iPhone 3G stuck at the Apple logo screen; will not boot!, continued

Except that this happened on 2.0.1 too. :-/

Interesting... So this issue also occurs with 2.0.1, before any attempts are made to upgrade to 2.0.2?

Yes, I was hoping that 2.0.2 would fix it. To be fair, it seems to have made it worse. AppleCare see the problem as a hardware fault, I should be getting my fourth iPhone 3G tomorrow. Apparently I am just very unlucky. Hmmm....

They also state that it is an isolated issue and, when I asked them to look at the forum (the thread from which this is the continuation), they told me that their internet wasn't working...

Good to know...

Some 3Gs have slightly different hardware components (i.e. reports of "yellow" screens). So hardware-related variables could explain why some experience this issue and others do not. But since this issue was introduced via software updates, it likely has more to do with software than hardware. And the biggest set of software-related variables involves the AppStore apps. Person A may have some (but not all) of the same AppStore apps as Person B (and vice-versa).

So the trick might be to identify which AppStore app(s) are shared by all people that are experiencing this issue. Then use a "process of elimination" approach to identify which of those AppStore app(s) are causing the issue.

In the meantime... Have you tried just a "factory restore" without adding AppStore apps (no "backup restores" and no Application syncing via iTunes)?

I have to restore twice already since 2.0.2 software updated

Also check out...

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1619341

...the issue might be related to the AppStore's update process

Exactly what happened to me. New versions of ToDo and Pick & Choose available. Installed updates in iTunes. Plugged in phone and then after apparently installing the updates my phone restarts itself and sits on the apple logo forever. Currently doing my 3rd restore in as many days. Sick of this sh*t.

My third restore in a week already. Restoring as I'm typing this right now. It all started with updating of software. Got a call while update and phone crashed and went to apple logo. I knew right away that it's gonna be bad. Surely enough it was,
I'm getting really **** that I can't do an update without having to restore. Could someone tell whether it a software issue or should I take to apple and exchange??

Solid5nake wrote:
My third restore in a week already. Restoring as I'm typing this right now. It all started with updating of software. Got a call while update and phone crashed and went to apple logo. I knew right away that it's gonna be bad. Surely enough it was,
I'm getting really **** that I can't do an update without having to restore. Could someone tell whether it a software issue or should I take to apple and exchange??

It is absolutely a software issue, but I'd still recommend taking it in and getting a new one if you have time. The more this problem costs Apple, the sooner they'll get around to fixing it (remember, some of us - like me - have been having this problem since July 11th!!!)

This entire problem is a headache. I love my iphone but i cant wait until they fix this.

Oh God, I've had exactly the same thing... it's so darn annoying. I found that you don't actually need to restore the phone... simply plugging it into iTunes does the trick for me.

I don't know if this is of any use to anybody esle, but in my case, I have found a relatively simple procedure to get my iPhone back up after a crash: Hold Home and Power until the screen goes off, and then let go immediately (before the Apple logo appears). The phone will be turned off. Let it sit for about ten minutes or so. Turn the phone back on normally. In my case, so far, the phone has always rebooted reliably after the wait. This may be worth a try for others; better waiting for ten minutes, than peforming a several-hour-long restore...

I have been restoring my iPhone regularly too! For some reason Apple thinks it is good PR to have the Apple logo shining brightly on hundreds of non-functional iPhones!

The problem is definitely the app store on the phone. I have installed a good number of apps, both on iTunes and on the app store with no problem. My first ALoD came when trying to install a piece of software (Koi Carp the best selling app store app and VERY unlikely to cause a problem). Since then, any attempts to purchase software on the phone or update software on the phone is rewarded by a constant ALoD.

The reason I am writing this is that there is a way out of the loop. I magically managed to get it out of the loop, but I have no idea how or why it happened! I randomly pressed home and power button until things rebooted normally. I don't think the problem is fatal, just requires the correct resuscitation!

As a loyal Apple customer (3 PCs, 6 iPods, 2 iPhones, Apple TV, monitors etc...) I realy am starting to think that I should not put all my eggs in one basket. Apple has certainly lost its shine for me over this.

I have patients and other doctors trying to contact me on my phone, it is a vital piece of equipment for me and if this carries on, I will have to resurrect a dependable phone!

I could not agree more.

Then you sprinkle Apple deleting posts under the guise of "rumors and rants" and you're just throwing gasoline on it.

It was originally posted on Ars Technica in the comments http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/08/08/fix-iphones-apple-logo-scre en-of-death-with-recovery-mode

Here it is - it has worked for me

Many people have experienced this on the Apple forums with 2.0, 2.0.1 hasn't fixed it. I've got lots of apps, and i've restored 5 times since July 11th, and my backup only worked once. But, Mr Buzz posted the following. I'm yet to try this as it hasn't happened again, but it seems to be a way to save your data and make it boot up when frozen on the apple logo and others have reported that this works.

15-MIN SOLUTION: CONNECT TO ITUNES AND REBOOT 3 TIMES TO AVOID RESTORE
So this has happened to me more times than i can count, and I've recovered both my phones (2G + 3G) using this method. I've seen some people in this thread allude to this solution but let me just spell it out completely and hopefully this will save you a few restores on your phone.

1. Connect to iTunes via USB. Do not disconnect for rest of these steps. iTunes may appear frozen or stuck with spinning beachball....this is okay, do not Force Quit iTunes. I tried a few times w/o it being connected to iTunes and it doesn't work.
2. Once connected, hold Home + Power until screen blinks then Apple logo comes back up.
3. Wait until Apple logo dims slightly (~5 minutes or less). Do NOT reboot until the apple logo dims.
4. Hold Home + Power again until it reboots and Apple logo comes back up.
5. After 2 min or so, the phone may vibrate once or twice. Continue waiting for the full 5 min until Apple logo dims slightly. iTunes at this stage MAY recognize the phone...do not sync or do anything in iTunes.
6. Hold Home + Power for the 3rd time until it reboots. Phone may vibrate again after 2 minutes or so. Eventually you'll break into your Home screen.
Hope that helps and let me know if it does.

Apparently what causes this endless loop is that the SpringBoard crashes upon launch (over and over again) and launches CrashReporter on the phone itself. It goes into an endless loop until somehow iTunes while connected via USB triggers some sort of fix on the SpringBoard or its preferences/database.