iPhone and iPad Tips of the Week - July 15, 2010
Posted 07/15/2010 at 1:48pm
| by David W. Martin

This week, we'll take a look at some troubleshooting tips for the iPhone and iPad that also work for the iPod touch. If you are experiencing problems with any of these devices, then these tips may help you and generally fix most iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and iOS problems.
Device Restart/Reset 
Is your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch acting oddly? Frozen? Is an app working incorrectly? Try this simple trick: restart or reset your iPhone by holding down the sleep and home buttons until the Apple logo appears. Let go of both buttons and your iPhone will reboot.
Note: If you are dealing with a frozen app, or an app that simply not quit, see this tip on force quitting an app before performing the full restart/reset.
Network Problems
Are you having problems connecting by 3G or Wi-Fi, web surfing connectivity issues, or not getting your e-mail? Try opening the Settings app, then tap General, tap Reset, and tap “Reset Network Settings”--this will reset all your network settings to the factory defaults. Please note that when you perform this reset, you will lose your saved Wi-Fi secure network passwords. You can re-enter them later when connecting to that network again.

Reset Your Device Settings
If the first two tips don't resolve your problem, then it is time to try resetting all of your devices settings. Open the Settings App, then tap General, Reset, and “Reset All Settings.” This will not erase any of your apps, media, or other data. However, the preferences in the Settings app will be restored to their factory defaults.
Restore Your Device
If all else fails you can try one last thing to get your device working again--a restore. This will re-flash your devices firmware and it will completely remove all your apps, media, and other data. So, it is important that before proceeding with a restore that you sync and backup your device.
Note: iTunes performs a backup by default. If you've changed this setting, then you will need to perform the backup manually. Once you have a good backup you can perform the restore as follows: click the Restore button under the Summary tab for your device. The restore will start after you confirm that it is okay, and once it is completed iTunes will automatically restore backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, preferences, apps, media, etc.

If none of these troubleshooting tips get your iPhone working correctly it may be time to try Apple's iPhone Troubleshooting Assistant--for other devices, you could visit Apple's support website. If these options aren't any help to you, you may want to call Applecare or visit the Genius Bar at your local Apple store.