Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Bricked iPhone 16 Can Be Restored Wirelessly Using Another iPhone

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,189
38,982


iOS 18 includes a new over-the-air recovery feature designed to revive bricked iPhone 16 devices using another iPhone or an iPad, according to a new report.

iphone-16-recovery-restore-firmware-wirelessly.jpeg
Image credit: 9to5Mac​

As things stand, if you have a malfunctioning ‌iPhone 15 or earlier model, a Mac or PC needs to be used to restore the firmware, which is inconvenient as some people might not have the appropriate cable to hand or may no longer even use a computer.

Apple has made efforts over the years to remove the need to operate iOS devices with computers. For example, it's already possible to use an iPhone to wirelessly restore an Apple Watch or an Apple TV. Now it looks like the same functionality is coming to new iPhone 16 models.

9to5Mac reports that it was able to simulate when an iPhone 16 enters Recovery Mode in iOS 18, which apparently allows users to simply place the iPhone 16 next to another iPhone or iPad to start an over-the-air firmware recovery. The other device downloads a new iOS firmware and transfers it to the bricked device, removing the need to connect it to a computer.

While iOS 18 enables any compatible device to assist in restoring a non-functional iPhone, it appears that wireless restoration is currently limited to iPhone 16 models. Apple's latest devices apparently come equipped with a dedicated recovery partition, capable of managing the entire restoration process independently of the main iOS partition's status.

Evidence that Apple has been working on an over-the-air recovery method for iPhones first appeared way back in iOS 13.4. Whether Apple intends to add the functionality to earlier iPhone models is unclear at this time. iOS 18 is available now, while the iPhone 16 series is set to launch on Friday, September 20.

Article Link: Bricked iPhone 16 Can Be Restored Wirelessly Using Another iPhone
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/18/iphone-16-restored-wirelessly-another-iphone/
Last edited:
  • Wow
Reactions: LockOn2B
Another indication of a portless phone? I can't imagine the Pro going portless now, since they advertised those capabilities so much. Even in the regular phone and SE, I think people would not like the compromise given how universally useful USB-C now is.

I can only imagine it for the rumored "thin" iPhone. In that form factor they can experiment and gauge the reaction.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xmach, Jovijoker, Shirasaki and 10 others
The iPhone 16 has:
1. Fast wireless charging over MagSafe.
2. Wireless recovery using another iPhone or iPad

iPad Pro M4 has a copper Apple logo. The next version of the iPads could have MagSafe charging.

Now we just need reverse wireless charging on iPhone for AirPods.

I could see the base iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, AirPods, and Apple TV remote going portless in the next few years.

A portless phone is more secure. Graykey and Cellebrite can’t be used to extract data.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
  • Angry
Reactions: xmach, Jovijoker, kitKAC and 8 others
I wonder if this dedicated recovery partition will result in less available storage. Factoring in the whole GiB/GB 1000/1024 bits to a byte thing and the space used for iOS itself you get something like 230GB available on a 256GB phone (I forget the exact number).

It would suck if the space was reduced by another 8GB or so because of a recovery partition. Something that is convenient in some situations but let's face it, the vast majority of people will never need to use this feature.
 
foobarbaz said:
I can only imagine it for the rumored "thin" iPhone. In that form factor they can experiment and gauge the reaction.
Click to expand...

That's exactly it. A completely sealed phone, unexpectedly thin, could be its own Air category that sells on state of the art, future tech today, like the iPhone X did. They'll turn it being entirely wireless into an asset instead of a lack of USB being a liability.

MagSafe gaining capacity recently, even over Qi2, is not a coincidence. The EU is working on certifying Qi compatibility as Europe's wireless standard, so the iPhone Air wouldn't need to include USB-C. Coming back from Portugal for 3 weeks, I found Qi chargers pretty common. McDonalds had them built into tables. No need to carry a cable, just rest your iPhone on it while you eat.

Wireless restoring is the harbinger of a portless iPhone. I could even see the next iPad mini, ultra thin and portless with MagSafe, kicking things off later this year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xmach, Jovijoker, rjohnstone and 2 others
Like what some people claim about the battery charging limits available on the iPhone 15 and 16, this limitation is only arbitrarily software, right? Apple is only limiting this to the newest phones because it is greedy and doesn’t want to implement it in older phones, right?

/sarcasm done

The fact that some features are limited to certain devices just might indicate there is some hardware involved in the function. Discounting that option without clear evidence against it is myopic. It appears to be the case with this reported feature and might be the case with other features, even if they appear to be only software.

This is a great feature for those who will be affected at some point and suggests a possible portless future, at least for some devices.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Angry
  • Love
Reactions: xmach, Shirasaki, michaelnugent and 3 others
mystery hill said:
The iPhone 16 has:
1. Fast wireless charging over MagSafe.
2. Wireless recovery using another iPhone or iPad

iPad Pro M4 has a copper Apple logo. The next version of the iPads could have MagSafe charging.

Now we just need reverse wireless charging on iPhone for AirPods.

I could see the base iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, AirPods, and Apple TV remote going portless in the next few years.

A portless phone is more secure. Graykey and Cellebrite can’t be used to extract data.
Click to expand...
iPhones have slow wireless charging. Mid-range android phones have double its speed.
 
foobarbaz said:
Another indication of a portless phone? I can't imagine the Pro going portless now, since they advertised those capabilities so much. Even in the regular phone and SE, I think people would not like the compromise given how universally useful USB-C now is.

I can only imagine it for the rumored "thin" iPhone. In that form factor they can experiment and gauge the reaction.
Click to expand...
Wifi needs to be A LOT faster at least on “Pro” phones if that’s the case. I actually shoot ProRes on my iPhone and need the speed of the TB port. For both direct connect and using an external drive. Apple can ditch ports on non-Pro if they want but it should be a distinguished feature of the Pro then.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xmach, kitKAC, onenorth and 3 others
MayaUser said:
So Apple wants you to buy second iphone
Click to expand...
You'll either have to:

1. Buy a second iPhone
2. Buy a Mac
3. Buy a PC and install "Apple Devices"
4. Find a friend with one of ^ and willing to help.

I do hope they'll extend this to restoring iPads as well, so you can have an iPhone restored by an iPad (and vice versa)

(added "restoring iPads" because this works from an iPad to iPhone already)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Shirasaki and GregoriusM
That's actually pretty cool. I remember back when iOS 5 came out, the fact that you could set up an iOS device without iTunes was a huge deal, now we're on to this. Interested to see if and when this will come to other devices.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xmach and orbital~debris
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back