If you find yourself with an unresponsive iPhone, or if your screen's stuck on the Apple logo for more than a few minutes with no progress bar in sight, it might be time to put your device in recovery mode.
What Is iPhone Recovery Mode?
Putting your phone in recovery mode is the last step you take when trying to fix your iPhone at home. You need to enter that mode when all the troubleshooting steps you've done ended in disappointment and you're still left with an unresponsive device.
Business Insider said the problems that might force you to enter recovery mode include: your iPhone is stuck in a continuous restarting loop, a frozen screen that won't turn on or turn off, or a screen stuck with nothing but black or Apple logo and there isn't a progress bar to indicate if it's installing anything.
It is worth noting that putting your iPhone into recovery mode may also factory reset it. A factory reset wipes out all your data and leaves you with an iPhone that's as software fresh as the day it left the box.
With that being said, it is best that you practice backing up your devices regularly so you don't lose your precious data.
Keep in mind that entering recovery mode is truly the last resort. Try other troubleshooting methods before attempting recovery mode on your device.
How to Put Your iPhone Into Recovery Mode
You will need your Mac or computer to set up recovery mode. Here are the steps to do it:
1. Apple stresses making sure that your Mac is up to date and your iTunes is updated to the latest version.
2. Connect your device to your computer and check which macOS your Mac is using. For macOS Catalina, simply open Finder. If your Mac runs on Mojave or earlier, or if you're on a PC, open iTunes. If you've already opened iTunes previously, close the app and open it again.
3. While your device is still connected, enter recovery mode and wait until the recovery mode screen appears. Here's how to enter recovery mode on different iPhone models:
iPhone 8 or later: Start by pressing and quickly releasing the Volume Up button. Repeat for the Volume Down button before proceeding to press and hold the Side button until you see the recovery mode screen.
iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus: At the same time, press and hold the Top (or Side) button and the Volume Down button. Keep holding the buttons down until you see the recovery mode screen.
iPhone 6s or earlier: Together, press and hold both the Home Button and the Top (or Side) Button until you see the recovery mode screen appear.
4. Head over to your computer and locate your device. The option to Restore or Update will pop up on your screen. Choose Update. This will allow your computer to try and reinstall the software without erasing your data. All that's left to do is wait while your computer downloads the software for your iPhone.
Apple said if the download takes more than 15 minutes and your device leaves the recovery mode screen, let the download finish. After that, repeat step three.
5. After the Update or Restore is completed, set up your device. If you already have another device on iOS 11 or later, you can use Quick Start for an easy setup. If not, just follow the steps your iPhone walks you through.
Contacting Apple
If you've finished putting your phone on recovery mode but still experience problems, you can contact Apple Support or have it looked at by an expert to run diagnostics.
Do not attempt to do any hardware or software fixes yourself if you are not adept. You might do more damage than good on your device.
