To turn off a phone with just buttons, press and hold the Power button and Volume Down button simultaneously for several seconds on most Androids, or the Side button and Volume Up button for iPhones (Face ID models), until a power menu appears or the device forces a restart, then continue holding or release as needed to fully power down or select 'Power off' on the screen, depending on the model and if the screen works.
Three-finger gestures on iPhone primarily activate accessibility features like VoiceOver (for screen reading and navigation) and Zoom (magnification), allowing scrolling, zooming, and text manipulation (copy/paste/undo) with specific taps and drags, though some text actions work without VoiceOver enabled for quick editing. Common gestures include three-finger double-tap to toggle VoiceOver speech, triple-tap for the screen curtain, and pinching/spreading with three fingers for copy/paste actions, notes this YouTube video.
If iPhone isn't responding, and you can't turn it off then on, try forcing it to restart. Press and quickly release the volume up button. Press and quickly release the volume down button. Press and hold the side button.
*3001#12345#* on an iPhone activates the hidden Field Test Mode, a diagnostic tool for network engineers and power users to see detailed cellular data like signal strength (dBm), cell tower info, and network quality, accessible by dialing the code in the Phone app and pressing call, often after turning off Wi-Fi for accurate cellular readings.
Use a key combination
Most modern phones allow you to use other hardware buttons to power on the device. Typically, you can try the following combinations: Volume Down + Home Button + Volume Up. Volume Down + Volume Up + Home Button.
How to fix a phone not turning off. To fix a phone that does not turn off, first try a force restart: hold the power button for about 30 seconds on Android or press the side and volume buttons together on iPhone until the logo shows. If that fails, update your software, then try Safe Mode to disable any bad apps.
Hidden Battery Power / Boost Signal Strength
By pressing *3370# or #3370#, you'll activate your phone's “reserve battery power”. Battery life will increase by 50%. The reserve will automatically charge up the next time you change your device. Other claims state dialing the same sequence will boost cellular reception.
Dial *#62# to see if any call forwarding is active on your iPhone. Check for a call forwarding number. Dial *#67# to see where your calls are being forwarded or redirected without your knowledge.
Call barring allows you to block certain types of incoming or outgoing calls. Dialing *#33# displays your device's current call barring status. If you're receiving excessive spam calls, enabling call barring can help prevent unwanted calls, including those from potential hackers.
To force a hard reboot (or power reset) when a device is frozen, press and hold its physical power button for about 10-20 seconds until it shuts down completely, then press it again to restart; for phones, specific button combos like Volume Down + Power (Android) or Volume Up, Volume Down, then Power (iPhone) are used, but always try the power button first, as this process can cause you to lose unsaved work.
Turn off Find My: Go to the Settings app > your name > Find My, then tap "Find My [Device]" and turn it off*. If you can't turn off Find My this way on your iPhone, go to the Find My app or iCloud.com/find, select your iPhone, then select Remove This Device and follow the onscreen instructions to prepare it for repair.