Unresponsive iPhone X screen recovery mode update erased data

Question

Unresponsive iPhone X screen recovery mode update erased data

My iPhone X experienced an unresponsive screen suddenly so I followed some suggestions to hard reset and also to put the phone into recovery mode with iTunes to update the phone. A few other posts about the unresponsive screen issue seemed to suggest that the unresponsive screen would randomly start working and randomly stop working between hard resets and iTunes recovery mode updates. My goal was to make an iTunes backup before taking the phone to repair as the unresponsive screen seemed to be a known issue but I didn't have a recent backup. The first iTunes recovery mode update brought me to the activation screen, but I was unable to swipe up to proceed with the setup as the screen was still unresponsive, so I thought my data was still intact. An update is supposed to leave all your settings and a restore wipes it all out, but the dialogue boxes are totally different. Restore clearly says all your media and data will be erased. I didn't put the iPhone into DFU mode and I was extremely careful with the recovery mode update. I did the iTunes recovery mode update at least 10 times and I was unable to get the touch function working and unable to make a backup since the hard reboot requires the iPhone to be unlocked to work again. I tried a few other things to get the screen working again like burping the phone by pressing on the back incase a cable controlling touch responsiveness had come loose or warming the phone up by sitting on it or warming between hands as the temperature had been cold. I was already running iOS 12 and the update would have been an incremental one.

I made an appointment at the Apple shop for repair and after removing the iPhone X from the list of devices in Find my iPhone, a screen replacement was provided. When I received the phone back I was able to swipe up to proceed with the activation, but all the data on the phone was erased. The notes indicated the screen was replaced, but the phone was already erased and on the activation screen . How could the technician know if the phone was erased when the activation screen is identical between restoring and updating? Needless to say I was really upset to hear that I lost all my data and was only recommended to try a data recovery service. Without an iTunes or iCloud backup, is there any option for me to recover any photos and other content while on the activation screen? Has this happened to anyone else where an update caused their iPhone to go back to the activation screen to be restored from a backup or setup as a brand new iPhone instead of just keeping all the old data and settings? Has anyone used any commercial software successfully in this type of situation or does anyone have any ideas?

Posted on Feb 22, 2019 4:39 PM

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Answer 1

sberman

Level 10

273,534 points

Feb 23, 2019 6:37 PM in response to iPhoneXUpdate

That dialogue seems to indicate that updating the iphone, which I would assume would be through recovery mode as the option is on the bottom right corner, would leave the settings and content in place.

Your assumption is incorrect, and I don't understand why you would make that assumption, given the word "recovery" never appears on that screen anywhere.

Again, in order of increasing severity, the terms are:

"Update" - explained on the screen above. Does retain data.
"Restore" - also explained on the screen above. Does not retain data.
"Recovery" - not even mentioned on the screen above. More drastic than restore.

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Answer 2

deggie

Level 10

167,537 points

Feb 22, 2019 8:20 PM in response to iPhoneXUpdate

Once you put your iPhone into Recovery mode your data was erased.

Switch to iCloud backup and set it to do so automatically. If you had done so you would have had a backup from the previous night.

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Answer 3

Feb 23, 2019 2:47 AM in response to deggie

I thought recovery mode then selecting update in iTunes would preserve your settings and content as that's what the dialogue box says in iTunes. Does recovery mode then update always wipe the data? If update wipes the data, iTunes shouldn't have a message that says update will keep the settings and content. I had hoped the settings and content would be preserved as I think the restore and update both lead to the activation screens on the iPhone so there was no way for me to tell if the settings and content were still there. Thanks for the advice and help.

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Answer 4

deggie

Level 10

167,537 points

Feb 23, 2019 8:36 AM in response to iPhoneXUpdate

Most people end up in Recovery mode because something goes wrong with it, it ends up in Recovery mode and displays a cable pointing to the iTunes symbol. You are confusing restoring the iPhone with Recovery mode. To restore or update your iPhone you do not have to put it in Recovery mode nor should you. You misread.

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Answer 5

Feb 23, 2019 6:28 PM in response to sberman

This is exactly the screen that showed up in my recovery mode update. That dialogue seems to indicate that updating the iphone, which I would assume would be through recovery mode as the option is on the bottom right corner, would leave the settings and content in place. After the repair I went through the activation screen including setting up a passcode. I tried repeating the recovery mode update and when you reach the first activation screen to swipe up it makes you enter the passcode set previously. This seems to indicate it's saving some data so I don't understand how I lost my data in the first place?

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Answer 6

Feb 23, 2019 7:10 PM in response to sberman

I also read the Apple page that talks about recovery mode update here https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201263, it says at step 4,

When you see the option to Restore or Update, choose Update. iTunes will try to reinstall iOS without erasing your data.

The screenshot looks exactly the same one you posted and from the recovery mode update.

Then in step 5

After the Update or Restore completes, set up your device.

Apple doesn't seem to indicate anything about recovery mode update erasing any data so I wouldn't have guessed it would do that.

I really appreciate your help. Beyond understanding why my data was erased, I'm wondering if there is any chance of the data still being on the iPhone?

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Answer 7

deggie

Level 10

167,537 points

Feb 23, 2019 7:04 PM in response to iPhoneXUpdate

They make it very clear in that article that you might lose your data but I would bet your data was already gone by the time you tried recovery mode. They say you MIGHT be able to save your data with an update. But again, I think yours was already gone.

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Answer 8

Feb 23, 2019 7:29 PM in response to deggie

Before I put the phone in recovery mode, I tried a hard reset and the wallpaper was still coming up along with the screen being unresponsive so the data was still there before the recovery mode update. This is why its so confusing to me as I would expect it to have kept everything. I do realise the article says try to reinstall iOS without erasing your data and since I tried and it keeps the passcode lock I guess some data should still be there.

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