iPhone 15 and 15 Plus restarting every 3 minutes

If your iPhone 15 or 15 Plus restarts about every 3 minutes, often with a short pink or purple flash, its power controller (SMC) has lost one of its sensors. The panic log names which one - here is what each code means on this model, how sure repair technicians are, and what real repairs showed.

What the panic log says

Open the newest panic-full file (Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements → Analytics Data). On an iPhone 15 or 15 Plus the important line looks like this (from an iPhone 15 on iFixit):

The number that is not zero is the sensor code. Newer iOS versions print it in decimal: 524288 is the same as 0x80000. The table shows both.

Sensor codes on iPhone 15 and 15 Plus

Two parts at once

Each sensor is one bit, so codes add up (in hexadecimal):

• 0x300000 = front sensor + wireless coil flex

The analyzer splits combined codes for you.

What repairs showed

• Not fixed by a used flex: an iPhone 15 on iFixit with 0x80000 kept restarting after a charging flex taken from another phone was fitted. The answers then pointed to the two I²C lines that carry the sensor data and to the board connector. ^{iFixit case}
• Paired part: a used back glass or coil gives the wireless-coil code unless it is an Apple part set up with System Configuration. ^iFixit

Test order

1. What was repaired last? A screen, battery, charging port or back-glass job is the first suspect - the part fitted, or a cable disturbed during it.
2. Inspect the flex and its connector under magnification: torn traces, liquid marks, a bent pin.
3. Test with a known-good original part plugged in. Unplugging the cable does not test it - an unplugged sensor is missing too, so the phone still restarts.
4. Expect side effects: a replacement front sensor flex loses True Tone and auto-brightness; a battery or back glass that is not paired with Apple's System Configuration shows a parts message.
5. If a good part does not stop it, the fault is on the logic board (often after liquid damage) - micro-soldering.
6. Do not restore iOS for a hardware code. An SMC panic happens below iOS; restoring only costs time and, without a backup, your data.

Not the same problem

• A purple screen that stays, or purple lines without restarts, is usually the screen itself.
• Restarts at random times without SMC PANIC in the log are a different panic - the analyzer reads those too.
• The phone will not update or restore (error 4013, 9, 75...): see the restore error lookup.

Sources

• iFixit: iPhone SMC Panic Assert
• iPad Rehab: Troubleshooting iPhone reboot problems
• iRepair Experts: iPhone random restarts and panic logs
• iFixit Answers: iPhone 15, code 0x80000
• Repair Wiki: iPhone 15 randomly restarts