iPhone 15 Pro Max Bricked Updating to iOS 18.4.1

[Arty Tales]

My iPhone 15 Pro Max tried to update to update to iOS 18.4.1 overnight.

I woke up and found the phone unresponsive, mail telling me I had no storage space (while I am sure the phone had at least 130gb free a few days ago). I tried restarting the phone and only got as far as the apple logo (multiple times).

I have tried putting it into into DFU mode to do full reinstallation, but it fails (using a MacBook Air updated to latest OS with plenty storage space).
- When I do the restore through Finder, it gives me a corruption warning once it has finished the firmware ipsw download.
- When I do the restore through Apple Configurator, I get the a warning about no space left on the device (screenshot below) once the firmware has downloaded.

Does anyone have any ideas? My phone is a month out of warranty and next appointment I can get at a Genius Bar is more than a week away.

 

[Paddle1]

My iPhone 15 Pro Max tried to update to update to iOS 18.4.1 overnight.

I woke up and found the phone unresponsive, mail telling me I had no storage space (while I am sure the phone had at least 130gb free a few days ago). I tried restarting the phone and only got as far as the apple logo (multiple times).

I have tried putting it into into DFU mode to do full reinstallation, but it fails (using a MacBook Air updated to latest OS with plenty storage space).
- When I do the restore through Finder, it gives me a corruption warning once it has finished the firmware ipsw download.
- When I do the restore through Apple Configurator, I get the a warning about no space left on the device (screenshot below) once the firmware has downloaded.

Does anyone have any ideas? My phone is a month out of warranty and next appointment I can get at a Genius Bar is more than a week away.

View attachment 2507580

Were you able to resolve the issue?

 

[goldmac2006]

I’m encountering the same problem with mine, though with an iPhone 7 I mostly used during high school and my first year of college. It holds countless high school and Apple infinite loop memories, including photos of my late nan before she passed.

Last night, I successfully backed up the iPhone 7 to my MBP. However, a glitch occurred during the iOS 15.8.8 security update through Apple Configurator when the iPhone disconnected—even though I cleaned the port and used an MFi-certified cable.

After the update failed due to the disconnection during installation, I ended up on the recovery mode screen.

Like you, I experienced the same issue. Yesterday morning during my shift, I called AppleCare repeatedly, and we tested safe mode using both an Apple genuine USB-C to Lightning cable and my Belkin cable. The same error persisted across Finder and Apple Configurator . Trying it on a Windows laptop with iTunes—as the AppleCare advisor suggested—also didn’t work; I transferred the backup files from my MacBook Pro to the Windows machine using the egnyte drive (a Google Drive that appears in Finder on Mac and File Explorer on Windows), but iTunes couldn’t recognize it, and the restore-from-backup button remained greyed out.

They recommended using iMazing and third-party apps from the internet and App Store, though many require payment 💰. iMazing charges to export more than 50 pictures into a Finder folder at one time , but it lets me view all of them.

I still want EVERYTHING BACK TO MY OLD iPhone. And I’m still planning to visit the Apple Store to resolve it ✔️ someday.

 

[goldmac2006]

I’m encountering the same problem with mine, though with an iPhone 7 I mostly used during high school and my first year of college. It holds countless high school and Apple infinite loop memories, including photos of my late nan before she passed.

Last night, I successfully backed up the iPhone 7 to my MBP. However, a glitch occurred during the iOS 15.8.8 security update through Apple Configurator when the iPhone disconnected—even though I cleaned the port and used an MFi-certified cable.

After the update failed due to the disconnection during installation, I ended up on the recovery mode screen.

Like you, I experienced the same issue. Yesterday morning during my shift, I called AppleCare repeatedly, and we tested safe mode using both an Apple genuine USB-C to Lightning cable and my Belkin cable. The same error persisted across Finder and Apple Configurator . Trying it on a Windows laptop with iTunes—as the AppleCare advisor suggested—also didn’t work; I transferred the backup files from my MacBook Pro to the Windows machine using the egnyte drive (a Google Drive that appears in Finder on Mac and File Explorer on Windows), but iTunes couldn’t recognize it, and the restore-from-backup button remained greyed out.

They recommended using iMazing and third-party apps from the internet and App Store, though many require payment 💰. iMazing charges to export more than 50 pictures into a Finder folder at one time , but it lets me view all of them.

I still want EVERYTHING BACK TO MY OLD iPhone. And I’m still planning to visit the Apple Store to resolve it ✔️ someday.

found that my case is unique like yours. and I got a -40 error code.