My device shut down randomly and will not turn on. Can I reboot it?

[jenmattzach]

I arrived at the office, checked personal email on my iPhone 5, set it on vibrate, then went to make a cup of coffee.  When I returned to my desk, I clicked on my phone to check for text messages and............nothing!  My screen is blank and the power button does nothing.  My phone is in perfect condition and is kept in an Otter Box case.  Anyone have an idea of what is wrong?  It's been an hour and still nothing; my screen remains black.

[vzw_customer_support · Accepted solution]

jenmattzach, Having a phone that will not power on is quite concerning! Have you tried plugging your iPhone 5 into a charger? Please press and hold the Power and Home button for approximately 20 seconds to see if the Apple Logo appears. You can then let go of both buttons. If successful; your phone will boot up and load as it normally does. Please keep us posted on this.
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[jenmattzach]

I did not know about holding the Power and Home buttons to reboot!  I just tried and the Apple Logo appeared after about 30 seconds.  Everything looks fine with exception of my contacts.  I have phone numbers instead of names like usual for text messages.  Maybe those will return?

[Weth]

When you open contacts, are all your contacts still there.

What likely happened was a software crash that brought down the phone. It is a good idea to do the reboot routine once in a while.