iphone won't turn on past apple logo, can't restore. HELP

Same problem. Except with an iPhone 4. A lot of forums I've read said to put it into dfu mode or "connect to iTunes" to restore but when it reaches "waiting for iphone " stage the phone will restart and instead of continuing the restore it either gives me an error 21 message or the on/off apple logo cycle continues. I feel like apple should've fixed this by now. This is VERY frustrating. Please apple fix, iPhone is still very much useable and I cant afford to get a new apple device.

A lot of forums I've read said to put it into dfu mode or "connect to iTunes" to restore b

You want it in recovery mode, not DFU, which is used for hacking or on already hacked phones

What is Difference Between Recovery Mode and DFU Mode

Error 21 usually means there is hardware damage,

Check for hardware issues

Related errors: 1, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 1000, 1002, 1004, 1011, 1012, 1014, 1667, or 1669.

Try to restore your iOS device two more times while connected with a cable, computer, and network you know are good. Also, confirm your security software and settings are allowing communication between your device and update servers. If you still see the error message when you update or restore, contact Apple support.

Please apple fix,

Who are you talking to? This is a user-to-user support forum, not Apple.

I had the same problem but with an iphone 3gs, i do not know what to do but i do know that resroing it doesnt do anything in the sligtest, i cant even back my phone up again and transfer the stuff cos it seems to also restart after about 5 10 mins, i tried to take it to apple to see if they could tell me what was wrong but they said that my "complimentry repair could not be used" i think that this is due to it being so old but i do not know...

Just use this if it happens ever again I was searching for 2hrs cuz my moms iphone messed up just like that & you said that the worker said it was a firmware problem & then I fount this & it worked hope it works for everybody else to so they don't have to buy or get another phone !!

DFU method is one which is a sort of advanced instance of the device loader which is used by Apple to initially load up firmware and other files. This has nosecureprotection, so inexperienced users or new ones may by mistake flash the wrong firmware or actually mess the Bootloader when you are jailbreaking. Therefore, it is advised that you carefully handle your device when you are in DFU mode.

1. Switch ON your device.
2. Now, open iTunes and connect your device using a USB cable.
3. Next, press and hold the Home + Power buttons together for 10 seconds exactly and then release the Power button.
4. Lastly, continue holding the Home button until iTunes detects your device in recovery mode.
5. Now, restore.

Here is the solution...

It is not bad firmware...

If the iphone is power cycling to apple logo while plugged into a power source then it is a defective battery. Easy to replace in the 4 and 4s versions. Sometimes the battery can come lose. It is power cycling because it does not have enough "juice" to sustain and is just rebooting.

Your welcome.

Do you really think oregonjoe is still struggling to restore his phone since he posted last Feb, 5 months ago?

His problem had nothing to do with a bad battery. Try reading his posts (as well as the rest of the thread) before commenting.

thanks! i was thinking the same thing but i dont know my phone's screen blurs out during the apple logo then restarts , is it the battery ?

It is the battery and none of the comments in this thread actually helped to answer that question and so it's good he answered it now rather than ever for others that look online for a solution.

I had the exact same issue with my iphone 4s and once I replaced the battery, everything got back to normal. No security software, no hardware issues.

Thanks steveofresh.

Maybe if you bothered to read the thread in which you just posted you would know that the OP described a problem that was evaluated at the Apple store and found to be corrupted firmware. Since neither you nor stevofresh provided any descriptions of your problems beyond "exact same issue", it's clear that you didn't read the details of the original post, which described a problem beyond loop restarting and involved restore error # 9.

What made you so sure I haven't read the entire thing? When I said "exact same issue" I meant every little detail he wrote in his post, including restoring the phone. One of the first things I tried to check before changing the battery is a hardware damage and that wasn't the case.

I'm sorry but I don't see how this conversation helps in any way to this post, I think it could be more than one thing since for me, changing the battery (as easy as it is) helped fixing that problem.

If you dropped it and it wont come on properly, try plugging it into itunes. It will try and connect. If it pops up an error code on itunes than it is your battery. Honestly go online to Amazon and order the $5 battery and repair kit. It will be the simplest thing to do. Also do not loose the screws!

You have to loose the screws or they won't come out.

How did you replace the battery ?? The iPhone is not user serviceable and in tampering you have waived any support or help from Apple or this Apple hosted forum

Hardly surprising it doesn't work

I am having the same problem, its being such an SOB, Anyways i plugged mine into the computer and my itunes is attempting to fix it XD, hopefully this will work, i love my phone <3

I was able to fix the same problem as described in this thread by replacing the battery also.

One big difference with what other people are saying: my iPhone 4S got wet. It was in a purse with a water bottle (plain water, no sugar thankfully) that started leaking.

After drying out the phone for a few days, it started working, but then an attempt to charge it seemed to kill it.

As soon as I replaced the battery, the phone booted right up, even before I had the case fully re-assembled.

It seems like the water incident combined with charging somehow killed the battery completely. Perhaps that's how Li ion batteries work, or perhaps there is some kind of safety fuse built in to keep them from burning up if they get short-circuted.

The main thing I wanted to say is that a dead battery can cause these symptoms (cycling through the Apple logo, then going dark; unable to restore the phone from iTunes), and as mentioned, it is relatively easy to replace the battery on a 4S. I found a vendor on Amazon who shipped a replacement battery complete with all the tools needed for less than 10 euros, shipping included. It might be something to try if all the other helpful comments here don't work for you.

Good luck to all.