Update 17.1.2 bricked my phone

I had the same issue with iphone 15 Pro and 17.1.2. I tried the update yesterday (Dec 1) and immediately after the touch screen didn't work ahd charging through the cable didn't work. I was able to charge via the magnetic charger and i could connect to itunes via USB but charging didn't work through the cable. I did try many of the suggestions in this thread like volume up, down then press power button. Did that probably 20+ times. I tried to reset the phone while connected to itunes on my PC which looked promising but ended with an error. I went to the apple store and they couldn't read the serial number on the the phone so they couldn't do anything. I got on the line with Verizon support and she had me reset the phone via logging into icloud via my PC. Finally, I was able to reset the phone but that didn't fix any of the issues. Luckily I have device protection so they are shipping me a new phone in a few days. I would love to hear the root cause for this issue.

Hello ~ Try a forced restart this way from a prior post by *Axel Foley*…

(1) Try and Force Restart your iPhone EXACTLY as shown below and see whether that resolves the issue:

• Press and quickly release Volume UP button
• Press and quickly release Volume DOWN button
• Press and Hold the SIDE button until an Apple logo appears and then release the Side button (Can take up to 20 seconds. (DO NOT release Side Button when invited to Slide Power OFF). 

(2) If the above does not work then - Follow the instructions in this article by Apple ➔ If your iPhone is Non-Responsive or Frozen and see if that helps.

~Katana-San~

This happened to my fiancé’s phone this morning. Her 2 options given to her were to drive 65 minutes to an Apple Store or have them put a $1100 charge in her card while they send her out a new one next week.

I decided to see what I could do. I ended up downloading iTunes on my PC and connecting it to the phone. iTunes said it was in DFU mode and I clicked erase and restore. It failed the first time saying the download was corrupted. But the 2nd time it worked fine and erased the phone. She’s now in the process of auto-downloading her old apps and files.

My fiancés phone was already in DFU mode when the update bricked her phone… but if for some reason your phone isn’t in DFU mode, you can put it in DFU mode by pressing the volume up and release, volume down and release then hold the side button down. After the screen goes black, while continuing to hold the side button, hold down the volume up and continue to hold both buttons. This should put it in DFU mode. Then open itunes on your pc/laptop and plug your phone in.

Hope this helps.

Pharmer75 Said:

"Update 17.1.2 bricked my phone: I have a brand new iPhone 15 pro max and I am writing this on my old iPhone X. [...]So… now what? Do I have to skip work tomorrow to take this somewhere? I don’t have an Apple Store within 100 miles.[...]"

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Transferring to a New iPhone:

1. Use Quick Start:

The transfer may have stalled. So, is Quick Start what you used here? Either way, I recommend you restore your new iPhone to factory settings, and then perform this once more, this time using Quick Start: Use Quick Start to transfer data to a new iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Once Transferred...

2. Update Using a Computer:

Have a Computer Handy? If so, try using a computer to update. Use my User Tip: Making Use of a Computer for Updating an iOS Device - User Tip. If any updates are availabe, they will install, sure enough.

TheLittles wrote:

Pharmer75 Said:

"Update 17.1.2 bricked my phone: I have a brand new iPhone 15 pro max and I am writing this on my old iPhone X. [...]So… now what? Do I have to skip work tomorrow to take this somewhere? I don’t have an Apple Store within 100 miles.[...]"

-------

Transferring to a New iPhone:

1. Use Quick Start:

The transfer may have stalled. So, is Quick Start what you used here? Either way, I recommend you restore your new iPhone to factory settings, and then perform this once more, this time using Quick Start: Use Quick Start to transfer data to a new iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Once Transferred...

2. Update Using a Computer:

Have a Computer Handy? If so, try using a computer to update. Use my User Tip: Making Use of a Computer for Updating an iOS Device - User Tip. If any updates are availabe, they will install, sure enough.

I don’t think they are saying they have an issue with setting up a new phone. They appear to be using the old phone because they can’t get the 15 Pro Max to work after the newest iOS update

Hello ~ What’s really not helpful is coming into this thread and being disrespectful to a knowledgeable and senior member here. What is your solution for the Author?? Post it please….

~Katana-San~

I had the exact same problem on the same phone model.

After three forced restarts and a call to Apple Support I was advised to have the phone serviced, but no appointments were available until Saturday. The support agent did not have any further suggestions.

I took the high road and performed a DFU update with my MacBook Pro. This reinstalled IOS 17.1.2 which restored the phone to an operable state. I was able to restore my iCloud backup and now am

back in business.

Katana-San wrote:

Hello ~ Try a forced restart this way from a prior post by *Axel Foley*…

(1) Try and Force Restart your iPhone EXACTLY as shown below and see whether that resolves the issue:•

Press and quickly release Volume UP button

• Press and quickly release Volume DOWN button

Press and Hold the SIDE button until an Apple logo appears and then release the Side button (Can take up to 20 seconds. (DO NOT release Side Button when invited to Slide Power OFF• ). 

(2) If the above does not work then - Follow the instructions in this article by Apple ➔ If your iPhone is Non-Responsive or Frozen and see if that helps.

~Katana-San~

This worked for you? If so I will let my friend Axel Foley know as he loves helping others! Good work and enjoy your iPhone today!

~KatNa-San~

You may need to call Apple Support to get further assistance (if they aren’t successful at figuring it out they will provide your options or advise you to go to your nearest Apple Store which I understand is far but may be the fastest way to get help and resolution. My closest store is also a little over 100 miles away unfortunately). I didn’t have any issues updating and can’t replicate what your are experiencing. I’m assuming your Lock Screen isn’t allowing you to put in your code correct?

Another thing you may have to resort to is factory resetting (could eliminate you from needing to go to the store).

If you go to the apple store, try to have your phone serial number on you. With Verizon, it is in your account profile under my devices. I am not sure about other providers. The people at the apple store couldn't read my serial number and thus couldnt do anything without it. See my post further on down.

I had a similar experience with my trusty 12. The update happened overnight on power. When I woke up the phone looked normal and had the “your phone has been updated” notification. I swiped up and entered my passcode and the screen instantly went white. It said “Attempting Data Recovery” which took about 30 minutes. The phone eventually restarted and seems to work but it has an Apple Pay error. The error seems to indicate that I should talk to customer service and I may have to reinstall iOS. I’m doing a backup now to get ready for it.

I’ve used iPhone for years and have never had an issue like this.

The exact same thing happened to me this morning with iphone 15 Pro Max. I did the DFU update with MacBook and now my iphone is operating normally again and setting everything back up from iCloud backup. So glad was able to do this. Thank you!