iPod nano Lockup Reset When Frozen

Nick Momrik765 Comments

My iPod nano locked up and I had no idea what to do. Holding down buttons wouldn’t turn it off. Toggling the hold switch didn’t do anything either. It was in a stuck state where hold was turned on and none of the buttons would respond.

If you own an iPod with the Click Wheel (iPod with video, nano, iPod photo, iPod, or mini) follow these steps to reset the iPod:

  1. Toggle hold switch on.
  2. Toggle hold switch off.
  3. Hold down the menu and middle button for a few seconds.
  4. You might need to repeat.

Both times my iPod nano has frozen up I was plugging the ipod into the USB cable while the the hold switch was toggled on. Make sure to hold switch is togged off when connecting your iPod with the USB cable.

To reset some of the earlier iPods including like the iPod, iPod (scroll wheel), iPod (touch wheel), and iPod (dock connector), follow these steps:

  1. Toggle hold on.
  2. Toggle hold off.
  3. Press and hold the Play/Pause and Menu buttons until the Apple/iPod logo appears, about 6 to 10 seconds.
  4. You might need to repeat.

To reset an iPod shuffle:

  1. Move the switch on the back of iPod shuffle to the off position (green stripe not visible).
  2. Wait 5 seconds.
  3. Move the switch on the back to the play in order or the shuffle position (green stripe visible).

Still having problems?

  1. Connect to a different USB or FireWire port on the computer.
  2. Install the latest Operating System upgrades.
  3. Restart the computer.
  4. Reinstall the iPod with iPod Updater
  5. Reinstall iTunes
  6. Restore your iPod using the latest iPod Updater.

    *Restoring an iPod will erase all songs and files from the iPod, restoring it to the original state. Backup all files from the iPod before restoring it. Once restoration is complete, you can transfer your music and files from the computer back to your iPod again.

iPod displays sad iPod icon

In most cases, the sad iPod icon indicates a hardware issue. If you are able to force iPod into Disk Mode, then it may not be a hardware issue, and you should try to restore your iPod with the latest software.

765 thoughts on “iPod nano Lockup Reset When Frozen”

  1. My daughter’s ipod nano display just frozen.

    I have been asking her what she have done to her new 4G red ipod nano.

    She was worried and desperate to look for the solution.

    After figuring with ipod nano switches to no avail,

    I turn to the internet for help by typing ” ipod nano stuck” on the google search site.

    I chance upon your site and saw the step to unlock the frozen display,

    and it work within seconds, the nano reset by itself and return to normal.

    Thanks again for the steps to reset my daughter’s ipod nano.

    Like

  2. I have got n ipod nano balck of 1 gb(barely a month old), it just shows a blank screen inspite of trying all d above steps,….wat do i do now?

    Like

  5. I have my iPod nano 8gig for only about a month now and when it froze today I panicked thinking that it was broken already and was ready to call apple for help…fortunately my coworker google it and found your tips to unlock!

    Thanks much you made my day easier!

    Like

  8. My nano is asking me for a 4 number password that I can’t figure out. It’s the first time I see something like this. I tried to reset it but nothing happened… still needs that password. Any idea???

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  10. thanks so much. Went in to buy a cheapie mp3 player, came out w/ an ipod nano. charged, added songs from itunes sw and played a few. next morning at the gym, this was locked up. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!! Google and your site helped me unstick this ipod. I have absolutely no confidence in the quality of Apple. This will be my last purchase of apple hardware, I may even return it within my 30 days. At least I have it working now.

    Again, thanks.

    Tom

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  14. WOW! Worked perfectly. My new 8 GB Nano is unlocked up and running again. A Thousand thank you’s are nor enough.

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  15. Real story……My Ipod Nano locked up. I went to Gooogle did a search for locked Nano. Took me straight to this site, I followed the instructions, My Nano is up and running. I am writing this testimony. True story…..

    Thanks my man, you are the bomb.

    Like

  17. Thanks dude I was freaking I was about to go buy a new one just so i could return this one an go through all that mess but this fixed it in a matter of seconds

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  18. I am a real technophobe and usually have my husband fix everything for me. You can imagine my panic when it froze up. Thanks for the tip- it worked great and I feel so very accomplished!

    Like

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