bowsywowsy

Q: iPhone stuck in recovery mode?

I FIXED MY PHONE.

The reasons I'm posting this:

1. So that those with the same/a similar problem see it and know what to do.

2. Others can add to this.

3. I want to know why this happened exactly. I assumed it was because of storage and having a device that wasn't up to date.

 

This is recovery mode: If you can't update or restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

 

Background information about my iPhone 5s: had not been backed up since 2015 because iTunes required me to update it in order to back up the phone. It had not been updated in a long time because iTunes claimed I didn't have enough storage to update.

 

SHORT VERSION:

  1. If your device is stuck in recovery mode and you don't want to Restore it because you'll lose your content, try to Update it.
  2. If Updating doesn't seem to work (example: progress bar freezes mid-update), keep trying.
  3. While your device is Updating, leave your computer and the device alone. Only check your device to make sure that it is not overheating. I held my phone against my cold fingers (my hands are usually kinda cold) because it was burning hot.
  4. It will likely take several attempts and each attempt might seem like it's taking forever.
  5. When I did this, the successful Update had taken more than 24 hours.
  6. I lost no recent content and am now able to use my phone.
  7. I then was able to back up my phone because it was up to date.

 

So,

** EVEN IF IT SEEMS LIKE NOTHING IS HAPPENING. KEEP TRYING TO UPDATE. **

 

LONG VERSION:

Ok, here's how it happened:

  1. My iPhone 5s warned me (one week ago) that I was running out of storage, so I opened my photos app, planning to delete older pictures/videos from my camera roll (too free up storage space). However, my phone became slow/laggy and suddenly kicked me out of the app. When I reopened the photos app, all my pictures/videos were gone. After a few seconds, the photos began to restore and I thought the issue had resolved itself. Within a minute, however, my photos disappeared again and I was kicked out of the app again.
  2. My iPhone then shut itself off and started reboot, but wouldn't turn back on. Any attempts to turn it back on resulted in the white screen with a black apple in the center before turning off.
  3. I plugged the iPhone into my Apple desktop computer, but iTunes didn't recognize that there was a device. I put my phone in recovery mode so that iTunes would connect to it.
  4. iTunes then gave me the option to either Update or Restore my device. I chose Update because Restore=losing everything. (If you have backed up your device recently and/or don't mind losing whatever hasn't been backed up, then choose Restore. Once your device has finished restoring, you can get content back from your last back up.)
  5. The device then showed an Apple in the center of the screen with a loading bar below it. Somewhat similar to this: Apple logo with progress bar after updating or restoring iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support  Sadly, the progress bar kept freezing before it could finish. I'd leave my phone and come back to find it back in recovery mode and no longer updating.
  6. I went to Best Buy and the employees there told me that even if I manage to get it to update, there's still a chance that my content is already gone. I was told that I could Restore my phone to get it working, but that I'd definitely lose all content.
  7. I went home and continued trying to update my device. 5 days had passed since this all started and I had already made several Update attempts. I still didn't want to restore it.
  8. Every couple of hours or so I would check my phone and the progress bar would seem frozen. It continued to shut off after a few hours of Updating and i had to start the process again. Eventually, during one of my attempts the device stayed in "Update" mode instead of reverting back to recovery mode.
  9. 24 hours later: The device appeared frozen, but was still Updating. It was also burning hot to the touch, so I held the back of the phone against my fingers (I have cold hands) to cool it down a little.
  10. 4 hours later: My iPhone was ON and requesting my passcode! All of my content was THERE.

iPhone 5s, Recovery mode

Posted on Jul 4, 2016 1:51 PM