iPhone 16 and 16 Plus restarting every 3 minutes

If your iPhone 16 or 16 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.

First: update iOS

Apple's iOS 18.1 release notes: "fixes an issue where iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro models may unexpectedly restart." On an older version that bug can look like a hardware panic. ^{Apple (iOS 18.1)}

What the panic log says

Open the newest panic-full file (Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements → Analytics Data). On an iPhone 16 or 16 Plus the important line looks like this:

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 16 and 16 Plus

What repairs showed

• Repair order (Repair Wiki, code 524288): replace the charging port flex; make sure the air-pressure sensor is plugged in; replace the air-pressure sensor; check the board connector. ^{Repair Wiki}
• Also required: the wireless charging flex on the back glass must be plugged in and undamaged, or it restarts every 3 minutes - the code for it is not documented yet. ^{Repair Wiki}
• No confirmed repair story yet for this family - if yours gets fixed, post the code and the part on the forum.

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

• Repair Wiki: iPhone 16 randomly restarts
• Repair Wiki: iPhone 16 panic log 524288
• Forbes: Apple confirms the iPhone 16 restart fix in iOS 18.1