, but you have to turn it on. One thing first: Face ID is most accurate when it reads your whole face, so we’d turn this on only if you actually wear a mask often. On the same screen, switch on Face ID with a Mask and follow the scan. Wear glasses most days? Wear them for this scan too, and use Add Glasses to add a second pair. Two limits to know: it only works with the phone upright, and it isn’t designed to work with sunglasses. If you also own an Apple Watch, it can unlock your iPhone while you’re masked, on any Face ID model.

Can’t look straight at the screen? Check attention

Normally the phone unlocks only when your eyes are open and you’re looking at the screen. That’s what stops someone holding your phone up to your face while you sleep. It’s also why Face ID can fail for people who can’t look straight at the screen, because of a squint or a vision condition.

Turning the check off makes Face ID less secure, so we’d leave it on unless that’s you. If it is, go to Settings > Accessibility > Face ID & Attention and turn off Require Attention for Face ID.

Reset Face ID and set it up again

When the camera’s clean, the settings are right and a restart didn’t help, start over. It’s the best fix when Face ID has got slowly worse rather than stopping in one go, and it takes about two minutes.

Before you start: resetting deletes your saved face, your alternative appearance and your mask setup. Some banking and UPI apps notice the change and switch their Face ID login off until you sign in again with your password or MPIN, so keep those handy.

1. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and tap Reset Face ID.
2. Find good light. Sit facing a window or a lamp, not with the light behind you.
3. Tap Set Up Face ID, hold the phone upright, then tap Get Started.
4. Move your head slowly in a circle until the ring fills, tap Continue, and do it once more. Can’t move your head easily? Tap Accessibility Options during the scan.
5. Tap Done, then check the switches under Use Face ID For.

Scan never completes? If it keeps telling you to move your iPhone lower or higher, or to bring your face into the frame, and won’t move on, stop retrying. Same if the front camera doesn’t work either. That’s a hardware sign, covered next.

And if the reset worked for a day and Face ID is failing again with no message at all, don’t keep resetting. It’s time for a check-up at Apple, below.

“Face ID is not available” or “has been disabled”? Get it checked

These messages are different from Face ID simply not recognising you. You might see:

• Face ID is not available. Try setting up Face ID later when you open Face ID & Passcode or try to set it up.
• Face ID issue detected as an alert, or a message that a problem was found with the TrueDepth camera, ending Face ID has been disabled.

The “disabled” and “issue detected” messages mean iOS’s own check of the TrueDepth camera failed. Apple doesn’t explain “not available”, but it almost always points the same way. There are tiny lasers inside the TrueDepth camera, so when iOS suspects damage it simply switches them off. The rest of the phone works fine; you lose Face ID, Animoji and Memoji, and some front-camera tricks. A drop, water or a recent repair are the obvious suspects.

Do two things, in this order. Install any iOS update waiting, because Face ID may come back once the phone is updated. Then restart and try to set up Face ID once more. If the message is still there, don’t keep trying: nothing you do at home will fix it, no reset, no restore, no app. Book a repair.

Face ID not working after a screen or back glass replacement

Usually it’s a cracked screen or back fixed at a local shop: Face ID worked before the repair and doesn’t after. There are three likely reasons, and your iPhone can point you to the first two.

• The repair isn’t finished. Genuine parts need a final software step after they’re fitted, and until it’s done, Face ID stays off. Go to Settings > General > About > Parts and Service History. If you see Finish Repair next to a part, tap Restart & Finish Repair. You need Wi-Fi, more than 20% battery and the latest iOS.
• A non-genuine part. On the same screen, Unknown next to a part means it may not be genuine, or isn’t working as expected.
• Something went wrong in the repair. First, look closely at the sensor holes at the top of the new screen: a scrap of protective film left over them is enough to block Face ID. Beyond that, repairers on iFixit’s forums say the usual cause is a torn cable to the dot projector or infrared camera, two TrueDepth parts that are paired to the phone’s logic board. That may not show up anywhere in Settings: Face ID just stops.

If the shop used genuine parts and Repair Assistant won’t finish, go back to them: a part someone else installed can be protected by Activation Lock, so the person who fitted it has to finish the job. If it was a cheap replacement screen, the honest answer is that Face ID may not come back until the job is redone with a genuine part, by someone who has Apple’s calibration process.

Don’t bother

• Repair apps from the App Store or “iOS repair tools” for your computer. No app can bring back a TrueDepth camera that iOS has switched off. Skip them.
• Erasing your iPhone. A full restore takes an evening and won’t touch a hardware fault. Reset Face ID instead; it’s the only reset that matters here.
• Reset All Settings. Some videos suggest it. It resets your network settings, location and privacy settings and Apple Pay cards, and it isn’t on Apple’s list of Face ID fixes.
• A roadside “Face ID repair”. Apple says only a trained technician should work on the TrueDepth camera, because a wrong repair can stop its laser safety features from working. Ask an Apple Authorised Service Provider first.

When it’s not you: getting it repaired in India

Camera clean, reset done, still no luck? Or seen one of the hardware messages? Then it’s a job for Apple or an Apple Authorised Service Provider. Book through the Apple Support app or support.apple.com/en-in, or walk into an Apple Store. Apple inspects the phone to work out the final fee, so get that figure before you agree to the repair. Booking works the same way as for a battery swap, which our iPhone battery replacement price guide walks through.

What it costs depends on why it failed. In its first year, a fault you didn’t cause is covered by Apple’s warranty. A drop or water damage isn’t, so if you have AppleCare+, check what your plan covers before you pay. Had the phone opened at a local shop before? Damage from an outside repair isn’t covered by the warranty or AppleCare, so expect the full out-of-warranty fee. Out of warranty, weigh the quote against what the phone’s worth: some owners decide to live with the passcode.

Before you hand the phone over, back it up to iCloud.

Quick questions

Why is my iPhone suddenly not letting me use Face ID?
Usually something new in the way: a screen protector, a case, a mask or dirt on the sensors. If nothing changed, restart and update, then reset Face ID. A sudden stop right after a drop points to hardware.

Why does my iPhone say Face ID is not available and to try setting it up later?
It almost always means a problem with the TrueDepth camera. Install any update and restart; if the message stays, the phone needs a repair.

Why is Face ID not working after an update?
Sometimes a bug that a later point update fixes. Restart, then reset Face ID and set it up again. A “Face ID issue detected” alert after the update means a hardware fault, not a bug.

Does Face ID work with a mask?
Yes, from iPhone 12 onwards, but only after you switch it on: look for the mask option in Face ID & Passcode settings. It only works with the phone upright, and not with sunglasses.

Can a screen replacement affect Face ID?
Yes. A non-genuine screen, an unfinished repair or cables damaged during the job can all stop it. Check Parts and Service History under General, then About, and finish the repair from there if it asks.

How do I get Face ID back after a screen replacement?
If genuine parts were used, finish the repair with Repair Assistant or ask the shop to. If not, Face ID may only return after a repair with a genuine part.

Can Face ID be fixed if it’s damaged?
Yes, but not at home. Apple or an Authorised Service Provider can repair it, and they’ll inspect the phone and quote the fee first.

Why does my iPhone keep asking for my passcode when Face ID works?
That’s by design. iOS wants the passcode after a restart, after five failed Face ID tries, if the phone hasn’t been unlocked for 48 hours, and if you haven’t used the passcode for about six and a half days and haven’t used Face ID in the last four hours.

Prefer to watch? Apple’s own two-minute video shows the Face ID & Passcode screen and how to set up Face ID with a mask.

What brought your Face ID back: the screen protector, the reset or a trip to the service centre? Tell us in the comments with your iPhone model, and we’ll add what works to this guide.

Checked against Apple’s iOS 27 User Guide and Apple Support (India).

Last updated: October 2026

The post Face ID Not Working on iPhone? Fixes That Actually Help appeared first on iPhonehelp.

Quick answer: iPhone hotspot not working? Open Settings > Personal Hotspot, switch on Allow Others to Join, say yes when it offers to turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and keep that screen open until your laptop connects. Connected but no internet? Your data pack is probably used up for the day. Laptop or TV can’t see it? Turn on Maximise Compatibility on the same screen. Hotspot greyed out or missing? Check Mobile Data is on, then your carrier settings.

iPhone hotspot not working? Start on the Personal Hotspot screen

This is the fix that works most often, and it takes half a minute. Open Settings > Personal Hotspot and switch on Allow Others to Join. If Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is off, a pop-up asks whether to turn them on. Tap Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Pick USB Only and your laptop won’t see the hotspot over Wi-Fi at all, and it’s an easy tap to make by mistake.

Now leave that screen open while you connect the other device: that’s when your iPhone is easiest to find. Keep the two within about 10 metres.

On the laptop or phone that’s joining:

1. Turn its Wi-Fi off and on again.
2. Pick the network with your iPhone’s name. It’s the name in Settings > General > About > Name, so if your family has three phones all called “iPhone”, rename yours first.
3. Type the password exactly as it shows under Wi-Fi Password on your iPhone. Changing it? Make it eight characters or more, and skip accented letters and emoji.
4. Still says it can’t connect, especially on Windows after a password change? Tell the laptop to forget the network, then join again from scratch.

Joining from another Apple device signed in to your Apple Account? It should connect without the password. Family members’ devices can too, once you’ve added them under Personal Hotspot > Family Sharing.

Hotspot seems to switch itself off after a while? That’s on purpose: your iPhone drops connected devices when nobody’s using them, to save battery. Open the Personal Hotspot screen again and they’ll find it.

Connected but no internet? Check your data pack first

If the laptop shows it’s connected and pages won’t load, the hotspot is fine. The problem is the data behind it. Your iPhone can only share its mobile data, never the Wi-Fi it’s connected to, so test that first: switch off Wi-Fi on the iPhone and open a page in Safari. If that crawls too, the hotspot was never the issue.

In India the usual culprit is the daily data quota. On most daily-data prepaid packs, once you’ve used the day’s allowance, the speed drops to about 64 Kbps. That’s enough for a WhatsApp message and nowhere near enough for a laptop. Open the MyJio, Airtel Thanks or Vi app and check what’s left today, and add a data booster if you need to get through a work call. While you’re there, check your plan’s terms: some plans don’t include hotspot use at all.

Then open Settings > Mobile Service: the Mobile Data switch at the top should be green.

Got two SIMs? The hotspot shares the line you’ve picked for mobile data. If your data pack is on Jio and mobile data is set to your Airtel work number, the laptop gets Airtel’s data, or none. Tap Mobile Data on that same Mobile Service screen and pick the number with the data pack. Setting up a second line as an eSIM? Our eSIM guide for Jio, Airtel and Vi covers it.

One more thing: a VPN that blocks local networking can get in the way. Turn it off for a minute and try again.

Laptop, TV or Android can’t see it? Turn on Maximise Compatibility

On iPhone 12 and later, the hotspot runs in a faster mode that some older laptops, smart TVs, set-top boxes and budget Android phones can’t see. Back on the Personal Hotspot screen, switch on Maximise Compatibility. Then ask the other device to scan for networks again.

The catch: Apple says internet performance and Wi-Fi security may drop for everything connected. It’s one switch for all devices, so we’d turn it on only when something can’t see the hotspot, and off again afterwards.

Still invisible? Restart both the iPhone and the device you’re connecting, then install any iOS update that’s waiting. Boring, but it’s Apple’s own second step, and it takes a minute.

Personal Hotspot greyed out or missing? Check mobile data and the hotspot APN

When the Personal Hotspot row is greyed out, or gone from the main Settings list, your iPhone thinks it isn’t allowed to share data. On a company iPhone, stop here and ask your IT team: device management can switch the hotspot off. On your own phone, work through these in order and test after each one.

1. Mobile Data off. The hotspot row dims whenever Mobile Data is off in Settings > Mobile Service. Switch it back on.
2. Carrier settings. A new SIM, an eSIM move or an iOS update can leave old carrier settings behind. While you’re online, look in Settings > General > About and wait a few seconds. If a carrier settings update is waiting, a pop-up offers it, and it installs in under a minute. No pop-up usually means there’s nothing to install.
3. The hotspot APN. This is the fix people on Jio keep finding in forum threads. It only applies if your carrier lets you see these settings, and Apple’s advice is to leave APNs alone unless your carrier tells you otherwise: a wrong one can cut your mobile data or run up charges. So change one field only. Go to Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data Network (with two SIMs, tap your data line first). Note the APN in the Mobile Data section at the top, then scroll down to the Personal Hotspot section. If its APN field is blank, type in the same APN as the Mobile Data section, leave the username and password empty, and go back.

Don’t copy APN values from a video made for a different carrier. If you get in a mess, tap Reset Settings on the same screen to restore your carrier’s defaults. An iOS update also resets them, so you may need to fill in the hotspot APN again after the next update.

No Mobile Data Network option at all? Your carrier doesn’t let you see these settings, which is common. Skip to the network reset below, then call your carrier.

Reset network settings, last

When nothing above works, this clears whatever network setting has gone wrong. It also wipes every saved Wi-Fi network and password, your VPN settings and any APN you typed in, so dig out your home Wi-Fi password before you start.

Pick carefully on the way. Erase All Content and Settings, on the Transfer or Reset iPhone screen, wipes the whole phone, and Reset All Settings, at the top of the Reset list, resets every setting. Neither fixes a hotspot any better.

Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset and tap Reset Network Settings, then confirm.

Don’t bother

• Hotspot or “Wi-Fi booster” apps from the App Store. None of them can change how your iPhone shares data. At best they’re a shortcut to Settings.
• Erasing your iPhone. A network reset touches everything a full erase would fix here, without the restore.
• Bluetooth tethering as a workaround. It works for a Mac or Windows laptop, but it’s fiddlier to pair. Use it only when the laptop’s Wi-Fi is broken.

When it’s not you

If Mobile Data is on, carrier settings are current, the network reset is done and Personal Hotspot still won’t appear, the block is usually on the carrier’s side: the plan doesn’t include it or it hasn’t been switched on for your number. Call Jio, Airtel or Vi customer care, tell them the iPhone model and that the hotspot row is missing or greyed out, and ask them to check hotspot on your number and resend the settings.

Connecting a Mac by USB cable and it won’t pick up the hotspot? Apple’s Personal Hotspot troubleshooting page has the Mac network-service steps.

Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on your iPhone greyed out, or won’t switch on at all? That points to hardware, not a setting. Book it in at an Apple Store or an Apple Authorised Service Provider.

And if the hotspot works but your battery drops fast while it’s on, that’s expected: your iPhone is running mobile data and Wi-Fi for two devices at once. Keep it on the charger during long sessions, and see our iOS 27 battery drain fixes if the battery’s poor even when the hotspot’s off.

Quick questions

Why is my iPhone hotspot not working anymore?
After an update or a SIM change, the usual causes are Allow Others to Join being off, a used-up data pack, or stale carrier settings. Check the Personal Hotspot screen first, then Mobile Data, then the About screen in General settings for a carrier update.

Why does my iPhone not have a hotspot anymore?
The row disappears when Mobile Data is off, when carrier settings are missing, or when the hotspot APN is blank. If none of those fix it, your plan may not include hotspot, so ask your carrier.

Why is my iPhone unable to share its hotspot?
Your iPhone can only share mobile data, not a Wi-Fi connection. If you’re on Wi-Fi and mobile data is off or exhausted, there’s nothing to share.

Why is the Jio hotspot not working on iPhone?
Check your remaining daily data in the MyJio app first. If the hotspot option itself is missing, update carrier settings and check the Personal Hotspot APN under Mobile Data Network.

Why isn’t my Personal Hotspot visible on my laptop?
Keep the Personal Hotspot screen open on your iPhone, make sure Wi-Fi is on, and turn on Maximise Compatibility for older laptops and TVs. Restart both devices if it still won’t show.

Why does my hotspot keep disconnecting?
The iPhone drops connected devices when nobody’s using the hotspot, to save battery. Open the Personal Hotspot screen to make it visible again, or use a USB cable for long sessions.

Why does Personal Hotspot show Off on iPhone?
The Settings row says Off until you switch on Allow Others to Join. If you can’t switch it on, or the row is greyed out, check Mobile Data and carrier settings as above.

How many devices can connect to my iPhone hotspot?
There’s no single number: it depends on your carrier and your iPhone model. A laptop plus a phone is rarely a problem.

Prefer to watch? Apple’s own two-minute video shows how to set up the hotspot and join it from another device, on an older version of iOS.

What fixed it for you: the pop-up, a finished data pack or the APN? Tell us in the comments with your carrier and iPhone model, and we’ll add what works to this guide.

Checked against Apple’s iOS 27 User Guide and Apple Support (India).

Last updated: October 2026

The post iPhone Hotspot Not Working? How to Fix Personal Hotspot appeared first on iPhonehelp.

Transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone: the quick answer

Use Apple’s free Move to iOS app on the Android phone, during the iPhone’s setup, and tick WhatsApp when it asks what to bring. Then install WhatsApp on the iPhone, log in with the same number and tap Start. Your chats, groups and media come across. That’s the whole official route.

Two things the “no reset” videos won’t tell you up front:

• A Google Drive backup is no use here. WhatsApp can’t restore a backup made on Android onto an iPhone. Don’t bother uninstalling and reinstalling to make it work.
• An iPhone you’ve already set up has to be erased first. If you skipped the WhatsApp step and you’re using the iPhone now, there’s no official way to add the chats later. We cover that below.

Before you start: five checks that save a failed transfer

A failed attempt can cost you an evening and sometimes a reset, so spend five minutes here first.

1. Same number, and the SIM in the iPhone. WhatsApp moves only to the same phone number. Put the SIM in the iPhone, or be ready to move your eSIM during setup, because WhatsApp sends a verification code to that number when you log in. One Indian catch: after a SIM or eSIM change, Jio, Airtel and Vi block SMS for up to 24 hours. If you’re moving an eSIM, do it a day before the WhatsApp move, or expect the code to come late. Switching to a new number too? Change the number in WhatsApp on the Android phone first, then transfer.

2. Update WhatsApp on the Android phone. WhatsApp wants its latest version on both phones. Update it from the Play Store now, and install Move to iOS while you’re there.

3. Check the chats are actually on the Android phone. If you’ve reinstalled WhatsApp there recently, restore your Google backup on the Android phone first. Move to iOS copies what’s on the phone, not what’s in the backup.

4. Room, power and a connection. Make sure the iPhone has space for everything you’re bringing, WhatsApp media included. Plug both phones in. A USB-C cable between them is faster; otherwise they talk over Wi-Fi, and the Android phone has to join a temporary network the iPhone creates. For a big WhatsApp, the cable saves real time.

5. WhatsApp Business is out. The WhatsApp Business app isn’t covered: its chats stay on Android. There’s no official route for it, so don’t pay for a tool that promises one.

Officially you need Android 5 and iOS 15.5 or later, which any phone you’re likely to own today clears.

Move WhatsApp with Move to iOS, step by step

Keep the two phones side by side, and keep your hands off them once it starts. Apple’s Move to iOS guide has the same steps if you want the official page open alongside.

1. Turn on the iPhone and follow setup. When Quick Start appears, choose Set Up without Another Device. Setup may also ask you to activate your SIM or eSIM.
2. On Transfer Your Apps & Data, tap From Android, then Transfer with App.
3. Using the cable? Connect it now; the Android phone may ask you to change its USB setting. Then open Move to iOS on the Android phone, agree to the terms and allow the permissions it asks for.
4. Tap Continue on the iPhone. It shows a 6-digit or 10-digit code. Type it into the Android phone, and without a cable, join the iPhone’s temporary Wi-Fi when asked.
5. On the Transfer Data screen on the Android phone, select WhatsApp, along with contacts, photos and anything else you want.
6. WhatsApp then opens on the Android phone. Tap Start there. It prepares your chats for export, then signs you out of WhatsApp on Android. That’s expected, and your chats aren’t gone.
7. Still on the Android phone, tap Next to go back to Move to iOS, then Continue, and wait.

Wait for the iPhone’s loading bar, not the Android phone. Android may say it’s finished first; ignore it. A phone call or switching apps on the Android phone stops the transfer, so don’t start it while you’re expecting a call. How long it takes depends on how much media you have. Neither Apple nor WhatsApp gives a figure, so start it in the evening if your WhatsApp is big, and don’t plan to use either phone for a while.

Skip Transfer without App for this. It needs a supported Android 17 phone, and Apple’s list of what it moves doesn’t include WhatsApp. Transfer with App is the route WhatsApp documents.

Then open WhatsApp on the iPhone

Finish setup, then install WhatsApp from the App Store. Open it, log in with the same number and tap Start when it offers to bring your chats in. Let it run to the end before you start chatting.

Check a few big groups and an old chat with photos. Your display name and call history don’t come across, so type your name again in WhatsApp’s settings.

Now the step most people forget: the chats are only on the iPhone until you back them up. Nothing goes to iCloud on its own. In WhatsApp, open Settings, then Chats, Chat backup and Cloud backup, choose iCloud and tap Turn on backups (daily is sensible). If your WhatsApp is bigger than the free 5 GB of iCloud, you’ll need more iCloud storage, or the backup won’t finish. Videos are only included if you switch Include videos on.

Your Android phone keeps its own copy for now. Leave it alone for a week, until you’re sure everything you care about made it.

Already set up your iPhone? You’ll have to erase it

WhatsApp is blunt about this: once WhatsApp is active on the iPhone, the only official way to bring the Android chats over is to put the iPhone back into setup, which means erasing it. It’s a nuisance, and on a phone you set up yesterday, it’s the right call. If anyone tells you WhatsApp can be moved across later, they’re wrong.

Do these checks first, in this order:

1. Open WhatsApp on the Android phone and check the chats are there. If they aren’t, stop and don’t erase the iPhone. Check that the Android backup exists and how recent it is, and only then reinstall WhatsApp on Android and restore it.
2. Accept that new iPhone chats will go. WhatsApp can’t merge two histories. Whatever you transfer replaces what’s on the iPhone.
3. Back up the iPhone to iCloud or a computer, as a safety copy of anything you’ve added since setup.

Then open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings, tap Continue, and when it asks about your eSIM, choose Keep eSIM and Erase Data.

That last choice matters on Jio, Airtel and Vi. Delete the eSIM and your number stops working until the carrier issues a new one, and in India that also brings a 24-hour block on SMS, so no OTPs. When the iPhone restarts on the Hello screen, start the steps above again, picking WhatsApp in Move to iOS.

Where it gets stuck, and what to do

If it stalls, suspect the connection first: it’s the cheapest thing to fix, and the cable sidesteps it.

“Something went wrong” on the iPhone. WhatsApp says the chat history may be corrupted. Tap Retry first. Skip Import gives up on the old chats, so treat it as the last resort.

“An unknown error occurred. Please try again later.” Restart both phones and try again.

The transfer stops partway. That’s usually the connection. On the Android phone, turn off anything that hops between networks (Smart Network Switch on Samsung, for one), turn off mobile data, forget saved Wi-Fi networks and restart both phones. Or use the cable.

WhatsApp’s verification code won’t come. After several attempts, WhatsApp makes you wait, and nothing speeds it up. It may offer the code by email. If your SIM was just swapped, see our guide to an iPhone not receiving OTP SMS.

A QR code won’t scan. If you used the iPhone’s QR button to fetch Move to iOS on the Android phone, or WhatsApp shows a code, max out the iPhone’s brightness, wipe the Android camera, take off the iPhone’s screen protector, and check you’re scanning the right code.

The Move to iOS app crashes or cancels. Restart both phones and try once more. If it keeps failing, that’s Apple’s app, so contact Apple Support, not WhatsApp.

Some chats are missing after a “successful” transfer. WhatsApp can’t fetch them for you. If the Android phone still has them, you can erase the iPhone and run the whole thing again.

Don’t bother

Paid “no reset” transfer tools. The top videos for this search sell desktop software that promises to skip the erase. WhatsApp doesn’t support other transfer apps and warns they can lose chats. Erasing a day-old iPhone is the cheaper risk.

Restoring the Google Drive backup on the iPhone. It won’t restore, full stop. Android backups stay on Android.

WhatsApp’s own Transfer chats QR feature. That one is Android to Android only. You’ll find it in the settings, and it’ll waste your time.

After the move: payments, UPI and storage

If you pay friends through WhatsApp, those payment messages won’t be in the moved chats. The money isn’t affected; it’s on your bank statement. GPay, PhonePe and Paytm check your SIM by SMS, so register each one again on the iPhone, after any 24-hour SMS block is over. Our guide to UPI apps not working on iPhone covers the snags.

Moving your eSIM from the Android phone rather than a physical SIM? Our eSIM guide for Jio, Airtel and Vi has the carrier steps.

WhatsApp media is also the usual reason a new iPhone fills up within weeks. If yours does, start with our guide to iPhone storage full.

FAQ

How do I transfer my WhatsApp from Android to my new iPhone?
Run Move to iOS while setting up the iPhone, tick WhatsApp when Android shows the list of data, tap Start in WhatsApp on Android, then log in to WhatsApp on the iPhone with the same number and tap Start.

Can I restore a WhatsApp backup from Google Drive to iPhone?
No. An Android backup only restores on Android. Instead, the chats are copied straight from the Android phone during setup.

Can I transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone after setup?
Not without erasing it. Erase the iPhone, keeping the eSIM if you use one, and run setup again with Move to iOS. Back up the iPhone first.

Is there a way to transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone without a factory reset?
Only through third-party desktop tools, which WhatsApp doesn’t support and warns can lose chats. We’d erase a new iPhone rather than trust years of chats to one.

Is the transfer free?
Yes. Both apps are free. Budget for more iCloud storage if your chats are bigger than the free 5 GB and you want a backup.

Can I move WhatsApp Business from Android to iPhone?
Not with this method. WhatsApp doesn’t support it for the Business app, so those chats stay on Android.

Do I lose the chats on my Android phone?
No. You’re signed out there, but the chats remain on the Android phone. They’re only gone once you delete WhatsApp there or reset it.

Steps checked against WhatsApp’s Help Center and Apple’s Move to iOS guide on 25 October 2026.

Prefer to watch? Apple’s own video shows the Move to iOS setup on both phones.

How long did your WhatsApp take to come across, and did you use the cable or Wi-Fi? Tell us in the comments, along with how big your WhatsApp was. It helps the next person plan their evening.

Last updated: October 2026

The post How to Transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone appeared first on iPhonehelp.

Blocking spam is easy. Blocking it without losing the delivery agent, the cab driver and the bank is the part most guides skip. Here’s how to block spam calls on iPhone in India the way we’d set it up, in the order worth doing it.

Block spam calls on iPhone in India: the quick answer

Turn on full DND with your carrier first. It’s free, and by TRAI’s rules it stops promotional calls, which must come from 140-series numbers. Banks and insurers have to use 1600 numbers for service and transaction calls, and TRAI doesn’t let anyone block those, so DND won’t cost you the bank.

Then set your iPhone to Ask Reason for Calling. An unknown caller has to say who they are before your phone rings, so “Amazon delivery” gets through and the loan pitch usually hangs up. It works with English (India) on iOS 26 and later.

Block the repeat offenders and report the scams. Blocking takes a few taps. Fraud calls (fake KYC, fake police, “your SIM will be cut”) go to Sanchar Saathi’s Chakshu, where the government can act on the number.

Turn on full DND with Jio, Airtel or Vi

Most daily spam is telemarketing: loans, credit cards, insurance, property. Registered telemarketers have to respect India’s Do Not Disturb register, so opting out stops them before your iPhone even sees the call.

You have four ways in, all free:

1. Call 1909 from the number you want covered and follow the voice menu. It works on every carrier, Airtel included, and it’s the least fiddly.
2. Text 1909. The keyword varies by carrier: Jio’s help page says START 0, Vi’s says FULLY BLOCK.
3. Your carrier’s app. In MyJio, tap your profile icon, then Settings, Service settings and Do not Disturb. Vi users can do it in the Vi app or at myvi.in/dnd.
4. The TRAI DND app, TRAI’s own app on the App Store. It sets full or partial DND with an OTP, and it does a second job on iPhone that we’ll come to in a minute.

Pick full block. TRAI also lets you block by category (eight of them, from banking to property to food) if there’s one you’d rather keep. You’ll get a confirmation SMS with a reference number, and Jio says the change takes effect within 24 hours.

What DND won’t stop is a scammer on an ordinary 10-digit mobile number, because they were never a registered telemarketer. That’s what the iPhone settings below are for.

Searched “DND on iPhone Jio” and ended up in Focus settings? Different thing. The iPhone’s Do Not Disturb Focus silences almost everyone, including calls you want; TRAI DND only stops commercial callers.

Your network may already be flagging some calls. Airtel shows “Airtel Warning: SPAM” on suspected spam calls on any VoLTE phone, iPhone included, at no extra cost and with nothing to install. Vi says its network flags spam and fraud calls in real time too. See that label? Let it ring out.

Screen unknown callers instead of silencing them

This is the setting that fixes the delivery problem, and it’s the one we’d use. With Ask Reason for Calling on, your iPhone answers a call from a number that isn’t in your contacts and asks the caller for their name and why they’re calling. Only then does it ring, with their answer on screen, so you can pick up or ignore it.

Two things to know first. It needs iOS 26 or later, which any iPhone 11 or newer can install. And it speaks English: Apple lists English (India) for Call Screening, not Hindi, and Siri talks to the caller in your iPhone’s language, so a caller who doesn’t speak English may just hang up.

Open Settings > Apps > Phone, find Screen Unknown Callers and tap Ask Reason for Calling.

Delivery agents, drivers and the hospital front desk say who they are and get through. Robocalls can’t answer, and most telemarketers won’t bother. While screening runs, a Screening Call banner sits on your Lock Screen; tap View to follow along. Apple’s own page on unknown callers covers the other options.

Make it work for you:

• Save the numbers that matter. Anything in your contacts rings normally, so add your bank’s customer care and OTP call numbers, your kids’ school and your doctor. That way an automated bank call never sits in screening.
• Save the delivery agent’s number from the order SMS or app on delivery days, so an agent who doesn’t speak English rings through like any contact.
• Expect a gap when roaming. Screening is off while you’re roaming, and for 24 hours after you dial an emergency number.

On the same screen, under Call Filtering, turn on Unknown Callers if you’d like missed calls from unsaved numbers kept out of your main call list. Some carriers also add a Spam switch there; if yours does, turn it on to silence calls the carrier marks as spam or fraud.

Or silence them, but turn on Live Voicemail first

Silence is the blunter option on the same screen, and the one to use on an iPhone that can’t run iOS 26 (older versions have a simpler Silence Unknown Callers switch in the same place). Calls from unsaved numbers don’t ring at all; they go to voicemail and show up in your call list. On its own that’s how you miss a delivery: the agent’s call never rings, and they move on to the next parcel.

Live Voicemail closes that gap. Turn on Live Voicemail on the same Phone settings screen, and a silenced unknown caller goes straight to Live Voicemail without ringing first. Your iPhone shows what they’re saying as they speak, and you can tap Accept to pick up mid-message.

Apple lists English (India) for Live Voicemail, but it also says voicemail features depend on your carrier. If the switch isn’t there, a silenced call is just a missed call, which is one more reason to prefer screening. Calls your carrier identifies as spam skip Live Voicemail and are declined straight away. Silence plus Live Voicemail suits you if you’d rather glance at a transcript than hear a ring.

Report spam calls straight from your call list

Here’s the step most people skip. The TRAI DND app adds an SMS/Call Reporting extension to your iPhone, and once it’s on, reporting a spam call is a swipe in your call list instead of a typed complaint.

Install TRAI DND, open Settings > Apps > Phone > SMS/Call Reporting and select TRAI DND. Only one reporting app can be active at a time.

Now, when a spam call comes in, open the Phone app, swipe left on the call in Recents and tap Report. The app asks for a few details, then files the report.

Why bother? TRAI’s 2025 rules made complaints count. You don’t need DND registered first, you have seven days instead of three, and five complaints in ten days is enough for the carrier to act against the sender within five days.

Block the numbers that keep coming back

Some callers aren’t random: the same insurance agent, the same “collection” number, every day. Block them on the iPhone and they can’t ring you, message you or FaceTime you.

Open the Phone app and tap Calls (or Recents in the Classic layout). Tap the number; in Classic, tap the Info button beside it instead, because tapping the row calls them back. Then tap Block Caller (Block Contact for someone saved) and confirm.

If your plan has voicemail, blocked callers can still drop one, which arrives silently, and nobody tells them they’re blocked. Blocked the wrong number? Unblock it in Settings > Privacy & Security > Blocked Contacts.

Truecaller on iPhone: pay for Premium or skip it

Truecaller is the first app many people install on a new iPhone. On iPhone, though, the useful parts are paid: spam identification, Caller ID and auto-blocking all need Premium. Premium costs ₹99 a month or ₹899 a year on the Indian App Store (checked October 2026). The free app lets you search a number by hand, with ads, and that’s about it. Its Caller ID needs iOS 18.2 or later.

Before you install, check the developer: the Indian App Store has lookalike “Truecaller” apps, and the real one is from True Software Scandinavia AB. The trade-off is privacy: by its own App Store label, Truecaller ties your name, number, email, rough location and searches to you, and can use your device data to track you across other apps.

If you do pay, turn on every Truecaller switch in Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification, then switch on auto-blocking inside the app (Truecaller > Protect > Auto-block spam).

Our view: with DND, screening and your network’s labels doing the work, most people don’t need it. It’s worth ₹899 a year if you take lots of calls from unsaved numbers you need to identify, say for a small business.

Fraud call? Report it on Chakshu

A spam call wastes your time. A fraud call is after your money: fake KYC updates, a “CBI officer”, a courier “stuck in customs”, a threat to cut your SIM. Hang up, then report it, because DoT can check the number and have it re-verified or cut off.

Use the Sanchar Saathi app (from the Department of Telecommunications, on the App Store) or sancharsaathi.gov.in, open Chakshu and choose to report suspected fraud. Pick how it reached you (call, SMS or WhatsApp) and a category, add the number, date and time, and a screenshot if you have one. Do it within 30 days, the window DoT acts on.

Chakshu is for suspected fraud, not for money you’ve already lost. If someone has taken money from you, call the cyber crime helpline 1930 or report it at cybercrime.gov.in straight away, and call your bank to freeze the account or card.

Spam texts are a separate fix. Our guide to an iPhone not receiving OTP SMS shows where your iPhone files filtered messages, so real OTPs don’t vanish with the junk.

Don’t bother with these

• Silence on its own. Pair it with Live Voicemail, or use screening.
• Free Truecaller for blocking. On iPhone the blocking is Premium, so the free app won’t stop a single call.
• Blocking telemarketers one by one. They switch numbers. Block repeat callers and let DND handle the rest.

Quick questions

How do I stop spam calls permanently on iPhone?
Nothing stops every call, but this gets close: full DND through 1909, Ask Reason for Calling in Settings > Apps > Phone, and blocking the numbers that keep calling. Report the rest through the TRAI DND app so the carrier can act.

Why isn’t the iPhone blocking spam calls?
It doesn’t block unknown numbers by default: turn on screening or Silence. Screening also pauses while you’re roaming and for 24 hours after an emergency call. And DND only stops registered telemarketers, not scammers on ordinary mobile numbers.

How do I block all 140 calls?
Turn on full DND. TRAI requires promotional calls to come from 140-series numbers, and if you’ve blocked a category through DND, you won’t get 140 calls from that category at all. Your iPhone can’t block a whole number series, so DND is the way to do it.

Is it safe to use Truecaller on iPhone?
It’s the genuine app if the developer is True Software Scandinavia AB. Privacy is the catch: it links your name, number, email, rough location and searches to you. If that bothers you, DND and Call Screening cover most of the job.

What happens if I silence unknown callers?
Calls from numbers not in your contacts don’t ring. They go to voicemail and appear in your call list. Turn on Live Voicemail so you see what they’re saying and can still answer, or use Ask Reason for Calling.

Why are my delivery calls getting blocked?
Usually because Silence is on under Screen Unknown Callers. Switch to Ask Reason for Calling so the agent can say who they are, or save the agent’s number while your order’s on the way.

Prefer to watch? Apple’s own short video shows Call Screening in action.

Which one cut your spam calls the most: DND, screening, or reporting? Tell us in the comments with your carrier, so other Jio, Airtel and Vi users know what works on their network.

Last updated: October 2026

The post How to Block Spam Calls on iPhone in India appeared first on iPhonehelp.

Quick answer: iPhone not charging? Open Settings > Battery while it’s plugged in. The card at the top names the reason: too hot, Optimised Battery Charging, a charge limit or a slow charger. No reason and no bolt? Swap to a cable and adapter you know work, then clear the lint out of the port. Those three checks sort out most cases. Screen completely black? Leave it on a wall charger for 30 minutes, then force restart (steps below).

iPhone not charging? Check Settings > Battery first

This takes you ten seconds and saves trying fixes for the wrong problem. Keep your phone on the charger and open Settings > Battery. On iOS 26 and iOS 27, the card at the top says what charging is doing right now. On an older iOS you won’t get the card, so skip straight to the cable.

Here’s how to read it:

• Charging on Hold: iPhone Temperature. It’s too hot (or, rarely in India, too cold). Jump to the heat section below.
• Charging on Hold: Optimised Battery Charging. Your phone is waiting at 80% on purpose and will finish before you usually unplug. Tap Resume Charging if you need it full now.
• Charged to 80% Limit (or 85%, 90%). That’s your charge limit. Tap Charge to 100% for a one-off full charge.
• Slow Charger. It is charging, just slowly, because the adapter or port can’t supply full power.
• Incompatible Charger. Something is connected but not charging the phone at all. Try another adapter.
• Charging, with a time to 80% and to 100%. All normal. Leave it alone.

Connected but not charging, with no lightning bolt on the battery icon at the top of the screen and nothing on this card? Then your phone isn’t getting power. That points at the socket, the cable, the adapter or the port, in that order.

Swap the cable and adapter (and spot a duplicate)

When the card is blank, start with the cable. Cables die at the neck, right where they bend at the phone end, long before they look broken. The adapter is the other usual suspect, especially the cheap “original” ones you’ll find at every mobile counter.

First the boring one: is the switch on the wall socket actually on? Try another socket too, plugged in directly rather than through your laptop, a car port or a crowded extension board. Then borrow a set you know works and swap one part at a time: the borrowed cable on your adapter first, then the borrowed adapter. Whichever swap brings the bolt back tells you what to bin. Don’t keep a frayed cable as a spare; a damaged charger can start a fire.

Still nothing with a known-good set? Restart the phone before you touch the port. It’s free and clears the odd charging glitch.

How to tell a duplicate from the real thing:

• Lightning cable (iPhone 14 and earlier): a certified third-party cable has the “Made for iPhone” (MFi) badge on the box. On Apple’s Lightning to USB cable, look for “Designed by Apple in California” and a 12-digit serial printed about 17.5 cm along from the USB plug. Fakes often have rough, squared contacts and a plug that gets hot or works loose.
• USB-C cable (iPhone 15 and later): MFi doesn’t apply. Buy a USB-C Power Delivery cable and adapter from a brand you recognise. For fast charging you want an adapter of 20W or more.
• The adapter, in India: a legitimate one carries the BIS mark with a registration number starting with R. Check that number in the free BIS Care app and you’ll see which manufacturer registered it. No mark, or a number that doesn’t match? Skip it. Apple’s own 20W USB-C adapter costs ₹2,190 on Apple’s Indian store (checked 24 October 2026), so a “genuine Apple” one at a third of that price is a copy.

Clear the lint out of the charging port

This is the fix that surprises people most. Every time you push the cable in, it packs a little pocket lint into the bottom of the port. After a few months the plug stops a millimetre short, so the cable feels loose or charges only at an angle.

Use wood or plastic only. SIM ejector pins, safety pins and needles can scratch the contacts, compressed air is something Apple says not to use on an iPhone, and cotton buds leave fibres behind.

1. Switch your iPhone off.
2. Shine a torch into the port. Grey felt packed at the back is lint.
3. Use a wooden toothpick (shave the tip thinner if it won’t fit) or a plastic pick. Scrape gently along the back wall and pull the lint towards you. On a USB-C iPhone there’s a thin tongue of contacts in the middle: work around it, along the top and bottom walls, and never lever against it.
4. Plug the cable back in. It should seat noticeably deeper than before.

Port looks clean and your cable still wobbles? The port itself may be worn, which is a repair.

Charging On Hold: let it cool down

Your iPhone pauses or slows charging when the battery gets too warm, to protect it, and you can’t switch that off. Apple wants you charging between 0 and 35 °C. A summer afternoon in much of India is above that before you add the phone’s own heat. You’re probably doing one of these:

• Charging under your pillow or on the bed, where the heat has nowhere to go.
• Leaving it in a parked car, or on the dashboard running maps in the sun.
• Keeping a thick case on while you game, video call or shoot while it charges.
• Using a wireless charger, which warms the phone more than a cable does.

The quickest fix: unplug it, take the case off, close the heavy app and put the phone somewhere shaded with air moving around it, like a table under the fan. Charging resumes by itself once it cools. From then on, charge on a hard surface: Apple asks for a well-ventilated spot, and its adapters can switch themselves off when smothered by a blanket.

Hot enough to show the temperature warning screen? Turn it off and let it cool before you try again. This matters beyond today, too: a phone that cooks every afternoon ends up with a battery that wears out faster, and that damage doesn’t come back.

Stuck at 80%? It’s probably on purpose

Stopping at 80% is the most common “fault” you’ll meet that isn’t one. Two features do it deliberately.

Optimised Battery Charging learns when you usually unplug, holds at 80% overnight and finishes just before you wake. It only kicks in after about two weeks and nine long charges at the same place, which is why it seems to switch on by itself one day. Need it full now? Open Settings > Battery and tap Resume Charging, or touch and hold the charging notification on the Lock Screen and tap Charge Now.

Charge Limit is on iPhone 15 and later. Go to Settings > Battery > Charging and you’ll see a slider that runs from 80% up to 100%, five points at a time. You only get the Optimised Battery Charging switch when the slider sits at 100%.

For a one-off full charge, tap Charge to 100% on the Battery screen. Drag the slider to 100% and you get two choices: Allow Until Tomorrow (your limit comes back at 6 a.m.) or Set Limit to 100%, which sticks. Got an iPhone 14 or earlier? You have no limit, only the Optimised Battery Charging switch under Battery Health & Charging in the Battery settings.

We’d leave Optimised Battery Charging on and the limit at 100%, which suits most people. On a day you need every per cent, tap Resume Charging that morning rather than switching the feature off for good, since turning it off can add wear. And if you’ve set a lower limit and see 100% now and then, that’s normal: the phone does it to keep its percentage accurate.

Still stuck at 80% with both of those ruled out? It’s probably heat: a warm battery can be held there until it cools.

Charging slowly? Check the watts

Some slowness is built in, so don’t chase it. The iPhone charges quickly to about 80%, then trickles the last stretch to go easy on the battery, so 80 to 100 always takes longer than you expect. If the whole charge crawls, the power source is usually too weak:

• The small 5W cube that came with older iPhones. Apple treats anything at 7.5W or less as slow.
• A laptop port, car port, USB hub, or a multi-port charger shared with a tablet.
• An iPhone 15 or later on an old USB-A adapter, which tops out at 7.5W.
• An old wireless pad under 10W. MagSafe or a Qi2 charger is faster.

Using your phone hard also slows charging: games, the camera, and video at full brightness all compete with the battery. Open Settings > Battery to see the Slow Charger message, plus how long it expects to take to reach 80% and 100%.

Your fix is a 20W or higher USB-C Power Delivery adapter, plugged straight into the wall. Same adapter, but your phone used to charge faster? Look at the port and the cable before you blame the phone.

“Accessory not supported” or “Liquid detected”

Accessory not supported is usually a dirty port or a cheap cable, so start there: clean the port and try a certified cable plugged in directly, with no adapters or dongles in between. The other causes are a damaged cable or a USB charger that isn’t meant for phones. A restart clears the alert now and then too. Updating iOS (General, then Software Update in Settings) helps when a newer accessory needs it. Seeing the alert with nothing plugged in at all? The port may be damaged and need a service.

Liquid detected is a monsoon regular. From the iPhone XS and XR onwards, the phone refuses to charge through the port when it senses water in it, because charging a wet port can corrode the pins for good. Before you start drying, put away the hair dryer and the compressed air, keep cotton buds out of the port, and skip the bag of rice: Apple says rice particles can damage the phone.

1. Unplug the cable from your phone and from the adapter.
2. Tap the phone gently against your palm, port facing down, to shake out water.
3. Leave it in a dry spot with some airflow and try again after at least 30 minutes. It can take up to a day to dry fully.

Plug back in while it’s still wet and the alert offers to override the warning and charge anyway. Use that only in a real emergency, like needing a cab home, because that’s exactly how the pins corrode. A wireless charger is the safer stopgap if the back of your phone is dry.

Wireless or MagSafe charger not working

Wireless charging is fussier than a cable, so start with the easy checks if the bolt doesn’t appear:

• Put your phone face up in the centre of the pad. Off-centre often means no charge.
• Take off thick, metal or battery cases and anything with cards in it. With MagSafe, remove the Leather Wallet first.
• Clear keys or coins off the pad. They heat up and get in the way.
• Turn off vibration or use a grippy case if notifications keep buzzing the phone off the coil.
• Unplug the cable. If you’ve got a cable plugged in as well, it charges from the cable, not the pad.

Works on a cable but not on the pad? Then it’s the pad or its adapter, not your phone.

Completely dead? Charge for 30 minutes, then force restart

When your iPhone is totally flat, you can get a black screen for up to two minutes after plugging in, then a near-empty battery picture for up to ten. Don’t keep replugging it. Leave it on a wall charger for half an hour.

Still black, or stuck on the battery picture? Force restart it. On iPhone 8 and later (and the second- and third-generation SE), press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then keep holding the side button till you see the Apple logo. Then give it another 30 minutes on the charger.

Don’t bother with these

• Turning off Optimised Battery Charging to fix a temperature hold. Several videos suggest it. It’s a different cause: the heat hold stays until the phone cools.
• Clean Energy Charging tips. That feature is US-only, so it isn’t what’s slowing your phone in India.
• “Battery booster” or fast-charge apps. No app controls how your iPhone charges.
• Resetting or restoring the phone. It isn’t on Apple’s list of charging fixes and it costs you an evening.
• A new battery before you’ve tried another cable and cleaned the port. A worn battery still charges; it just empties faster.

When it’s the port or the battery

Don’t pay for a repair until you’ve tried a known-good cable and adapter, cleaned and dried the port, and seen no hold on the Battery screen. Still won’t charge, or only at an angle? Then it’s a technician’s job, as it is when the accessory alert shows with nothing connected or the liquid alert won’t clear on a dry phone.

In India you can take your phone to a Genius Bar at an Apple Store or to an Apple Authorised Service Provider, or arrange a pick-up. Start in the Apple Support app or from Apple’s won’t-charge page; they’ll inspect it before quoting. Within the first year, manufacturing faults are covered by Apple’s warranty. Liquid damage isn’t, although consumer law may still give you some rights.

Is your real problem how long the charge lasts? Then you’re in the wrong guide. A battery that empties fast after an update is usually software: start with our iOS 27 battery drain fixes. A battery that’s simply worn out, with Battery Health showing Service, is a replacement job, and our iPhone battery replacement price guide has Apple’s rupee prices model by model.

Quick questions

Why is my iPhone not charging even though the charger works?
Because the cable or port isn’t. Lint in the port, a cable damaged at the phone end, or a heat hold will all stop a working charger. Check the card in the Battery settings, then clean the port.

How do I force my iPhone to charge?
For Optimised Battery Charging or a charge limit, tap Resume Charging or Charge to 100% in the Battery settings. A temperature hold can’t be overridden, and a dead phone needs 30 minutes on a wall charger, then a force restart.

How do I clean my iPhone charging port?
Switch the phone off, look in with a torch, and gently scrape the lint out with a wooden toothpick or plastic pick. Avoid metal pins, compressed air and cotton buds.

Why does my iPhone get stuck at 80 percent?
Usually Optimised Battery Charging, which waits at 80% and finishes before you unplug, or a charge limit on iPhone 15 and later. A warm battery can also sit at 80% until it cools.

How do I turn off the 80% charging limit?
With an iPhone 15 or later, open the Battery settings, tap Charging and drag the slider to 100%. Choose Set Limit to 100% to keep it there, or Allow Until Tomorrow for one day.

Why is my iPhone saying Charging On Hold?
When the card says iPhone Temperature, your phone is too hot or cold and resumes once it’s back to normal. If it says Optimised Battery Charging, it’s waiting on purpose; tap Resume Charging.

Why is my iPhone charging so slowly all of a sudden?
A weaker adapter, or a laptop or car port, is the usual reason. Heat, heavy use and lint slow it too, and the last 20% is always slower.

What fixes “This accessory is not supported” on iPhone?
Clean the port, try a certified cable plugged in directly, restart and update iOS. If it shows with nothing plugged in, get the port checked.

Which one was it for you: lint, a duplicate cable or the 80% limit? Tell us in the comments with your iPhone model, so the next reader knows where to start.

Checked against Apple’s iOS 27 User Guide and Apple Support (India).

Last updated: October 2026

The post iPhone Not Charging or Charging Slowly: What to Check appeared first on iPhonehelp.

Jio, Airtel or Vi eSIM on iPhone: the quick answer

Pick your route by situation, not by carrier. Start with the iPhone’s own Settings route: when it’s offered, it’s the fastest, and you skip the carrier app’s waiting.

• Same iPhone, physical SIM to eSIM: look for Convert to eSIM in Settings first. If it isn’t there, use MyJio, Airtel Thanks or the Vi app.
• New iPhone, old iPhone in your hand: use Transfer From Nearby iPhone. No app, no waiting for a QR code.
• New iPhone without the old one, or coming from Android: use your carrier’s app with the new iPhone’s EID.
• A brand-new second number: that’s a new connection with fresh KYC, not a conversion. Airtel, for one, asks you to visit a store.

Through the carrier app, budget about 15 minutes on Vi, up to a couple of hours on Airtel and at least two hours on Jio, which adds a cooling period. Jio and Vi say they don’t charge for the switch. You’ll need an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or newer, which covers every iPhone sold in years.

Before you start: four things that stop a failed attempt

Most stuck eSIM requests come down to one of these. Five minutes here saves you a cancelled request and a second wait.

1. Your email ID is registered with the carrier. Jio and Vi make it mandatory, because the QR code and the Jio verification code arrive by email. On Jio, a missing email shows up on the iPhone as “Unable to Transfer Phone Number” with Error Code 999. Add it in MyJio by searching “Update my Email ID”, then start again.

2. You’re on Wi-Fi. The eSIM profile downloads over the internet, and your mobile data can drop mid-switch. Don’t rely on it.

3. You have the EID. It’s the 32-digit number that tells the carrier which iPhone should get your eSIM, and every carrier app asks for it. Open Settings > General > About and scroll down to EID; touch and hold the number to copy it rather than typing it. Dialling *#06# shows it too. Bought the iPhone abroad? On the same screen, check Network Provider Lock. If it names a carrier, only that carrier’s SIMs will work until it unlocks the phone, so sort that out first.

4. You can live without SMS for a day. After any SIM change, Indian carriers bar incoming and outgoing SMS for 24 hours, OTPs included. Vi adds that iMessage and FaceTime stay off for those 24 hours too. Card payments that need an OTP will fail, and if your UPI app re-checks your SIM, it won’t verify until the day is up. Our guides to an iPhone not receiving OTP SMS and UPI apps not working on iPhone cover what to do after.

Convert a physical SIM to eSIM on your iPhone

This is the quickest route, so try it first. When your carrier supports it for your number, you never open a carrier app.

1. Open Settings > Mobile Service. On a dual SIM iPhone, tap the number you want to convert.
2. Tap Convert to eSIM and confirm. Not there? Tap Add eSIM, pick the number with the physical SIM, and look for it on the next screen. Vi asks you to double-click the side button to authorise it.
3. Wait for your eSIM to activate. Your physical SIM stops working the moment it does.
4. Take the old card out and restart the iPhone.

Not in either place? Then your carrier hasn’t enabled it for that number. Don’t hunt for it: skip to the carrier app steps below, which reach the same result.

Transfer eSIM to a new iPhone with Transfer From Nearby iPhone

Upgrading and have the old phone with you? This is the one to use, and it works for Jio, Airtel and Vi.

Get the two phones ready first. Both should be signed in to the same Apple Account, unlocked with a passcode, with Bluetooth on and sitting next to each other. Update both to the latest iOS: Vi asks for iOS 26.6, and Airtel also wants the old iPhone restarted first. Jio wants the new iPhone on Wi-Fi or a hotspot from a different phone, not one running off the number you’re moving.

1. New iPhone offering to transfer your number during setup? Say yes. With iOS 26 or later it can bring both numbers across at once.
2. Already set up? On the new iPhone, open Settings > Mobile Service > Add eSIM and tap Transfer From Nearby iPhone, or pick your number if it’s listed.
3. On the old iPhone, tap Continue, enter the code the new iPhone shows, then tap Transfer Number. Vi asks for a side-button double-click here as well.
4. Wait for the plan to activate. Your number stops working on the old phone as soon as it does.

See a “Finish Setting Up” banner about your network provider’s plan afterwards? The carrier wants one more step on its website. Tap it and finish there. Apple’s eSIM setup page has the full list of methods if yours differs.

New iPhone but no old one? Get its EID first

Sold the old phone, or coming from Android? You’ll use the carrier app’s “another device” option, and that needs the new iPhone’s EID before the new iPhone has service.

Here’s the shortcut: you don’t have to finish setup to find it. Turn the new iPhone on and, on the Hello screen, tap the small (i) at the bottom right. The EID is in the list it opens. Then request the eSIM from the carrier app on whichever phone has your number, choosing the other-device option.

From Android, Jio and Airtel both send you through their apps. iOS 26 adds a Transfer From Android option for some carriers, but neither mentions it, so use it if it appears and don’t wait for it. Lost the phone along with the number? That’s a replacement SIM or eSIM from your carrier first; Airtel, for one, handles lost eSIM phones in its stores.

Jio, Airtel and Vi: the carrier app route

When Settings doesn’t offer you a conversion, your carrier’s app does the same job with an extra wait.

Jio eSIM on iPhone: MyJio app or SMS

1. Open MyJio, type “Switch to eSIM” in its search and tap the result.
2. Verify your email ID with the code Jio emails you, then enter the EID.
3. Enter the OTP sent to your Jio number.
4. Wait out the 2-hour cooling period Jio applies under DoT rules. Then answer the automated call from +91 22 3507 2222 and press the number it asks for. Missed it? Text RECALL to 199 for another call.
5. The eSIM arrives as a notification on the iPhone, or as a QR code from notification@jio.com.

No app, and not roaming abroad? Text this to 199 from your Jio number, with spaces between the three parts (*#06# shows both numbers):

GETESIM <EID> <IMEI>

Jio replies with a 19-digit SIM number. Send SIMCHG <19-digit number> to 199. After the 2-hour wait, reply 1 to the consent SMS and take the confirmation call.

Airtel eSIM on iPhone: Airtel Thanks app

1. In the Airtel Thanks app, logged in with the number you’re converting, go to Home, scroll to Shortcuts and tap Upgrade to eSIM (it’s also under Manage services).
2. Choose this device or another device, and enter the 32-digit EID.
3. Enter the OTP, then confirm on the call Airtel makes about 10 minutes later.
4. Install the eSIM on the iPhone within 4 hours, or the request cancels itself. Your physical SIM keeps working until then.

Airtel says the eSIM activates within 2 hours of the download. Older guides mention an SMS to 121; skip it, since Airtel’s current eSIM page lists only the app.

Vi eSIM on iPhone: Vi app or SMS

Check this first: Vi eSIM isn’t offered yet in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, the North East and Assam.

1. In the Vi app, go to Help > Raise a service request > Activate eSIM. Vi’s own guides say this route is for postpaid.
2. Choose iOS, then same device or another device, and enter the EID.
3. Enter the OTP, then text ESIMY to 199 within 15 minutes to confirm.
4. After about 15 minutes, pick the VI INDIA plan under Add eSIM in Mobile Service.

Prepaid users, use SMS. Send this to 199 (the 1 means iOS):

eSIM <EID> 1 <your email ID>

Reply ESIMY within 15 minutes. When a number beginning 012471 rings, pick up and press 1. The QR code comes by email from esim@vodafoneidea.com.

Finish the eSIM setup on your iPhone

Whichever carrier app you used, you finish on the iPhone. Usually a notification appears saying “Finish Setting Up Mobile Service” or that a mobile plan is ready to be installed. Tap it, then tap Continue.

No notification? Open Settings > Mobile Service > Add eSIM and pick your carrier’s plan if it’s listed. Not listed? Tap Use QR Code (it may sit under Other Options) and point the camera at the emailed code on another screen. Reading the email on the same iPhone? Touch and hold the QR code in Mail and tap Add eSIM instead.

Once it’s active, take out the physical SIM, restart the iPhone and make a test call. In Settings > Mobile Service, the new line should sit under eSIMs with its switch on.

When eSIM setup gets stuck

• Error 999 on a Jio number: no email ID on your Jio account. Add it in MyJio and start again.
• Airtel request vanished: it was auto-cancelled after 4 hours without an install. Raise a new one when you can finish it.
• The profile won’t download: a wrong EID is the usual cause, and Vi warns it fails the activation outright. Copy your EID again rather than typing it, and request again.
• Installed, but No Service: take your physical SIM out and restart. Then go back to General > About in Settings and wait a few seconds; if a carrier settings update appears, install it.

Don’t bother with these

• Deleting the eSIM to “reset” it. Airtel and Vi both warn that deleting it in Settings removes your service. With Airtel, getting it back means a store visit with ID.
• Third-party eSIM apps. Travel eSIM apps sell data plans abroad. They can’t move your Jio, Airtel or Vi number.
• A store visit for a simple conversion. For your existing number on a working phone, the app or Settings is quicker. Go to a store for a lost phone or a new connection.
• Sharing your EID or eSIM QR code. Airtel and Vi both warn that either can hand someone your number. Give them only to the carrier’s own app or store.

Quick questions

Does Airtel provide eSIM for iPhone?
Yes, and you can convert an existing number yourself through the Upgrade to eSIM shortcut in the Airtel Thanks app, on any iPhone from the XS and XR onwards. Only a new Airtel eSIM connection needs a store visit.

How do I get a Jio eSIM for iPhone?
Search “Switch to eSIM” in MyJio, enter your EID, verify, and wait out the 2-hour cooling period and the confirmation call. Or check Settings for Convert to eSIM first; it’s quicker when it’s there.

Is eSIM available on Vi?
Yes. Try Convert to eSIM in Settings first. If it’s missing, postpaid users can use the Vi app and prepaid users the SMS to 199. It isn’t available yet in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, the North East and Assam.

Is eSIM free on Jio?
Yes. Jio says there’s no charge to upgrade, and Vi says the same. Airtel’s eSIM page doesn’t mention a fee for converting an existing number.

Can I transfer my Jio eSIM to a new iPhone without the old phone?
Yes, as long as your Jio number still works in some phone. Get the new iPhone’s EID from the (i) on its Hello screen, then request the eSIM in MyJio on that phone with the other-device option. If the number went with a lost phone, you need Jio’s help to get it back first.

What are the disadvantages of converting to eSIM?
The 24-hour SMS block after every switch is the big one. You also can’t pop the SIM into a spare phone in a hurry, and a lost phone means a trip to the carrier to get the number back.

Can I convert a MyJio eSIM to an Airtel eSIM?
Not directly: moving your number from Jio to Airtel is a port, not a conversion. Airtel can put a ported-in number on eSIM: you get the eSIM notification within a day, and it starts working once your port goes through.

Which eSIM is better, Jio or Airtel?
Neither, as an eSIM. It’s the same network on a digital card, so pick whichever has the better signal where you live and work. We’d decide that before switching, not after.

Steps checked against the Jio, Airtel and Vi eSIM pages on 24 October 2026.

Prefer to watch? Apple’s own video walks through Transfer From Nearby iPhone, carrier activation and QR codes.

Which route worked for you, and on which carrier? Tell us in the comments, especially if you’re on Vi or moved from Android, and we’ll add what we learn to this guide.

Last updated: October 2026

The post How to Set Up eSIM on iPhone with Jio, Airtel and Vi appeared first on iPhonehelp.

Apple’s iPhone battery replacement price in India runs from ₹7,900 to ₹13,900 on most models. Check one screen before you pay: if you’re on AppleCare+ and still above 80%, wait. When you do replace it, get a genuine battery, and know that the cheapest genuine one isn’t always at the Apple Store.

iPhone battery replacement price: the quick answer

Apple’s own out-of-warranty price in India, checked on 23 October 2026, depends on your model:

• iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation): ₹7,900
• iPhone 11, and every iPhone 12 and 13: ₹9,900
• iPhone 14 and 15 (all models), 16, 16 Plus, 16e, 17 and 17e: ₹10,900
• iPhone 16 Pro, 17 Pro (and their Pro Max) and iPhone Air: ₹12,900
• iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: ₹13,900

Tax may be added. With AppleCare+ it costs nothing, but only once maximum capacity drops below 80%. Replace it when Battery Health says Service, capacity is under 80%, or the phone switches itself off at 20%. Above that, and lasting most of the day? Keep your money.

Check Battery Health first

Everything else depends on this screen, and it takes ten seconds. Open Settings > Battery > Battery Health. iPhone 14 and older models call the last row Battery Health & Charging instead.

Three things on it matter:

• The status next to Battery Health. Normal means carry on. Service is Apple telling you the battery needs replacing to get back full capacity and performance.
• Maximum Capacity. How much charge the battery holds compared with new. 85% means roughly 15% less time between charges than when the phone was new.
• Cycle Count (iPhone 15 and later, along with the battery’s manufacture date and first use). Two half-days from 100% to 50% add up to one cycle. Apple designs iPhone 15 batteries to keep 80% after 1,000 cycles, and iPhone 14 and older ones after 500, in ideal conditions. Indian summers aren’t ideal conditions.

On older models, also read the Peak Performance Capability note further down. If it says the phone had an unexpected shutdown and performance management has been applied, your battery can’t keep up with demand any more. That’s a stronger reason to replace than any percentage. Leave the Disable button alone: once you switch it off you can’t turn it back on, and you’ll just get more sudden shutdowns until it comes back by itself.

When it’s actually worth replacing

Use the number and how your day goes together. A percentage alone won’t tell you.

• Above 85% and you get through the day: don’t replace it. Your problem is probably an app or a recent update, not the battery. Our iOS 27 battery drain guide covers those fixes.
• 80% to 85% with AppleCare+: wait, unless the plan ends soon. Apple replaces the battery free once it falls below 80%; pay ₹10,900 now and you’ve thrown away a free battery. Check the plan’s end date at checkcoverage.apple.com first: if it runs out before you hit 79%, the free battery goes with it.
• 80% to 85% without AppleCare+: replace it only if the phone is failing you every day. It won’t get better, but it won’t fall off a cliff tomorrow either.
• Below 80%, Service showing, or shutdowns: replace it. This is where a new battery makes the biggest difference.

One more test before you spend: is the phone itself worth ₹10,000 more to you? For an iPhone 13 or 14 you plan to keep for two more years, a battery is the cheapest upgrade going and well worth it. For an iPhone 11 with a cracked back, skip it and put the money towards the next phone.

What it costs at Apple, and how to pay less

Apple’s prices barely move between models in the same group, so the chart below is all you need. They’re Apple’s own estimates for out-of-warranty service; Apple inspects the phone and confirms the final fee, adds tax where it applies, and may add a delivery fee if it ships your phone to a repair centre. The iPhone Duo, with its two batteries, is the outlier at ₹24,900.

Still under the one-year warranty? It only covers a battery that’s actually defective, not one that has simply worn down. Check your coverage on the same site before you pay anything.

On AppleCare+? Below 80% the battery service is ₹0, and the price is the same at Apple and at every Authorised Service Provider.

Paying yourself? Don’t book Apple before getting a quote from an Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) too. Apple says AASPs set their own fees, and some come in well under Apple’s list. Aptronix, which says it runs Apple-authorised service centres in South India, listed ₹6,802 including tax for the battery in any iPhone 14 or 15, or a standard 16 or 17, on 23 October 2026, plus a ₹1,000 service charge. That’s about ₹7,800 against Apple’s ₹10,900 estimate, which may have tax on top. Prices change, so ask before you hand the phone over.

The ₹2,500 shop battery: what you’re really buying

Local repair shops and doorstep services typically quote ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 for an iPhone 13 battery, and loose batteries sell online for under ₹1,000 to about ₹2,500. They’re cheap because they aren’t Apple batteries, and your iPhone can tell.

After a non-genuine fit, Parts and Service History lists the battery as Unknown, and you get a notification the first time you unlock the phone and again five days later. Battery Health may say it can’t verify a genuine Apple battery and that its readings may not be accurate. So the one screen you’d use to judge the new battery stops being trustworthy. The phone still works, but Apple says an Unknown part might affect trade-in value, and a poorly made battery can bring fit, capacity and safety problems.

We’d pay the extra for a genuine battery if you’re keeping the phone or plan to sell it. A shop battery only makes sense on an old phone you’ll use till it dies. Independent repair shops can buy genuine Apple batteries too; ask which they’re fitting, and remember Apple’s warranty and AppleCare won’t cover their work.

Check whether the battery has been changed before

Useful twice: when you buy a second-hand iPhone, and when you collect yours after the repair. Open Settings > General > About. If the phone has had a repair, a Parts and Service History section appears there.

What the label next to Battery means:

• Genuine: a new Apple battery, fitted the proper way.
• Used: a genuine Apple battery that was in another iPhone first (iPhone 15 and later). Fine, but it may not be as good as new.
• Finish Repair: a genuine battery that isn’t linked to your phone yet. Open it and finish the repair with Repair Assistant.
• Unknown: not genuine, not working properly, or never linked after the repair. On a phone you’re about to buy, that’s a reason to bargain or walk away.

On an iPhone XR or later running iOS 15.2 or later, no Parts and Service History section at all usually means the phone has never been repaired.

Book the replacement

You’ve got three routes: the Genius Bar at an Apple Store, an Apple Authorised Service Provider, or Apple’s by-post service, where Apple sends you a prepaid box. Apple Stores are only in a handful of Indian cities, so for most readers the nearest AASP is the practical choice; Apple’s locator lists them. AppleCare+ customers can also book a pick-up from home or the office. Start at Apple’s battery service page, or walk into an AASP with your quote, and ask when you book how long they’ll keep the phone.

Back up to iCloud or your computer before you go, in case the phone needs more than a battery, and know your Apple Account password. If the new battery acts up, you’re covered for 90 days, or longer if your warranty has more time left.

Make the new battery last longer

A new battery starts the wear clock again, so give it an easier life. With an iPhone 15 or later, go to Settings > Battery > Charging and pick a charge limit between 80% and 100%, in 5% steps.

We’d set 90% or 95% if you charge overnight and rarely run the phone flat. Keep the limit at 100% and Optimised Battery Charging, which is on by default, can pause at 80% overnight and finish just before you usually unplug. It needs about two weeks to learn your routine. On an iPhone 14 or older, the Optimised Battery Charging switch sits under Battery Health & Charging.

The other big one in India is heat. Don’t leave the phone charging on a car dashboard in May, under a pillow, or in direct sun on a scooter mount.

Don’t bother with these

• Draining to 0% to “calibrate” it. Lost capacity is the battery’s chemistry ageing. No charging ritual brings it back.
• Replacing at 86% because the number dropped. Capacity falls slowly; judge it by whether you get through the day.
• Turning off performance management to make an old battery feel faster. You swap a slower phone for one that shuts down without warning.
• Fitting a ₹999 battery yourself. Apple warns that a damaged lithium-ion battery can overheat or catch fire. Leave it to trained hands.

When it’s not the battery

New battery and still dead by evening? Start with Battery in Settings: look for an app at the top of the usage list, and give the phone a few days if you’ve just updated iOS. Stops charging at 80%? That’s usually deliberate: a charge limit or Optimised Battery Charging, both under Charging in the Battery settings. Still stuck, or it drains while idle? Take it back and ask the service centre to run Apple’s diagnostics.

Quick questions

Is 77% iPhone battery health bad?
It’s below Apple’s 80% line, so the battery is properly worn. If you have AppleCare+, the replacement is free. Without it, replace it if the phone won’t last the day.

Is a 76% battery good?
No, but it isn’t dangerous either. Apple says a degraded battery isn’t a safety issue; you’ll just get less time between charges and possibly slowdowns or shutdowns. Plan a replacement.

How much will it cost to replace a battery in an iPhone?
At Apple in India, ₹7,900 for an iPhone SE up to ₹13,900 for an iPhone 18 Pro, with most models between ₹9,900 and ₹10,900 (the iPhone Duo is ₹24,900). Authorised Service Providers can be cheaper. A local shop charges ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 for an iPhone 13, usually with a non-genuine battery.

Will Apple replace an 80% battery?
Not for free. AppleCare+ covers it only once capacity is below 80%, and the standard warranty covers defects, not normal wear. At exactly 80% you can still pay for an out-of-warranty replacement.

Got your battery done recently? Tell us in the comments which model, where you went and what you paid, so other readers get a real price before they walk in.

Prices checked: 23 October 2026.

Last updated: October 2026

The post iPhone Battery Replacement Price in India and When to Do It appeared first on iPhonehelp.

Don’t start there. On most Indian iPhones the space you can get back today is in WhatsApp, Photos and Messages, and System Data is the last thing worth fighting.

iPhone storage full: the quick answer

Work down this list and stop when the warning goes away:

1. Check what’s big: Settings > General > iPhone Storage. It’s usually WhatsApp.
2. WhatsApp: delete its largest files and its busiest groups’ media, then turn off media auto-download. Usually the biggest win.
3. Photos: empty Recently Deleted. Deleted photos keep using space for 30 days.
4. Apps: offload the ones you never open; clear downloaded episodes inside Netflix, Prime Video or Hotstar if they’re near the top.
5. System Data last: there’s no delete button. iOS trims it when it needs room, and the only real reset is backing up, erasing and restoring.

Skip the cleaner apps.

See what’s actually eating the space

Two minutes here saves you deleting the wrong thing. Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage and let it finish counting.

The coloured bar at the top splits your storage into Applications, Photos, Messages, iOS, System Data and so on. Below it come one-tap Recommendations, then every app, biggest first. Tap any app to see how much is the app itself and how much is its documents and data. One catch: Apple says an app’s cached and temporary files may not show up in its own number. That’s probably part of why System Data looks so big.

If WhatsApp is near the top, start with the next section. If Photos is the giant, skip to the Photos sections.

Clean out WhatsApp first

On Indian iPhones this is the one that usually does it. With auto-download on, every forwarded video in every family and society group lands on your phone, and it stays there until you remove it.

Before you clear anything: deleting here is permanent and only for you, so save any video you want to keep first. And if WhatsApp also saved copies to your Photos library, those copies stay; WhatsApp’s own help says deleted items might still be on your phone, so do the Photos clean-up below too.

In WhatsApp, tap your profile picture (or Settings), then Chats > Chat backup > Manage your storage > Review and delete media. Pick a chat and sort by Largest, then select the videos you don’t need and delete them. When WhatsApp asks, choose Delete items and any copies, so the same forward saved in five chats goes from all five.

For the noisiest group, there’s a shortcut: open the chat, tap its name and tap Manage storage. That chat’s media is sorted biggest first. Starred items can be kept with Delete all except starred.

Number in iPhone Storage didn’t move? Restart the phone and check again; iOS can be slow to recount.

Stop it filling up again

In WhatsApp’s settings, open Storage and data and look under Media auto-download. Set Video and Documents to Never, and Photos to Wi-Fi or Never. You’ll tap to download what you actually want to see, and the good-morning videos never land on your phone unless you ask for them.

Empty Recently Deleted in Photos

This is the one people forget. When you delete photos and videos, iOS keeps them in Recently Deleted for 30 days, and they keep using space all that time. Clear a thousand screenshots today and your free space barely moves.

With iCloud Photos on, a delete here also removes the photo from iCloud and your other devices, and there’s no undo, so glance through first.

Open Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Recently Deleted under Utilities, tap View Album and unlock it with Face ID or your passcode. Tap Select, pick everything you’re sure about, and delete.

Let iCloud keep the full-size photos

If Photos is your biggest block and you don’t want to delete memories, let iCloud hold the originals. With iCloud Photos on, Optimise iPhone Storage keeps smaller versions on your iPhone and the full-size files in iCloud, and it’s on by default. Old photos download again when you open them. If your library is bigger than your free iCloud space, pick a plan first (below): space only comes back after the photos have uploaded.

Open Settings > [your name] > iCloud. If Recommended For You suggests syncing photos, tap Turn on iCloud Photos; otherwise tap Photos and turn on Sync this iPhone. Then check that Optimise iPhone Storage is selected.

Is iCloud+ worth paying for?

The free 5 GB fills fast, and once iCloud is full, new photos stop uploading and backups stop. Here’s what Apple charges in India, per month with tax:

• 50 GB, ₹75: enough for backups and a modest photo library.
• 200 GB, ₹219: the one most people with years of photos need. One plan covers you and up to five family members, so it’s cheap per head.
• 2 TB, ₹749: for heavy video shooters or a family with several iPhones.

Our take: if Photos in iPhone Storage is over about 40 GB and you want to keep it all, pay the ₹219. In between, ₹75 for 50 GB does it. If it’s under 5 GB, free iCloud and a clean-up will do. Prices are from Apple’s iCloud+ pricing page, checked in October 2026.

Offload the apps you never open

Offloading removes an app but keeps its documents and data. Its icon remains, marked with a little cloud, and one tap downloads it again with everything where you left it. It suits games and travel apps you open twice a year.

On the iPhone Storage screen from earlier, tap Enable next to Offload Unused Apps under Recommendations, and iOS does it automatically when space runs low. No card there? Turn it on in Settings > Apps > App Store instead. To offload one app now, tap it in the list and choose Offload App.

For Instagram, YouTube or a streaming app whose number keeps growing, deleting and reinstalling works better than offloading, because deleting removes the app’s stored data while offloading keeps it. You’ll sign in again and lose offline downloads. Never do this to WhatsApp unless you’ve just made a chat backup: delete WhatsApp and the chats go with it.

Trim old Messages attachments

Years of photos and videos in Messages add up. To clear media from one chat, open the conversation, tap their name at the top of the chat, tap Photos, then Edit > Select Photos, choose what to remove and delete it.

Messages also holds deleted items for as long as 30 days, in its own Recently Deleted list. Tap the filter button at the top of the conversation list, choose Recently Deleted, and empty it to get the space back now.

For the long term, set an expiry. Two things first: older messages are deleted for good, and if you use Messages in iCloud, they go from your Mac and iPad too. Then open Settings > Apps > Messages and set Keep Messages to 1 Year; older conversations, attachments included, delete themselves from then on.

System Data: what shrinks it and what doesn’t

System Data is the bucket for things iOS needs but you can’t see: caches and logs, Siri voices, fonts and dictionaries, the search index, and system databases. Apple doesn’t give you a button to clear it, and it isn’t supposed to stay fixed. Its size rises and falls, and iOS clears cached and temporary files by itself when your phone needs room.

So the order is:

1. Clear real space first. If WhatsApp and Recently Deleted gave you a few GB back, you may already have the room you need, whatever System Data says. And when space does run short, iOS purges its own caches.
2. Restart and give it a day. It’s free, and it’s the first thing Apple’s forum regulars suggest.
3. Just updated? A big update keeps finishing jobs in the background for a few days (our iOS 27 battery drain guide explains why). The search index lives in this bucket, so System Data can read high until that settles. Look again later in the week.

Still huge, say 40 GB or more on a 128 GB phone and growing? The last resort is to back up, erase and restore. On Apple’s own forums, people with System Data of 35 GB and more get the same advice from the regulars: back up, erase, restore. It costs you an evening.

Before you erase:

• Make a fresh iCloud or computer backup, and make sure iCloud Photos has finished uploading: an iCloud backup doesn’t include photos already synced to iCloud Photos.
• Back up WhatsApp too: in WhatsApp, Chats > Chat backup > Back Up Now, and check the date it shows.
• Keep your Apple Account password handy.
• When the erase asks about your eSIM, choose to keep it. Erase a Jio, Airtel or Vi eSIM and you’ll be calling your carrier to get it back.

Then open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.

After the reset, pick From iCloud Backup (or restore from the Apple Devices app on a Windows PC) and stay on Wi-Fi and power until it finishes.

Don’t bother with these

• “Cleaner” and “booster” apps. Every App Store app runs in its own sandbox and can’t touch other apps’ data or system files, so none of them can clear System Data or another app’s cache, whatever the screenshots promise.
• Deleting WhatsApp to clear its cache. You lose every chat that isn’t in a backup. Manage storage does the job safely.
• Erasing as the first step. WhatsApp and Recently Deleted are safer, quicker and often enough on their own.
• Chasing a “normal” System Data number. Apple doesn’t publish one. Watch whether it keeps growing, not whether it matches someone else’s phone.

When it’s not about cleaning

Full again within weeks after all this? The phone may simply be too small for how you use it. A 64 GB iPhone with WhatsApp, 4K video and a few games will always be tight; ₹219 a month for iCloud, or a 256 GB phone next time, is the honest fix. If System Data keeps climbing by gigabytes a day even after an erase and restore, that’s worth a chat with Apple Support.

Quick questions

How do I clear System Data in iPhone storage?
There’s no button for it. Free up space elsewhere first, restart, and let iOS clear its caches as it needs room. If it stays huge, back up, erase and restore; Apple’s forum regulars say that resets it.

Why is System Data so high on an iPhone?
It holds caches, logs, Siri voices, the search index and system databases. It can swell after updates and heavy streaming; iOS clears the cache part when it needs room.

iPhone System Data is 20GB. Is this normal?
Apple doesn’t say what’s normal, and owners on its forums report far bigger figures. On a 128 GB or bigger phone, 20 GB isn’t a worry. Act if it keeps growing or passes about a third of your storage.

How do I reduce system storage?
The iOS part of the bar is the operating system itself and can’t be shrunk. For System Data, follow the order above: real clean-up, restart, wait out an update, then erase and restore as a last resort.

Prefer to watch? Apple’s own video walks through the iPhone Storage screen and its recommendations.

What freed the most space for you: WhatsApp, Recently Deleted or something else? Tell us in the comments with your iPhone model and how many GB you got back, and we’ll add the best finds to this guide.

Last updated: October 2026

The post iPhone Storage Full? Clear System Data and Free Up Space appeared first on iPhonehelp.

If your App Store payment failed in India, the cause is almost always one of a handful of local payment snags, not the phone. Each one has its own fix. Start with the first, because it blocks all the others.

App Store payment failed in India: the quick answer

Seeing that billing problem message, or “verification required”? An earlier charge didn’t go through, often a renewal your card declined. Until it’s paid, Apple can block new purchases, even free downloads, and subscriptions. Clear that first.

For everything else, switch to UPI. It’s on Apple’s list of payment methods for India, it covers one-off buys and subscriptions, and Apple’s fine print doesn’t bar it from Family Sharing the way it bars Indian cards. Indian cards fail for local reasons: online or international use switched off at the bank, a missed OTP, a name that doesn’t match the bank’s records, or a RuPay card, which isn’t on Apple’s list at all.

Renewal failed (iCloud+, Apple One, Apple Music)? Pay what you owe now: adding UPI covers that. The renewals after it stay on the old method, though. To move them to UPI Autopay you have to cancel, let the paid period run out and subscribe again (more on that below).

Pay off the unpaid order first

Apple won’t take a new payment while an old one is outstanding. That’s why a free app suddenly asks you to pay: the message isn’t about the app in front of you, it’s about something from last week or last month.

Open Settings > [your name] > Payment & Shipping. If a payment is due, you’ll see Update Payment Information. Tap it, then tap Try Again to have Apple charge the same method once more.

If that card fails again, don’t keep retrying: it won’t change the bank’s answer. Add UPI instead (next section) and remove the old card, and Apple charges the new method for the unpaid order on its own. If Apple won’t let you remove the card while the order is unpaid, leave it for now and pay the order from your balance instead (two sections down).

Switch to UPI and drop the card that keeps failing

This is the fix that usually sticks, and the one we’d try first. Apple’s India list has UPI, Visa, Mastercard, net banking (for top-ups only) and your Apple Account balance. RuPay isn’t there, so if your card is RuPay, UPI from the same bank account is the way round it.

UPI also dodges most of the card problems further down. There’s no online or international switch to find at the bank, and Apple’s fine print doesn’t bar it from Family Sharing the way it bars Indian cards.

On the Payment & Shipping screen, tap Add Payment Method, choose UPI and follow the prompts. If a request turns up in your UPI app, approve it there. Keeping the card as a backup? Skip the removal and use Edit to drag UPI to the top, so Apple tries it first. Otherwise tap Edit, tap the red button beside the old card and confirm with Remove.

If UPI itself won’t set up on your phone, our guide to UPI apps not working on iPhone sorts that out first.

Top up your Apple Account balance instead

Prefer not to have Apple charge a card or a mandate for every purchase? Keep one valid method on file (UPI is fine), put money in your Apple Account and let purchases come out of that. You top up when you want to, and the balance pays for apps, in-app buys and new subscriptions.

Open the App Store and tap your photo or initials, then Add Money. Pick an amount and pay with UPI, net banking or a card. Net banking only works here, as a top-up; you can’t keep it on file for purchases. Your bank may ask for an OTP or an approval in its app before the money lands.

Got an App Store Card? Tap Redeem Code on the same screen, and the money goes to the same balance.

To spend the balance on an unpaid order, tap Apps & Purchase History on that screen, then Purchase History. Open the order marked Amount You Owe and tap Pay with Apple Account Credit. The catch: if the unpaid order is an AppleCare+ plan, your balance can’t pay it, and nor can a card. Apple’s India list leaves UPI.

Keeping the card? Turn on online and international use

If you’d rather stay on a card, the fix is almost always at your bank. Don’t bother asking Apple why it was declined: Apple isn’t told. Your bank is.

Start with the bank’s app. Under RBI rules from 2020, new and reissued Indian cards work only at ATMs and shop terminals in India until you switch on online and international use yourself. Cards that had never been used online were switched off too. Find the card controls in your bank’s app or net banking and turn on online (e-commerce) payments. Turn on international use as well, since Apple says your purchase may need it, and check the spending limit while you’re there.

Next, the OTP. Your bank may want to verify an Indian Visa or Mastercard card when you add it or buy something, so keep the phone with your bank’s number handy. If that OTP never arrives, it’s an SMS problem, and our guide to an iPhone not receiving OTP SMS covers it.

Last, the details. Apple wants the name and billing address on the card to match what your bank has, spelling included. Open Settings > [your name] > Payment & Shipping, tap the card, then Edit, and copy them exactly from your bank statement.

Subscription failed? Approve the UPI Autopay mandate

Subscriptions follow their own rules in India. Under RBI’s e-mandate framework, a recurring payment needs a standing instruction you approve once with an extra check from your bank, and the first charge needs that check too. After that, your bank has to warn you at least 24 hours before each charge, and renewals up to ₹15,000 can go through without another OTP; above that, each one needs it. The same rules cover card renewals, so a debit card that works fine for one-off online payments can still fail a renewal if the mandate wasn’t approved.

When you start a subscription on UPI Autopay, you may be asked to approve the recurring payment in your UPI app. Don’t ignore that request, or the subscription fails. If it still won’t go through, check three things: your bank supports UPI Autopay, the account has money on renewal day, and you didn’t skip the charge from the bank’s pre-debit alert, which lets you opt out of a single payment.

Want to move a subscription from a card to UPI Autopay, or the other way? You can’t swap it in place. Cancel it, let the period you’ve paid for run out, then subscribe again with the new method. Open Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions, tap the subscription and tap Cancel Subscription.

Family Sharing: put UPI on the organiser’s account

In a Family Sharing group with Purchase Sharing on, you may not be the one paying. Apple takes the money from your own Apple Account balance first, and anything left goes to the organiser’s shared payment method, unless you’ve added your own.

Here’s the catch for India. Apple’s list rules out Indian Visa and Mastercard cards, and net banking, for Family Sharing. So if the organiser only has a card on file, a family member’s purchase has nothing valid to bill. The organiser should open Settings > Family > Purchase Sharing and look under Payment Methods. UPI is the one method Apple’s India list doesn’t rule out, so add it there.

Not the organiser? If you’re an adult member, add your own UPI method or top up your own balance; otherwise ask the organiser to sort theirs out.

Don’t bother with these

• Retrying the same card. If the bank declined it, it’ll keep declining until the bank’s setting changes.
• Switching your Apple Account to another country. You’d have to spend your balance, cancel subscriptions and wait for them to end, possibly leave Family Sharing, and then find a payment method from that country.
• Removing every payment method to dodge the bill. Apple won’t let you while there’s an unpaid balance, a live subscription or Purchase Sharing you organise.
• Signing out and back in. The block sits on your Apple Account, not on the phone, so it follows you straight back.

When it’s not your iPhone

If the bank says the card is fine, your UPI Autopay is set up and the money’s there, and the App Store still refuses, it’s time to ask Apple. Contact Apple Support and mention the unpaid order or the subscription by name. Anything about why a payment was declined or a mandate failed is your bank’s to answer.

Money left your account but the App Store says the payment failed? Start with Purchase History, because it may have gone through. If it didn’t, RBI rules make your bank reverse a failed UPI or online card payment within five days of the payment, and pay you ₹100 for every day it runs late after that. Raise it with the bank if the money hasn’t come back.

Quick questions

Why does my App Store keep saying payment failed?
Usually an unpaid earlier order is blocking everything, or your bank won’t let Apple charge the card. Clear the unpaid order, then switch to UPI or turn on online and international use for the card.

How to get Apple to retry a failed payment?
In Payment & Shipping, tap Update Payment Information, then Try Again. Or add UPI as a new payment method: Apple charges it for the unpaid order on its own.

Is Apple Pay working now in India?
Yes, since 30 September 2026, with Axis Bank credit cards. It isn’t on Apple’s list of App Store payment methods for India as of October 2026, so for the App Store use UPI, a card or your balance.

What should I do if my Apple Pay payment failed?
Apple Pay in India works only with Axis Bank credit cards for now. Axis may ask for an OTP or an approval in its app when you add the card. If adding the card fails, or a payment is declined, call Axis: Apple can’t see why a bank said no.

Can I pay on the App Store with a RuPay card?
Not as of October 2026: RuPay isn’t on Apple’s list for India. UPI from the same bank account works instead.

Prefer to watch? Apple’s own video walks through the same payment screens (on an older version of iOS), including the bank check.

Which one was it for you: an unpaid order, a card your bank had switched off, or the Autopay request you never saw? Tell us in the comments with your bank, and we’ll add what works to this guide.

Last updated: October 2026

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A UPI app not working on iPhone usually comes down to one of those two problems, and they have different answers. Work out which one you have first.

UPI app not working on iPhone: the quick answer

If registration or SMS verification fails (the common one): the verification text went out from the wrong SIM, or couldn’t be sent at all. Make the number your bank has your Default Voice Line, check the From line on the pre-filled text before you tap Send, and only then try again. Swapped your SIM or moved to eSIM in the last day? Wait 24 hours first. And keep count: you get three verification attempts a day.

If the app asks for a newer iOS or won’t install: Google Pay and BHIM need iOS 17.0, and PhonePe needs iOS 17.1. That means an iPhone XR, XS, SE (2nd generation) or newer. On an iPhone X, 8 or older there is no fix inside the app; Part 2 says what you can still do.

Part 1: Registration or SMS verification fails

This is the one people hit on new iPhones, dual SIM setups and fresh eSIMs. To link your bank, the UPI app has to prove that the SIM in your phone carries the number your bank has. It does that by sending a text from your phone to the bank’s number.

Here is the iPhone twist. An iOS app isn’t allowed to send a text on its own. The app fills in a message and opens it for you, and nothing goes out until you tap Send. Whatever line that message leaves from is the number the bank sees. If it’s the wrong SIM, verification fails, however many times you retry.

Before you retry at all, know the limit. NPCI allows three SMS verification attempts in 24 hours. Go past that and you’re blocked for a day, and Google Pay says any attempt during the block starts the 24 hours again. So work through the checks below first and send the text last.

Make the bank’s number your default line

Dual SIM users, start here; this is the fix that usually does it. When you text a number that isn’t in your contacts, your iPhone uses your default line, and the bank’s verification number almost never is in your contacts. If your default is the Jio data SIM and your bank has your Airtel number, the text goes from the wrong one.

Open Settings > Mobile Service > Default Voice Line and pick the line with the number your bank has. You can switch it back once the app is set up.

Two things to check while you’re on that screen. The bank’s number has to be one of the lines listed under SIMs and switched on: a SIM sitting in your old Android phone can’t verify anything. And make sure it really is the number the bank has. Check its app, a passbook or a recent SMS alert; a number change at the bank that never went through causes exactly this failure.

Just swapped SIMs or moved to eSIM? Wait a day

Got a new SIM, replaced a lost one, or converted your number to eSIM in the last 24 hours? Indian carriers block SMS on a new SIM for a day after a swap or replacement, under a Department of Telecommunications rule against SIM-swap fraud. People who’ve switched a Jio or Airtel number over to eSIM report the same day-long block, so expect it there too. The verification text can’t leave the phone until it lifts, and everything else can look normal, which is why it’s so confusing. Don’t spend your three attempts; wait it out.

Check the From line before you tap Send

When the app opens the pre-filled text, look at the top of the message before you tap anything else. On a dual SIM iPhone there’s a From line showing which SIM it’ll go from. Tap it and choose the bank’s line if it’s wrong.

Then send it straight away. Some apps give you only seconds: Kotak’s app allows five seconds, then shows a timeout and makes you start over. Don’t edit the message text either; leave it exactly as the app wrote it.

Clear out an old chat with the bank’s number

If you tried earlier from the wrong SIM, Messages may already hold a conversation with the bank’s number on that line, and an SMS conversation stays on the line it started on. In Messages, swipe left on that conversation and tap Delete. The next verification text then starts a fresh conversation, and you can pick the right line.

Make sure that SIM can send a text

The verification is an ordinary outgoing SMS, and it needs a working plan behind it. A data-only pack, an expired validity or a prepaid line with no SMS balance won’t send it, and the app often just says “failed”. Send a normal text from that line to a friend. If it doesn’t go through, recharge or call your carrier before you touch anything else.

Weak signal does the same thing, so try near a window rather than in a basement.

Last resort: reset network settings

If the right line, a working plan and a day’s wait still don’t do it, reset the network settings. Know what you lose first: saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, any VPN you set up yourself, and the phone’s name, which goes back to “iPhone”. Your photos, chats and apps stay put. On the same menu, leave Erase All Content and Settings alone, and don’t tap Delete All eSIMs: that means a new eSIM and another 24-hour SMS block.

Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset and tap Reset Network Settings.

Some owners on Apple’s forums say Reset All Settings, on the same menu, finally did it after a network reset didn’t. It deletes no photos or apps, but it removes your Apple Pay cards and resets privacy, location and network settings, so you’ll set those up again. Worth a try before you call anyone, not before the steps above.

Part 2: The app asks for a newer iOS

This is the hardware side, and it is blunt. The UPI apps set a minimum iOS version, and once your iPhone can’t reach it, the app won’t install or open. Here’s where things stand on the App Store in India, checked in October 2026:

Paytm’s listing still says iOS 15.5, so the app itself installs on older phones. Owners on iOS 15 and 16 report that UPI setup in Paytm and in some bank apps asks for iOS 17 anyway, so don’t count on Paytm as the way round it.

Update iOS if your iPhone can take it

On an iPhone XR, XS, SE (2nd generation) or anything newer, the fix is simply updating. Open Settings > General > Software Update and install what’s offered. Not sure which version you’re on? It’s listed at the top of General > About.

Plug in and use Wi-Fi before you start. Then update the UPI app from the App Store and open it again. Expect the phone to run warmer for a day or two after any big update (our iOS 27 battery drain guide explains why).

Stuck on an iPhone X or older?

Apple’s iOS 17 starts at the iPhone XR and XS, so an iPhone X, 8 or 8 Plus can’t install it, and nothing will change that, least of all the “100% working” videos. Don’t waste an evening on them. What you can still do:

• Pay by phone call. NPCI’s UPI 123PAY lets you make UPI payments by calling an IVR number. It was built for feature phones, needs no app and no internet, and you set it up once with your debit card and a UPI PIN.
• Use a card or net banking for online payments. Most sites that take UPI take cards too.
• Keep UPI on another phone. If someone in the family has a newer phone, that’s the honest answer until you upgrade.

Shopping for a replacement? Get an iPhone 11 or newer, even second-hand. The XR and XS still clear today’s iOS 17 bar, but they can’t run iOS 27, and UPI apps raise their minimums over time.

Don’t bother with these

• Reinstalling the UPI app again and again. It doesn’t change which SIM sends the text, and every verification text you send after it counts towards NPCI’s three a day.
• Downgrade or “bypass” tricks for old iPhones. You can’t install a newer app on an iOS it doesn’t support, and sideloaded payment apps are a fraud risk you don’t need.
• Signing out of your Apple Account. It turns up in forum answers, but UPI doesn’t use your Apple Account at all.
• Erasing your iPhone. Nothing here needs it.

When it’s not your iPhone

If the text goes out from the right line and verification still fails, the bank or the app is the next stop. Ask your bank whether the number on your account is current and active for mobile banking, then contact the UPI app’s support from its help section with your iPhone model and carrier. If incoming OTPs are the problem rather than the outgoing text, our guide to an iPhone not receiving OTP SMS covers that side.

Set up fine but payments fail? That’s rarely the iPhone. A wrong UPI PIN, a low balance, a daily limit or the bank’s server having a bad hour cause most of those, and the app’s error message usually says which.

Quick questions

Why is GPay not working on iPhone?
Two usual suspects: iOS older than 17, or a verification text sent from a SIM your bank doesn’t know. The first needs an update or a newer phone; the second is fixed by the default line and From checks in Part 1.

Which iOS version supports UPI?
In October 2026, Google Pay and BHIM need iOS 17.0 and PhonePe needs iOS 17.1. Paytm’s app installs on iOS 15.5, but its UPI setup may still ask for 17. Plan on iOS 17 or later.

Why are my UPI apps not working?
If they never finished setting up, it’s the iOS version or SMS verification. If they worked before and payments now fail, look at your PIN, balance and daily limit, or wait out a bank outage.

Why is PhonePe not working on iPhone?
PhonePe asks for iOS 17.1, a notch above Google Pay, so an iPhone still on 17.0 needs a small update first. Registration trouble follows the same fixes as GPay.

Which UPI app works on iPhone X?
None of the main ones: Google Pay, PhonePe and BHIM all need iOS 17, which the iPhone X can’t run. UPI 123PAY by phone call, a card or net banking are what’s left.

Which one was it for you: the wrong default line, a recent SIM swap or something else? Tell us in the comments with your bank and carrier, and we’ll add what works to this guide.

Last updated: October 2026

The post UPI App Not Working on iPhone? Fix GPay, PhonePe, Paytm appeared first on iPhonehelp.