amazon echo

macbook pro

Whenever you contact your IT Department or tech support, the first question you will be asked is “did you restart your device?”.  You will be asked this without fail.  In fact, it’s become a bit of a joke.  That said, there is something to this restart idea.  More often than not, it’s the “solution” to a lot of the problems.  Now, by doing this, it doesn’t mean that you will automatically get results for all of your problems, but it’s going to improve your odds.  Every device is slightly different, but most of them follow a similar set of steps for power cycling.  Here’s how to power cycle some devices to increase your odds of it working:

iPhone-X-Dock

iPad and iPhone

On iPhone 8 Plus and older:

  1. Press and hold down the On/Off button on the right side of your iPhone 6 or newer (it’s on the top of all other iPhones, iPads, and iPods) for three seconds.
  2. Swipe the Slide to Power Off slider to the right.

On iPhone X:

  1. Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
  2. Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press the Side button (sleep/wake, on/off).

Once it’s off, give it a few seconds to rest, and then turn it back on again.  If your iPhone doesn’t respond to the actions to power it off, you might need to reboot the system

Apple Watch

Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch features won’t work, or if an app isn’t loading after a long time, you likely need a power cycle.  Turning an Apple Watch is so easy, that it only takes two steps:

  1. Press and hold the Side button until you see the three slider bars.
  2. Swipe the Power Off slider to the right.

If your screen is unresponsive or you can’t get the Power Off slider, you may need to reboot watchOS.

Macbook pro

Mac

The problem with your Mac might go deeper than turning it off and on again.   But, like I said, this is the first thing that a support technician will do, or ask you to do when you take it in for repairs.

Do yourself a favor and power cycle your Mac before calling a support technician, just in case that fixes the problem you’re having.

  1. Click on the Apple Menu button in the upper left corner of your Mac’s screen.
  2. Click on Restart from the drop-down menu.
  3. Click on Restart when asked to confirm if you want to restart your Mac.

After you click on Restart, your Mac will begin the shutdown process. If any apps are running, your Mac will ask you to manually shut them down before continuing.  Once your Mac has completely shut down, you can press the Power button for three seconds to turn it back on.

amazon echo

Amazon Echo

Most Echo speakers don’t have an on/off button that you can use to quickly power cycle.  You can, unplug it and plug it back in again:

  1. Unplug the power cord from the Echo device.
  2. Wait 30 seconds.
  3. Plug the power cord back into the Echo device.
  4. Wait for the light ring to turn blue.

If your Echo is still unresponsive after these steps, you might need to reset your speaker.  You will have to re-register your Echo and re-enter any settings.  Make sure you have the necessary login credentials to re-register your Echo with your smartphone:

  1. Using a paperclip or other small tool, press and hold the Reset button at the bottom of the Echo device.
  2. Wait for the light ring to turn orange and then blue.
  3. Wait for the light ring to turn off again.

Hopefully, this resolves any issues that you might be having with your device.  If not, you will need to contact some kind of tech support, but they will ask you if you tried this first.  It will save you some time and maybe a few headaches.

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