Welcome to the third part in our series of troubleshooting articles dedicated to the iPhone 5C. This is one of the previous generation iPhone models that Apple released in 2013, the other being the iPhone 5S. The 5C is easily distinguished by its vibrant colorful plastic body and internal hardware that is similar to the iPhone 5. While this is definitely a solid choice if you are looking forward to getting your first iPhone it does have its fair share of issues. In this latest installment of the series we will tackle some of the issues owners have experienced with this phone.
If you own an iPhone 5C or any other iPhone device for that matter then feel free to send us an email at mailbag@studentnewsie.com. We will be more than happy to assist you with any concern that you may have with your device. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached. We however ask that when you do send us an email try to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and the correct solution can be given.
5C Can’t Delete Apps
Problem: Upgraded 4s to a 5c. iOS8.1. I Can’t delete apps I no longer want (and I realize stock apps can’t be deleted) Tried to delete through iTunes that didn’t work either. Advice?
Solution: The setting of your phone may be restricting you from deleting apps. Go to Settings-> General-> Restrictions-> Deleting Apps and make sure that it is turned on.
5C iMessage On/Off Switch Greyed Out
Problem: Hi there! I’m new to the forum, but I’m kind of desperate and I don’t know where else to go for help! Please keep in mind that my iPhone is a 5c. Don’t know what difference it’ll make, but…^^” So today, I had the bright idea of changing my password. A little while later, I went to use my iPhone and–what do you know–I forgot the password. I tried again and again and again and eventually used up all of my tries until it said “iphone disabled, connect to iTunes.” I was away from home, and when I got back I wiped the phone and restored it via iCloud. End of story, right? Nope. I don’t know what happened, but I can’t actually turn iMessage on to activate it!! So the weird thing is, I can text one person just fine, but another says that I have to activate iMessage first. The person I can text is green (my text bubble is, and the send icon) and the one I can’t is blue. Please help! I don’t know what to do!! thank you in advance!!
Solution: To resolve this issue you should first make sure to meet the following requirements below.
Make sure that you’re connected to a cellular data or Wi-Fi network. If you’re using an iPhone, you’ll need SMS messaging to activate your phone number with iMessage and FaceTime. Depending on your carrier, you might be charged for this SMS.
Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and make sure that your time zone is set up correctly.
Follow the troubleshooting steps listed below. After you complete each test turn FaceTime and iMessage off and on in Settings > Messages and Settings > FaceTime.
Ensure that you have an active Internet connection. You can complete activation using Wi-Fi or a cellular data connection.
Update to the latest version of iOS.
If your Apple ID isn’t an email address, you can change it. The Apple ID that you’re using to activate FaceTime or iMessage must be an email address. For more information, see how to change your Apple ID.
If you get an error when you try to sign in to your Apple ID, sign in to your account and ensure that the primary email address has been verified. If verification is pending, follow the instructions in the email that was sent to that email address to complete verification.
Ensure that FaceTime hasn’t been restricted: tap Settings > General > Restrictions > FaceTime.
Ensure that your iPhone is set to the correct time zone: tap Settings > General > Date & Time.
Enable iMessage and FaceTime while connected to another Wi-Fi network in a different location.
5C White/Black Screen Issue
Problem: Since Wednesday my phone has been acting like a dying television. The screen will go white and then black and then it won’t respond. When I am able to get the screen to come back the picture freezes, jumbles, and will not respond to my touch. I have the 32GB 5C with the most recent updates installed. The top two corners of the screen are also raised in comparison to the bottom corners. I’ve heard from a friend that my battery could be swelling and was wondering if maybe this was also part of the problem.I spoke to an apple care specialist who told me to restart, reset, and reboot the phone, but each step only made things worse. I have not damaged the phone, I’ve had a case on it at all times and it has not been exposed to any water. Any help would be very much appreciated. I will not be able to take it in for service until Sunday.
Solution: You should try restoring your phone in DFU mode.
Before performing the steps below make sure to have a backup of your phone data. You should also check if you are using the latest version of iTunes.
First you need to place your phone in DFU mode.
Hold the Power Button (3 secs)
Continue holding the power button and also hold the home button (15 secs)
Release the power button while continuing to hold the home button (10 secs)
Your device should prompt with the “Connect to iTunes Screen”
To restore your phone
Connect your device to your computer.
Select your iPhone appears in iTunes. Select the Summary tab, and click the Restore button.
Click Restore.
After a restore, the iOS device restarts. You should then see “Slide to set up”. Follow the steps in the iOS Setup Assistant.
5C Display Stuck In Greyscale
Problem: iPhone 5c is stuck in gray scale mode. I went to accessibility to check the the invert and grayscale options and they were both turned off. Not to sure what’s going on. Anyone have a solid solution?
Solution: If the greyscale option is turned off but your phone display is still in greyscale then you should restart you phone. If that does not work then proceed with resetting your phone.
To restart
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears.
Drag the slider to turn your device completely off.
After the device turns off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again until you see the Apple logo.
To reset
Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo.
5C Constantly Searching For Network
Problem: My iPhone 5c is constantly searching for the network (Vodafone UK). I’ve reset to factory setting but it’s still the same, when I take the sim out it still searches, it doesn’t say ‘No Sim’. Any ideas?
Solution: If restoring your phone to factory settings does not resolve the issue then follow the steps listed below.
Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.
Turn airplane mode on and then off again.
Restart your iPhone.
Check for a carrier settings update. Go to Settings > General > About. Install any available update.
Remove the SIM card and make sure that it’s a valid SIM that your carrier provided. Also make sure that it’s not damaged, worn, or modified. Then reinsert it.
A SIM tray that comes with one iPhone model won’t necessarily work with a different iPhone model. When you insert the correct SIM tray, the SIM tray should be flush with the device.
If you have another SIM card, insert it. You can use a SIM card from any phone with the same format as your iPhone SIM card. If your iPhone works with that SIM card, contact the carrier that issued your original SIM card.
If you still see the issue, contact Apple support.
5C Won’t Update Email
Problem: This morning I noticed that my btinternet.com emails had not updated on my iPhone although they had on iPad and iMac. I tried powering off and on again, no solution. Next I deleted the email account and then reinstalled it. Again, no solution and all emails which were in the various files within the account have disappeared but just on the iPhone. My IMAP account info and incoming mail server settings on iPad and iPhone are identical and my wife’s btinternet.com email account on the iPhone continues to work. Although the files within my account have returned on the iPhone it states at the bottom of the screen that the Inbox was last updated on Saturday. Any ideas???
Solution: To troubleshoot this issue follow the steps below.
To make sure that you’re connected to the Internet, open Safari and go to www.apple.com.
Log in to your email provider’s website to make sure that the account is active and the password is correct.
Make sure your settings are correct using Mail Settings Lookup.
If the issue persists then restart your phone.
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears.
Drag the slider to turn your device completely off.
After the device turns off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again until you see the Apple logo.
5C Microphone Not Working
Problem: As of last night my microphone stopped working. Callers couldn’t hear me, but I could hear them. How can I repair?
Solution: You should first check if it is really the microphone that isn’t working and not the call application. To do this open the Voice memo app and make a recording. You should be able to hear the playback.
Listed below are the troubleshooting steps that need to be performed to resolve this issue.
Unplug anything plugged into the headset jack.
If you’re on a call and holding your phone next to your ear, speak into the microphone and make sure you don’t block it with your fingers or shoulder.
If you’re using a screen protector or case that covers the microphone, remove it. Clear any debris from the microphones.
Restart your device.
Update to the latest version of iOS.
If you’ve tried these steps and people still can’t hear you well on calls, contact Apple Support.
5C Stuck In Boot Loop
Problem: I have an iPhone 5c that went into recovery mode out of nowhere two days ago. I went ahead and restored it and backed it up to an old iCloud backup made about 1/2 a year ago. My iPhone was working for about 10 minutes before it went back into recovery mode. I went on and tried to restore it but this time every time I attempted to restore it, it would have an error (multiple error codes). After multiple attempts to restore my phone, I took it to the local sprint store to let them try to fix it. They went ahead and restored my phone without any problems and I left with a seemingly fully functional iPhone. That night I went home and my phone restarted two times within the night. The next day my phone went into a boot loop that would not enter into recovery mode. I tried putting it on charge but when I did, it would just display the apple logo and every 3-4 seconds the logo would flash off and on. I then put my phone into DFU mode and restored it with my computer but after it would extract the software it would go into the “Waiting for iPhone” step and my iPhone would go back into the screen that I described when I put it on charge. I’m out of options and the nearest Apple store is over 50 miles away.
Solution: It appears that this issue is already hardware related. If you have access to another computer with the latest version of iTunes installed try using it to restore your phone. If that does not work then you really have to bring your phone to the nearest Apple store.
Engage with us
If you have any concerns regarding your iPhone feel free to email us at mailbag@studentnewsie.com. We will provide you with free technical support regarding the issue you are facing with your device. Just make sure to provide as much detail as possible so that we can make an accurate diagnosis.