Why the iPhone's Search Function Stops Working and How to Fix It

The iPhone's search function is one of its most useful features. That's what makes it all the more distressing when it suddenly stops working. You'll swipe to the right to bring up the Search function, but when you type something in, the iPhone just searches...and searches, endlessly, without bringing up any results.

This can be a perplexing problem, because the iPhone's search function works so well out of the box. The problem tends to occur when there's data corruption, which prevents the iPhone from keeping an accurate database of your emails, apps, and all of the other important stuff that gets scanned during a search.

Fixing the iPhone's search function when it stops working is fairly easy. Here's what you need to know.

You'll have to update your firmware.

Updating your firmware's the easiest way to fix the issue, as it should provide an updated version of the OS, thereby installing an updated version of the Search function, too. If that last sentence didn't make a lot of sense to you, don't worry. You don't need to understand the technical side, just plug your iPhone into your computer with iTunes and make sure that you've got the latest version of the firmware installed. See if the Search function has been restored after the update.

You may need to restore your iPhone.

"Restoring" is different from updating, because it'll clean off your iPhone, so back it up before proceeding.

Restoring is sometimes necessary because, to put it as technically as possible, things get all jankety with the iPhone's operating system and it can't find things correctly. You've probably also noticed diminished speed and performance if this is the case. Not to worry; restoring is just as easy, and you can plug your iPhone into your iTunes computer and simply follow the on-screen instructions to fix it.

Again, remember to back up anything that you need. It's imperative to use a stable computer and not to unplug the iPhone while it's restoring.

If the Search function still doesn't work, you might have a more permanent issue.

Updating or restoring an iPhone will fix a broken search function in 90% of the cases, but if the Search function stops working again soon after an iPhone has been restored, it could be a sign that the iPhone's memory is having trouble working properly.

Make sure that you don't have any bad habits that might be making the problem worse. For instance, always safely unplug your iPhone. Eject it from iTunes before attempting to unplug. Keep a gigabyte or so of space free on the phone at all times, treat it carefully, and the Search function should work just fine.

Any questions about the iPhone's search function? Post below.