iPhone 14 Pro DFU & Recovery confusion

[Ultra AleM]

Hi guys. I'm confused: what's the difference between DFU and simply clicking on "restore" from Finder after connecting iPhone to Mac? Some say they are two completely different things, others say both are for wiping everything and clean reinstalling iOS from scratch, and DFU mode is only for when iPhone is unresponsive. What is the truth? I would just like to install iOS from scratch to see if performance improves (iOS 17.1 is not perfect on my 14 Pro). Thanks!

 

[eyoungren]

DFU is direct, meaning the graphic interface (the restore screen) is eliminated. That's often convenient if a device has issues and if you just want to make sure you are making a pure, direct and clean install.

Back when I was jailbreaking regularly, any updates to the phone I made started with a backup, a DFU upgrade and then a restore. To this day, I attribute the fact that I am still using the same profile as first used on my 3GS to this method.

 

[Ultra AleM]

DFU is direct, meaning the graphic interface (the restore screen) is eliminated. That's often convenient if a device has issues and if you just want to make sure you are making a pure, direct and clean install.

Back when I was jailbreaking regularly, any updates to the phone I made started with a backup, a DFU upgrade and then a restore. To this day, I attribute the fact that I am still using the same profile as first used on my 3GS to this method.

Thanks! So the "restore" function is not a true clean installation? It keeps the iOS that was there before without putting it back from scratch? And why do they call it that? Thanks!

 

[eyoungren]

Thanks! So the "restore" function is not a true clean installation? It keeps the iOS that was there before without putting it back from scratch? And why do they call it that? Thanks!

Well, it's the same, but not. Your device has to be in a restorable state for Recovery Mode. DFU allows a restore/upgrade/update when a device is in any state - because it directly interfaces (without the GUI) with the firmware.

And that is why it's called Device Firmware Update. You are directly upgrading/updating the firmware of the device with no interaction on the device itself.

Might have a look through here…

DFU Mode - The iPhone Wiki

www.theiphonewiki.com

 

[Ultra AleM]

Well, it's the same, but not. Your device has to be in a restorable state for Recovery Mode. DFU allows a restore/upgrade/update when a device is in any state - because it directly interfaces (without the GUI) with the firmware.

And that is why it's called Device Firmware Update. You are directly upgrading/updating the firmware of the device with no interaction on the device itself.

Might have a look through here…

DFU Mode - The iPhone Wiki

www.theiphonewiki.com

Thanks! But is… like… the result similar? Even if the method is different

 

[eyoungren]

Thanks! But is… like… the result similar? Even if the method is different

Yes…you get a restored device. They both do the same thing, just with DFU it's less likely for an error to occur during the process that stops the process.

That's been my experience anyway. I just prefer not to have anything in between me and the device when restoring.

DFU is not some super secret, super duper restore method that makes a restore more 'perfect'. It just directly accesses the device for a restore. Nothing more.

 

[one more]

OP, if you want a fresh OS installation, you could also try installing it from an IPSW file. This way most of your installation issues will be resolved and, more importantly, you will save time as you will not need to restore everything from a backup. Restore and DFU modes are both quite time consuming, so I would start with an IPSW first to see if it resolves your specific issue. You can download Apple’s IPSW files for free from their developer portal, if needed. The detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of any iOS 17 release threads on this site.

 

[Zapdoc]

OP, if you want a fresh OS installation, you could also try installing it from an IPSW file. This way most of your installation issues will be resolved and, more importantly, you will save time as you will not need to restore everything from a backup. Restore and DFU modes are both quite time consuming, so I would start with an IPSW first to see if it resolves your specific issue. You can download Apple’s IPSW files for free from their developer portal, if needed. The detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of any iOS 17 release threads on this site.

Is IPSWICH beta software ? Or is it iOS for uploading to phone as clean install

 

[one more]

Is IPSWICH beta software ? Or is it iOS for uploading to phone as clean install

It can be both, but they are clearly marked as such.

IPSW - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org