iPhone 13 Mini restarting every 2 minutes after OS update
Discussion
This summer I bought an iPhone 13 Mini from the official Apple refurb people.
Have been having quite a few issues with the front camera not focusing so when I was talking to Apple support last week about a different problem I asked them for advice on it. They recommended upgrading to the latest OS for the phone, which is 18.1.1. It was on 16 something before I spoke to them.
I was a bit surprised that the OS had moved on by at least two iterations in only a few months and that it hadn't happened automatically as the auto-update box was ticked. 'Oh, sometimes you have to do it yourself,' was the answer.
Anyway, they reckoned upgrading to 18 might sort the camera out so I did it. This was about three days ago. Following the update the camera was still misbehaving, sometimes pics in focus, other times not.
Today I noticed that the Camera window was upside down in the phone and so were the pics. Then the phone began to die after two minutes use, pretty much immediately restarting itself.
The battery is in perfect condition with a 100% maximum capacity and normal charging behaviour.
Before I get onto the Apple people again I was wondering if any tech types on PH might know what might be happening here.
Thanks in advance for any insights.
Have been having quite a few issues with the front camera not focusing so when I was talking to Apple support last week about a different problem I asked them for advice on it. They recommended upgrading to the latest OS for the phone, which is 18.1.1. It was on 16 something before I spoke to them.
I was a bit surprised that the OS had moved on by at least two iterations in only a few months and that it hadn't happened automatically as the auto-update box was ticked. 'Oh, sometimes you have to do it yourself,' was the answer.
Anyway, they reckoned upgrading to 18 might sort the camera out so I did it. This was about three days ago. Following the update the camera was still misbehaving, sometimes pics in focus, other times not.
Today I noticed that the Camera window was upside down in the phone and so were the pics. Then the phone began to die after two minutes use, pretty much immediately restarting itself.
The battery is in perfect condition with a 100% maximum capacity and normal charging behaviour.
Before I get onto the Apple people again I was wondering if any tech types on PH might know what might be happening here.
Thanks in advance for any insights.
Sounds knackered tbh...
The refurbs are usually excellent but obviously it's been opened up and fixed at some point, battery replaced and they've either damaged something else or a plug isn't seated correctly.
I'd just take it to an Apple store and I'd expect they'd just swap it - you may well get a newer device too as the mini's are thin on the ground now!
The refurbs are usually excellent but obviously it's been opened up and fixed at some point, battery replaced and they've either damaged something else or a plug isn't seated correctly.
I'd just take it to an Apple store and I'd expect they'd just swap it - you may well get a newer device too as the mini's are thin on the ground now!
Hmm! Thanks very much for the reply. I actually specifically wanted the Mini because I was fed up with trying to ram big phones into my pocket. You're right about them being hard to get. The one I got was the only one on the Apple refurb site, which in hindsight should have made me a bit suspicious but as I was dealing direct with Apple I thought I'd be all right! 
Should I go straight to the Apple store to sort out an exchange or would it be best to go through their support line first? Just feeling that the phone line folks will probably spend half an hour being very nice to me and I'd end up no better off than when I started.
PS I was trying to do this reply on the iPhone but it conked out just as I was about to press Submit! Also when it restarted it seemed to be having a problem connecting to our internet. That's a new thing.
Should I go straight to the Apple store to sort out an exchange or would it be best to go through their support line first? Just feeling that the phone line folks will probably spend half an hour being very nice to me and I'd end up no better off than when I started.
PS I was trying to do this reply on the iPhone but it conked out just as I was about to press Submit! Also when it restarted it seemed to be having a problem connecting to our internet. That's a new thing.
Book a visit to your local “Genius Bar” so they can do diagnostics on it. I have an official refurb iPhone 13 mini that wouldn’t connect to the data network. Upgrading to iOS 18 had no effect, a couple of weeks ago I took it to the apple shop and within seconds the apple lady said yeh it needs a new rear logic board.
Fearing a big bill she then informed me that the repair would be free under consumer law (I’ve had the phone for 18 months). She ordered the parts in and they had repaired it a couple of days later. The paperwork I signed said the logic board was £307… I didn’t pay a penny for the repair.
Sounds like yours needs repairing too so that’s the route to go down. The phone people were actually really helpful tbh.
Fearing a big bill she then informed me that the repair would be free under consumer law (I’ve had the phone for 18 months). She ordered the parts in and they had repaired it a couple of days later. The paperwork I signed said the logic board was £307… I didn’t pay a penny for the repair.
Sounds like yours needs repairing too so that’s the route to go down. The phone people were actually really helpful tbh.
Edited by lufbramatt on Saturday 23 November 18:03
To be fair on the phone line people they were very good when our iPad refused to turn on, went through the obvious and a few non-obvious things to try, when none of that worked they booked us in in the Apple Store. We were in the phone a good 20 minutes trying various things to see what the problem could be.
Yes they were very nice when they were trying to help me with a different problem, in fact they're almost too nice, they are so keen to make sure you're happy the phone process can take quite a while! The ones I was speaking to were based in Albania of all places. Couldn't knock the service.
It's interesting, the phone seems to be behaving better today but I am at home now, the problems I had with it yesterday (switching itself off after a couple of minutes, then restarting itself, repeated, plus upside down camera thing) were while we were outside in patchy reception areas. When I got home it struggled momentarily to latch onto the home internet which was another new thing.
Will see how we go this week and maybe re-book Genius Bar appt. I'm not going to try and negotiate the Severn Bridge in the weather we've got here today. It's bad enough right now in normal weather with the road works.
Will see how we go this week and maybe re-book Genius Bar appt. I'm not going to try and negotiate the Severn Bridge in the weather we've got here today. It's bad enough right now in normal weather with the road works.
ChevronB19 said:
lufbramatt said:
Book a visit to your local “Genius Bar”
Just to note, not everyone has a local ‘genius bar’, mine is 90 miles away, and I’m sure it’s further for a lot of others.Edited by lufbramatt on Saturday 23 November 18:03
megaphone said:
13 Mini stopped being produced a few years back, and there are no other 'Mini' options, not good for those of us who don't want a large iPhone. I'll be sticking with mine until it dies.
Maybe the new SE will be an option.
Yep, same here, I don't need massive batteries as I don't do games or videos, really surprised that the phone companies don't realise (or care?) that people like us exist. Maybe the new SE will be an option.
Arrivalist said:
It’s a rear system failure.
The phone does a diagnostic every 2 mins and when that fails it reboots. Had the same issue on a 14 Plus back in June. It was out of warranty but sent it to Apple and they replaced the battery, true depth camera and rear system for free.
Aha! Do you mean the rear camera system, or some other rear bit that an old duffer like me wouldn't understand? The phone does a diagnostic every 2 mins and when that fails it reboots. Had the same issue on a 14 Plus back in June. It was out of warranty but sent it to Apple and they replaced the battery, true depth camera and rear system for free.
The iPhone is built up in layers- screen, battery, logic board, cameras, antennas etc. the “rear system” is an L shaped circuit board that carries the processor and storage.
It sounds like these have a tendency to fail on these phones, when I had mine done they weren’t at all surprised it had failed.
Hopefully I’ll get another couple years out of this one now it’s fixed, hate carrying a big phone around when I’m running or cycling.
It sounds like these have a tendency to fail on these phones, when I had mine done they weren’t at all surprised it had failed.
Hopefully I’ll get another couple years out of this one now it’s fixed, hate carrying a big phone around when I’m running or cycling.
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