Several iPhone users have encountered a serious issue with their iPhones where they are unable to swipe up or down the screen. It is impacting the experience with their iPhones. They are really not sure why this is happening and what should be done.
We have analyzed this issue in depth and found out some reasons behind this problem. It can be due to the iPhone case or cover being too tight or dirt in it, the control center being disabled on the lock screen, issues with control center items, some settings being changed, or internal technical issues within the iPhone.
These potential causes might be the ones behind this problem and on researching more on this, we have compiled a bunch of solutions in the article below that will resolve this issue.
Fix 1 – Clean the iPhone Case/Cover
The problem with the iPhone where swipe up or down stopped working can be caused by the iPhone case. When the iPhone case is too tight or stuck to the screen, this kind of issue happens.
So we recommend our users try removing the iPhone from the case and wiping it with a clean cloth to make sure there is no dirt that can lead to such problems as discussed above.
If still it does not work, try replacing the case with a new one and see if this helps.
Fix 2 – Enable Control Centre for the lock screen
If the problem of swiping up or down is not working only on the lock screen, then this has something to do with the control centre. There is a setting that when disabled does not allow the users to access the control centre from the lock screen.
So check whether this setting is enabled or not. If not, please enable it using the steps explained below.
Step 1: Tap on the Settings icon from the home screen to open the Settings page on the iPhone.
Step 2: Then scroll the Settings page down and tap on the Control Centre option as shown in the below screenshot.
Step 3: On the Control Centre page, you will find the Access on Lock Screen option.
Step 4: Please tap on the Access on Lock Screen‘s toggle button to enable it.
Step 5: After enabling it, you will see that you are able to swipe up and down to access the control centre on your iPhone’s lock screen.
Fix 3 – Customize the Control Centre
Sometimes there will be some faulty apps or features that have the potential to cause such issues within the iPhone. So try removing or adding the apps and see if this resolves the swipe up or down not working issue on your iPhone.
Here is how you can customize the control centre on your iPhone to fix the problem.
Step 1: Open the Settings page on your iPhone.
Step 2: Then search for the Control Centre option on the menu list and tap on it as shown below.
Step 3: Now on the Control Centre page, you can find apps under the Included Controls section.
Step 4: You can remove any app from this list by tapping on the red minus sign at the beginning of the app.
Step 5: Then tap on the Remove option at the other end as shown in the below screenshot.
Step 6: This removes the app from the control centre.
Step 7: To add any apps to the control centre, look for the apps under the More Controls section at the bottom.
Step 8: Tap on the green plus sign at the beginning of the app from the list to add it as shown below.
Step 9: After customizing the control centre, check whether the issue has been resolved. Otherwise, try other fixes given below.
Fix 4 – Enable Access Within Apps
If you are not allowed to access the control centre while using any apps, then it may result in the swipe up or down not working issue on your iPhone. To enable the access within apps setting on the control centre on your iPhone as explained in the steps below.
Step 1: Open the Settings page on your iPhone first by tapping on the settings icon from the home screen.
Step 2: Then tap on the Control Centre as shown below.
Step 3: Next, tap on the Access Within Apps toggle button to turn it on as shown in the below image.
Step 4: After enabling this setting, you will observe the issue has been resolved.
Fix 5 – Disable the VoiceOver feature
VoiceOver is a feature introduced by Apple for users who find it difficult to read or for a smooth user experience that simply reads everything aloud when the user touches it on the screen. But this feature can be the reason for causing the swipe up or down not working issue on the iPhone.
So try disabling the VoiceOver feature on the iPhone using the steps explained below.
Step 1: First of all, you need to go to the Settings page on the iPhone.
Step 2: Then choose the Accessibility option by tapping on it as shown in the below screenshot.
Step 3: Next, tap on the VoiceOver option at the top of the page as shown.
Step 4: Now make sure the VoiceOver option is disabled by tapping on its toggle button to turn it off.
Step 5: After the VoiceOver is disabled, check if the problem still persists.
Additional Fixes
Force Restart your iPhone
Force restarting the iPhone helps in resolving many problems in the iPhone caused due to software or hardware issues. This can be done using the steps explained below.
Step 1: To force restart your iPhone, press the volume up button once and release it.
Step 2: Once done, press the volume down button and release it.
Step 3: Then press the side button of your iPhone for around 10 seconds till you see the Apple logo sign on the screen.
Once the iPhone starts, try and check if swiping up or down starts working like earlier on your iPhone.
Reset All Settings
When some settings in the iPhone are changed, they tend to create problems as discussed in this article above also, and detecting which setting is causing this issue is not an easy task, so resetting all settings is the best way to fix this issue.
Here are the steps on how to reset all settings on your iPhone.
Step 1: Go to the Settings page and tap on the General option to open it as shown below.
Step 2: Now scroll down the general page to its bottom and tap on the Transfer or Reset iPhone option as shown below.
Step 3: Select the Reset option by tapping on it.
Step 4: Choose the Reset All Settings option from the popped-up list.
Step 5: You may need to enter the passcode for authenticating for resetting all settings on the iPhone.
Step 6: After entering the passcode, confirm it by tapping on Reset All Settings.
Once resetting all settings on your iPhone is completed, see if the fix worked or not.