Have you ever heard about iPhone recovery mode? If you think it is something that you will deal with when the time comes, you are wrong. One should at least know what it is and at what situation it is used. Putting your iPhone into Recovery Mode is a useful troubleshooting step when you’re dealing with a complex software problem. In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about iPhone Recovery Mode!
What is iPhone recovery mode?
If your iPhone experiences trouble with its software or an app, restarting can often fix the problem. However, sometimes these problems are more severe and require you to put your iPhone in Recovery Mode.
Recovery Mode is a failsafe in iBoot that is used to revive your iPhone with a new version of iOS. It is commonly utilized when the currently installed iOS is damaged or undergoing an upgrade via iTunes. Additionally, you can put your iPhone in Recovery Mode when you want to troubleshoot or jailbreak the device. This would mean that you may have already utilized this function without realizing it when you are doing a standard iOS upgrade or restoration.
How does iPhone recovery mode work?
Put simply, Recovery Mode is a place where every component that you need to help you to install official iOS updates and repair any software damages or errors. Therefore, your iPhone would always be prepared to undergo this process without the need to download a bunch of stuff every time you need to put your iPhone into Recovery Mode.
Why Would I Put My iPhone In Recovery Mode?
Some problems that may require Recovery Mode include:
- Your iPhone is stuck in a restart loop after installing an iOS update.
- iTunes is not registering your device.
- The Apple logo has been on the screen for several minutes with no change.
- You see the “Connect to iTunes” screen.
- You cannot update or restore your iPhone.
All of these issues mean your iPhone isn’t functioning correctly and it will take more than a simple restart to get it back in working order. Below, you’ll find the steps to put your iPhone in Recovery Mode.
What Does Recovery Mode Do?
When the first few mobile phones came into the market, they were really simple and fuss-free. These days, we are highly dependent on our smartphones and every detail of our lives is stored in it. This is why having a recovery feature is highly important to have on a smartphone. With the iPhone Recovery Mode, you can easily restore your iPhone to its previous state when your iPhone’s data or setting is corrupted. In short, iPhone recovery mode will solve the problems we have seen in the above point. (Why would I put my iPhone in Recovery Mode)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Iphone recovery mode?
Advantages of iPhone recovery mode
Here are some advantages or pros of iPhone recovery mode,
- Recovery mode is designed to prevent the iPhone from further damage when things go wrong. So it could fix many iPhone problems including iOS installation and upgrade error, Touchscreen issue, Uninstalling a bad beta, bypassing a forgotten passcode, reboot loop problem in iPhone and more.
- You will be able to restore your iPhone to its previous settings and functions. Not only will you get to restore your OS to its factory settings, but you will also be able to retrieve your email, iMessages, music, pictures, etc. if you have a backup.
- This feature is highly convenient. As long as you have iTunes on a Mac or PC, you will be able to complete the steps involved when Recovery Mode is activated on your iPhone.
Disadvantages of iPhone recovery mode
Here are some disadvantages or cons of iPhone recovery mode.
- There is a side effect coming with restoring the iPhone in recovery mode: Performing a restore in your iPhone will erase all settings and data and bring the iPhone back to factory state.
- If you religiously back it up weekly or even monthly, chances are you will be able to get your phone up to 90% of its previous state. However, if your last backup was six months ago, do not expect that it will run as it did yesterday.
- Since iTunes is used to restore your iPhone, expect to lose some non-iTunes content such as apps and music that was not downloaded or purchased from AppStore.
How to put the iPhone in Recovery Mode?
To prepare for the recovery mode, please make sure that you’re using the latest version of iTunes. If not, update your iTunes to the newest version.
How to Update Your iTunes?
To Update the iTunes app in your Windows PC.
- Open Apple Software Update in the Start menu.
- Install any updates If available.
Steps for putting iPhone in recovery mode
- Close iTunes on your computer if it is running. Then connect the iPhone to your computer using a lightning cable and open the iTunes app.
- While still connected to the computer, force restart your iPhone.
- Continue holding down the buttons until you see the “Connect to iTunes” screen. (See below for different methods to reset different phones.)
- Choose Update when the pop-up appears asking you to Restore or Update your iPhone. iTunes will start to download the software to your device.
- Set up your device as soon as the Update or Restore has finished.
There are different ways to reset the various iPhones or iPads. Follow these steps to complete the above Step 3 for your device:
- iPhone 6s or earlier, iPad, or iPod Touch
Press and hold the “Sleep/Wake” and “Home” buttons at the same time. Don’t release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Keep holding both buttons until you see the recovery mode screen.
- For an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus
How to put iPhone 7 in Recovery Mode? Press and hold the “Sleep/Wake” and “Volume Down” buttons at the same time. Don’t release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Keep holding both buttons until you see the recovery mode screen.
- iPhone 8 and later
Power off the device. Then press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Next press and quickly release Volume Down. Finally, press and hold the Side button until seeing the recovery mode screen.
What to do after putting the iPhone in Recovery Mode?
After your iPhone has entered into recovery mode, you will see three options in iTunes: “Cancel”, “Restore” or “Update”.
- If you choose “Update”, iTunes will try to reinstall the latest iOS to your iPhone without erasing any data.
- But if the iOS download takes more than 15 minutes and your device exits recovery mode, let the download finish, then repeat these steps to re-enter recovery mode. This time, choose “Restore”, which will erase all contents on your iPhone and restore it from backups.
What to do if your iPhone is stuck in Recovery Mode?
If you’re facing the issue of the iPhone stuck in recovery mode on iOS 14/13.7. The good news is that you don’t need to put it in the trash because we’re going to reveal several ways to fix the problem.
One of the best ways to fix an iPhone stuck in recovery mode is by force restarting it. In this way, you can resolve most of the issues related to your iOS device without taking the assistance of any computer. To learn how to fix iPhone 6 stuck in recovery mode, follow these steps:
- Press the Power (wake/sleep) and the Home button on the device at the same time.
- Keep pressing both the buttons for at least 10-15 seconds.
- Let go of them as Apple’s logo would appear on the screen.
How to fix iPhone 7 stuck in recovery mode, follow these steps:
- Instead of the Home button, press and hold the Volume Down button on the device.
- At the same time, press and hold the Power (wake/sleep) button.
- Keep pressing both the buttons for another 10 seconds till the Apple logo would appear.
If you have a high-end iPhone, for example, your iPhone 8 or iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 stuck in Recovery Mode, follow these instructions to fix the issue:
- Press and release the Volume Up key on your iPhone 8 / iPhone 8 Plus / iPhone 11 / iphone 12.
- Press and release the Volume Down key.
- Press and hold the Power key on the right side. Release it when the Apple logo appears.
How to get out of iphone Recovery Mode?
If restoring the iPhone succeeds, your phone will automatically exit Recovery Mode when it restarts. You can also exit Recovery Mode without restoring your phone (if your device was working properly before. If not, Recovery Mode is still your best option). To do that:
- Unplug the device from the USB cable
- Hold down the Sleep/Wake button (or Side, depending on your model) until the iPhone turns off and then let it go. Depending on your model, you may also need to hold the Volume Down button.(If you’re using an iPhone 7 and later, hold down the Volume Down button instead of the Home button.)
- Keep holding until the Apple logo reappears.
Let go of the button and the device will start.
What if your iPhone won’t restore in Recovery Mode?
There are numerous reasons why an iPhone won’t restore with iTunes. In fact, this issue can be traced to both software and hardware problems — but it’s easy to solve if you approach it in the right way. How To Fix An iPhone That Won’t Restore,
Update iTunes On Your Computer
As we wrote above, update your iTunes via computer this may help you to solve the issue.
Reboot Your Computer
If your iTunes is already up-to-date, the next step in fixing your iPhone is to reboot your computer. On a Mac, just click the Apple button at the upper-left-hand corner of the screen and click Restart from the bottom of the drop-down menu. On a PC, click on the Start Menu and click Restart.
Hard Reset Your iPhone When It’s Plugged Into The Computer
We don’t always recommend hard resetting your iPhone, but it may be a necessary step when your iPhone won’t restore.
The process of hard resetting an iPhone depends on which model you have: (it is the same process we have done above in; if your iPhone is stuck on Recovery Mode issue)
Try A Different Lightning / USB Cable
Oftentimes, an iPhone won’t restore because a broken or otherwise faulty Lightning cable. Try using a different Lightning cable, or borrow one from a friend.
What if the iPhone Recovery Mode is not working?
There are some effective solutions mentioned below in the article if iPhone Recovery Mode is not working, read them carefully.
Update iTunes
If iPhone Recovery Mode doesn’t work then your first solution should be updating the iTunes app. iTunes is one of the most important apps. It was designed by Apple to deal with the problems regarding iOS. So, you need to update the app and possibly the problems will get fixed. You need to follow a few particular steps if you wish to update iTunes to its latest version; the steps are discussed below:
Updating iTunes on Mac
- Go to your Mac and launch the App Store app.
- Navigate to “Updates” and then MacOS will start to look for available iTunes updates.
- If available, then click “Update”.
Updating iTunes on Windows
- Open your Windows PC and download the iTunes app from Apple Website.
- Then, run the iTunes app and click on “Help” then “Check for Updates”.
- If an update is available then click “Install”.
- If you have downloaded the iTunes app from the Microsoft store then it will be updated automatically.
Most of the problems regarding the function of the iTunes app get fixed after an update. So, it’s worth a try!
Force Restart iPhone
Even after the software update, iPhone Recovery Mode won’t work, you can try fixing it by Force Restarting the device. The Force Restart is capable of fixing minor problems. The procedure varies depending on the model of iPhone you are using, and they detailed below:
- Force-restart iPhone 6 or previous models of iPhone or iPad: Press and hold the Power button along with the Home button. Release the buttons when the Apple logo is visible.
- Force Restart iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Hold the Power button with the Volume Down button. Release when you see the Apple Logo.
- Force Restart iPhone 8, X and later: Tap and release the Volume Up button and then Volume Down button. Then, hold the Power button until the Apple Logo can be seen.
“We have learned all about iPhone recovery mode, where it is used, how to use it, what to do if the iPhone is stuck in recovery mode, how to get out of iPhone recovery mode, what to do if iPhone Recovery Mode is not working and much more thanks for reading if any questions arises in your mind feel free to contact us!