iOS 5 Upgrade Bricked My iPhone 4 (Stuck in Recovery Mode)

It's a problem with too many people trying to download the upgrade at the same time. The servers are jammed and the updates are probably being corrupted in the process.

I had the 3004 message and my iPhone 4 was bricked. - I went to the Apple Store since I have the AppleCare plan and after checking it out they replaced my phone. If this happens to you make a Genius bar appointment at the Apple Store near you today! Place is going to be crazy tomorrow and over the next two weeks!

Spoke too soon apparently. Plugged the phone back in to see if there were any updated apps. Now it's apparently stuck in restore loop ****. Sure hope this is worth it!

Try switching to Airplane Mode before updating. Saw this on another forum, and after several failed tries beforehand, it worked for me after making this change. Note: the upgrade process is very un-Apple-like – with periods of apparent inactivity, and during much of the restore process the phone does not show that it is in syncing mode.

I think the problem is iCloud. My phone was stuck in recovery mode after i set up icloud, so I restored the phone from my backup. When the process is finished it will ask you to to configure icloud. SKIP THIS PART! I did this and the phone seems to be working fine, sans icloud.

It is not Icloud.. perhaps some of you are nnot following instructions.. did you upgrade your mac or macbook to the latest updates including the latest itunes update.. this updates prepares your system for transition to icloud....

I did all the software updates and my updates were quick and smooth...

Fly, there are 14 pages of people having issues with this. It is not a matter of "reading the instructions." As someone pointed up far above - the issue is most likely Apples servers being overloaded right now. Too many people trying to update at once. It took me many attempts to finally get updated yesterday, but it finally went through - which was probably just blind luck of the draw. Today I am trying to move MobileMe to iCloud and having the same issue. Tried 4 times already - keeps telling me to try later after transferring 350 out of 983 files.

Im just going to wait a couple days before trying iCloud again. Clearly today is not the day to do it.

1) updated iMac and iTunes

2) downloaded ios5

3) backed up iPhone 4

4) installed ios5 on iPhone 4

5) error message - SIM card not valid... iPhone locked and unusable.

6) went to ATT store and was told sim card fine, it's apples error.

7) went to apple ... Took 2 hours with genius bar, eventually had to get a new iPhone. Apple tried everything to undo, redo, fix the iPhone without success.

Took a total of 8 hours to get my phone from bricked to making calls.

My advice wait two weeks before performing this update. There are bugs and server problems. When I was at the apple store people were coming in by the dozens to get their iPhones fixed.

Good luck.

My ipad 2 update smooth no problems, iphone 4 is another story. It's been 4 hours and its still RESTORING!

I had these exact same problems when I first started using google sync. So I can bet it is an iCloud syncing issue. It is the new biggest feature and it's getting overloaded like madd with all the new subscribers and syncs. It is pretty sad either way that Apple didn't plan accordingly, just like when the iPhone 4 came out. I was getting dropped calls like crazy even when I had tape around the side and with numerous cases that is until they came out with the update in Nov/Dec last year. I was really frustated back then but I got over it(didn't have much choice) and enjoy the iPhone. There will probably still be a lot of problems for the next couple days as they straighten out the kinks. In the meantime I can use my phone without all my info/apps on it I guess unless I want to dowload them individually from the phone. My phone is in limbo even after restoring it at least 5 times now, I've done about everything stated here and in help pages except take it apart completly and clean it. I have always switched to airplane mode when syncing because I had a call when syncing once and it screwed up my iTunes beyond belief. I do find it crazy that Apple makes you pay to get any kind of technical support. I also found out recently that the phones are made in an unsatisfactory work enviornment. Very sad Apple. But what can you do, right?

flyby12 - and we're all very happy for you. For those of us that are/were having problems (and I am finally in the latter category), your response was less than helpful.

Finally I have updated IOS5 on my iphone4. I was keep trying this morning and luckily got to upgrade. Still need to check how the new OS works.

TO EVERYONE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM

There's nothing wrong with your iPad, iPhone, iPod. Nothing wrong with your system! Due to overload on Apple server these days you all get this errors (3200, 3004, 3014...)

DO NOT FIDDLE WITH YOUR SYSTEMS OR YOUR DEVICES!!!

Just be patient an try over and over again... maybe the next day. It will work.

TO ALL OF YOU, WHO HAD RESTORED YOUR DEVICE FROM BACKUP, BUT DIDN'T GET ALL YOUR APPS BACK

Just redo the restore from backup. Worked for me. I restored my iPhone 4 and first I got all preset apps back. No Music, no videos, but my mails and contacts. After second restore I got EVERYTHING back just as it was before... even game scores.😉

Is that why my phone now reboots every 30 seconds after installing iOS 5. I'll probably be making a trip to the Apple store tomorrow.

<Edited by Host>

Has anyone whose update consistently fails at "restoring iPhone firmware" (reporting an unknow error) actually been able to get the upgrade to work?