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iPhone or Android Stuck in a Bootloop After an iOS or OTA Update With Unbacked-Up Photos (DFU vs. Recovery Mode, Update Without Erase, and Error 14 Full Storage)

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Waking up after an overnight iOS or Android Over-The-Air (OTA) software update to find your phone trapped in an endless reboot cycle, flashing the Apple logo, Google G, or Samsung Galaxy splash screen every 15 to 90 seconds before blacking out, is a severe data emergency when years of unbacked-up family photos, videos, or legal records live solely on the internal NAND flash chip. Modern smartphones use hardware-enforced File-Based Encryption (FBE on Android using fscrypt and Data Protection Class keys on iOS paired with the hardware Secure Enclave / Titan M2 / Knox Vault coprocessor). No repair shop can unsolder your storage chip and read it inside an external reader without your living motherboard and unlocking passcode.

However, a post-update bootloop almost never means your encrypted user data partition (/dev/disk0s1s2 on iOS or /data on Android) has been erased. Instead, the operating system failed mid-migration because the storage volume had zero free scratch blocks to unpack the new system snapshot, causing iTunes or Finder to throw Error 14, Error 1110, Error 9, or Error 4013, or causing Android Recovery to drop into a Cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt prompt where clicking Restoreranei Factory data reset permanently destroys the cryptographic keys protecting your photos. If your phone also has water damage or a cracked display, consult te whakaora waea pakaru ranei kua pakaru te wai a iOS iPhone frozen, black screen, and recovery mode. If you face an immediate physical or medical emergency while your primary phone is bricked, borrow a nearby handset to call your local emergency number (911 i te United States me Canada, 112 puta noa i te Kotahitanga o Europi, 999 i roto i te United Kingdom) tirohia to maatau raarangi ingoa tau ohorere.

Mahia tenei inaianei

  1. DO NOT click "Restore iPhone" in Finder or iTunes, and DO NOT select "Wipe data/factory reset" in Android Recovery: Clicking Restore or Factory data reset issues an immediate cryptographic key obliteration command (effaceable-storage wipe on iOS or metadata key destruction on Android) that renders every unbacked-up photo and video mathematically unrecoverable in under two seconds.
  2. Disconnect the phone from power if it is hot, let it cool to room temperature (20 degrees Celsius / 68 degrees Fahrenheit), and time the bootloop cycle:
  3. 5-second instant flash loop: Indicates a depleted battery unable to sustain the peak 2.5A current draw of kernel initialization, or a shorted front proximity sensor flex cable (flood illuminator on Face ID iPhones). Charge the phone on a 5V / 1A (5W) USB-A brick for 45 minutes before attempting software recovery.
  4. 45-to-120-second slow loop: Indicates the bootloader (iBoot ranei ABL) loads the kernel, mounts the APFS ranei ext4/f2fs root volume, and crashes during user-space migration (DataMigrator choking on 0 bytes of free space). This is the Full Storage Update Bootloop (Error 14 / Error 1110), and your photos remain intact inside the encrypted user partition.
  5. ** Kaua rawa e whakauruhia he iPhone bootlooping ki roto DFU Mode (Mata Pango) i te wa e ngana ana ki te penapena raraunga; whakamahi Recovery Mode (Mata Taura-ki-Poro) hei utu**:
  6. He aha DFU Mode he mahanga: Whakapai ake i te Pūrere Firmware (DFU) aratau hipa iBoot ka taka ki te mata SecureROM taumata bootrom. Paerewa Apple Finder me iTunes rerengamahi i DFU ka kaha te aratau ki te ūkui wehewehenga katoa (Restore) a kaore e taea te mahi i tetahi waahi Update (Retain User Data).
  7. He aha Recovery Mode e hiahiatia ana: In Recovery Mode (showing a charging cable pointing toward a laptop), iBoot is active and allows an in-place Update that overwrites only the system OS partition while leaving your /private/var user photo volume untouched.
  8. Use a direct USB-A to Lightning ranei USB-A to USB-C data cable plugged into a rear motherboard port on a desktop PC or Mac: Do not use USB-C to Lightning fast-charge cables during firmware flashing (Error 4013 and mid-flash drops frequently occur over USB Power Delivery negotiation handshakes). Never connect through a USB hub.
  9. If Finder or iTunes has already thrown Error 1110 ranei Error 14, stop repeating standard iTunes "Update": When an iPhone throws Error 1110ranei Error 14, the phone has zero free blocks left to complete the APFS snapshot merge. Running standard iTunes Update repeatedly risks corrupting the APFS B-tree catalog. Switch immediately to 3uTools (Smart Flash -> Retain User's Data with the latest signed IPSW) or Apple's latest Apple Devices / macOS Finder build.
  10. Check iCloud.com a photos.google.com from a separate computer before assuming your photos are gone: Roughly 30 percent of users discover that a partial background sync occurred over Wi-Fi while the phone was sitting on the charger during the initial OTA download before the reboot began.

Danger

The One-Chance Rule for Full-Storage Bootloops (Error 14 / Error 1110): When an iPhone or Android device runs out of storage mid-update, the filesystem is frozen in a half-migrated state with both the old OS tables and the temporary unpacked update staging files occupying 100 percent of the NAND flash blocks. You usually get one or two clean attempts to flash a full firmware image in Retain User Data mode before the flash controller exhausts its remaining spare blocks or corrupts the volume header. Follow the exact cable, power, and IPSW preparation steps below before clicking a single button.


Decision tree: diagnosing and rescuing a post-update bootloop without wiping data

Use this engineering triage flowchart to identify the exact failure state of your phone and choose the non-destructive recovery path:

flowchart TD
    Start["Phone Stuck on Boot Logo or Reboot Loop After iOS / Android OTA Update"] --> CheckOS{"Which Operating System Is the Phone Running?"}

    CheckOS -->|"Apple iPhone / iPad (iOS / iPadOS)"| LoopSpeed{"Kia pehea te tere ka whakaara ano te Moko Apple?"}

    LoopSpeed -->|"Ka hiko ia 3 ki te 8 Hekona, ka mate ranei ina wetekina"| HardwareCheck["Whakahekenga Ngaohiko Pūhiko, Whakawhitinga Whakawhitinga Whakapoto / Whakatata Whakatata: Utu 45 Minu ki runga Pereki 5W, Momotuhia ranei te Whakapaunga Pūoko Runga"]

    LoopSpeed -->|"Ka noho ki runga mo te Moko Apple mo te 45 ki te 180 Hekona, Katahi ka whakaara ano"| EnterRec["Whakauruhia te Aratau Whakaora: Hono atu ki te Rorohiko, Patohia te Voli Runga, Vol Raro, Puritia te Patene Taha Kia Puta ra ano te Mata Tauera-ki-Pona."]

    EnterRec --> StorageCause{"I tata te Waea ki te Rokiroki Katoa (I roto i te 1 ki te 5 GB) I mua i te Whakahoutanga?"}

    StorageCause -->|"KORE: He nui te Mokowā Kore"| FinderUpdate["I roto i te Rapu / Pūrere Apple / iTunes: Patohia te 'Whakahou' (KORE rawa 'Whakaora') ki te Tāuta Anō i te Wehewehenga Pūnaha iOS ki roto i te waahi."]

    StorageCause -->|"ĀE: Rokiroki Katoa, Ka Makahia e te Kaihanga Hapa 14 / Hapa 1110"| FixError14["KATI te Paerewa iTunes Ngana Anō: Tikiake IPSW Waitohu Hou ki te rohe ka whakamahi i te 3uTools 'Smart Flash: Puritia Raraunga Kaiwhakamahi'"]

    CheckOS -->|"Android (Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, Xiaomi, OnePlus)"| AndroidMenu{"Ka taea e koe te Whakaoho ki te 'Whakaora Android' ranei 'Aratau Haumaru'?"}

    AndroidMenu -->|"Whakaatu 'Kare e taea te uta i te punaha Android: Ngana ano / Tautuhi raraunga wheketere'"| TryAgainOnly["Tīpakohia 'Whakamātauhia anō' ANAKE (Kaua rawa e Tīpakohia te Tautuhi Raraunga wheketere) ka Puritia te Voli Raro I te Whakaara kia kaha ai te 'Aratau Haumaru' Android."]

    AndroidMenu -->|"I mau a Samsung Galaxy ki runga Moko I muri i tetahi UI OTA"| SamsungHomeCSC["Whakaara ki te Aratau Tango Odin me te Flash Official 4-File Firmware Ma te whakamahi 'HOME_CSC' (KORE 'CSC_***')"]

    AndroidMenu -->|"Google Pika I mau i muri i te OTA"| PixelRescue["Whakaara ki te Aratau Whakaora, Tīpakohia 'Hoatu te whakahou mai i te ADB', me te Sideload Full Official Google OTA Zip mā te 'adb sideload'"]

Wāhanga 1: He aha nga whakahōutanga ka puta he bootloops me te aha kei roto tonu o whakaahua

Ka patohia e koe "Tāuta Inaianei" ka whakaae ranei ki te whakahou aunoa mo te po mo te iOS, mo te Android ranei, kaore te punaha whakahaere e kape noa i etahi konae penei i te PC papamahi. Ma te mohio ki te hoahoanga rokiroki e whakamarama ana he aha te take i pakaru ai te waea me pehea te penapena.

1. Ko te ahua o te iOS APFS Hopu Pūnaha me te Raraunga Raraunga Kaiwhakamahi (iOS 15 mā iOS 18+)

Ko nga iPhones hou e whakahōputu ana i a raatau rama NVMe NAND o roto ma te whakamahi Apple File System (APFS) kua wehea ki roto i nga pukapuka arorau e tohatoha ana i te puna ipu rokiroki kotahi: - Te Rōrahi Pūnaha Hiiri (/dev/disk0s1s1): Kei roto te punaha whakahaere matua a iOS, kua hiritia ki te rakau SHA-256 Merkle (Signed System Volume / SSV). - Te Raraunga Raraunga Kaiwhakamahi (/dev/disk0s1s2 whakairihia ki /private/var): Kei roto to roera kamera (DCIM), nga raraunga SQLite (sms.db, Photos.sqlite), te hitori o WhatsApp, me nga ipu tono, ka tiakina e te whakamunatanga taputapu e herea ana ki to passcode me te Secure Enclave. - He aha Error 14 a Error 1110 tupu: No te mea he rite te tinana o nga pukapuka e rua APFS ipu kaukau mokowā-kore, mena he 128 GB, 256 GB ranei to iPhone he 127.4 GB o nga whakaahua me nga taupānga keteroki (System Data), te OTA He maha nga wa ka pohehe a updater i te mokowā noa e hiahiatia ana mo te taahiraa tuarua o te whakaara ano: whakahaere i te hekenga raraunga muri-whakamohoatanga (DataMigrator). I waenganui i te whakapai ake i to Photos.sqlite pātengi raraunga me ngā mekameka matua pūnaha ki te aronuinga iOS hou, te APFS patua tohatoha ENOSPC (No space left on device, 0 free blocks). Ka mataku te kernel, ka whakaara ano, ka ngana ki te haere ano i te heke, ka pa 0 free blocks ano, ka mahanga i te waea i roto i te bootloop 90-tuarua.

2. The anatomy of Android Virtual A/B Dual-Slot Updates vs. Legacy Recovery OTA updates

Android phones use one of two update architectures: - Google Pixel, Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi (Virtual A/B Dual-Slot Updates): The phone maintains two system slot sets (Slot A a Slot B) plus Copy-on-Write (COW) snapshots stored inside /data/gsi/ota. If the update to Slot B fails to boot 3 to 7 consecutive times, the bootloader's boot_control HAL is designed to roll back to the working Slot A. However, if /data ran out of space during the snapuserd Copy-on-Write merge after first boot, or if dm-verity detects a corrupted block, the phone freezes on the boot animation or drops to the Cannot load Android system screen. - Samsung Galaxy Models (One UI Partition Migrations): The phone reboots into the recovery kernel to patch /system, /vendor, a /product directly, then boots into Android to run dex2oat (Optimizing apps) and database migrations. If the battery dips or storage fills up during Optimizing apps, the system crashes into a loop.

3. Recovery Mode vs. DFU Mode vs. Normal Boot

Boot State What Is Displayed on Screen Bootloader Stage Running Can It Update Without Erasing Photos? When to Use It
Normal Bootloop Apple logo, Google G, or Samsung logo appears for 10 to 120 seconds, turns black, and repeats. iBoot / ABL -> Kernel -> crashes during user-space mount. No (USB stack resets every 60 seconds). Never leave the phone looping here; it heats the CPU and drains the battery.
Recovery Mode (iBoot / Android Recovery) iPhone: Charging cable pointing at a laptop (support.apple.com/iphone/restore).
Android: Green robot or text menu (Try again, Apply update from ADB).
iBoot (iOS) or recovery.img ramdisk (Android). Stable USB connection for 15 minutes. YES (100% Capable). Supports in-place Update, Retain User Data flashing, and adb sideload / HOME_CSC flashing. Always use this mode first whenever rescuing unbacked-up photos from a software bootloop.
DFU Mode (iOS Device Firmware Upgrade) Completely black screen (backlight is 100% off, but computer chimes on USB connection). SecureROM (Hardware BootROM burned into the Apple silicon). DANGEROUS: Standard iTunes and Finder force a full factory erase (Restore) from DFU mode. Use only if iBoot is corrupted and the phone refuses to show the Recovery Mode cable screen.
Samsung Odin Download Mode Teal or blue screen with a downward arrow reading Downloading... Do not turn off target. Samsung S-Boot / LK Download Mode protocol (LOKE). YES, provided you load HOME_CSC (and never the regular CSC file) in the Odin CSC slot. Use on any Samsung Galaxy stuck in a bootloop after a One UI update.

Phase 2: Step-by-step iPhone photo rescue (Recovery Mode, Error 14 / 1110, a 3uTools Retain User Data)

If your iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo or rebooting after an iOS update, follow these steps in strict order.

Step 1: Force the iPhone out of the loop and into Recovery Mode (Not DFU)

  1. Unplug the iPhone from the computer first, wait 5 seconds, and plug the iPhone into your Mac or Windows PC using a reliable USB-A to Lightning ranei USB-A to USB-C cable.
  2. Execute the button sequence for your exact iPhone model while the cable is plugged in:
  3. iPhone 8 mā iPhone 17 a iPhone SE (2nd/3rd Gen): Press and quickly release Volume Up, press and quickly release Volume Down, then press and keep holding the Side (Power) button firmly. Do not let go when the Apple logo appears. Keep holding it (15 to 25 seconds) until the screen switches to the cable pointing to a laptop graphic (Recovery Mode), then release.
  4. iPhone 7 a iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Side (Power) button and the Volume Down button together until the cable-to-laptop screen appears.
  5. iPhone 6s, iPhone SE (1st Gen), and older: Press and hold both the Home button and the Side/Top button together until the cable-to-laptop screen appears.
  6. Check if the phone simply needed a kick out of a stuck nvram boot flag:
  7. Occasionally, an iPhone finishes installing the update properly, but its auto-boot NVRAM flag stays set to false.
  8. Before flashing anything, open 3uTools (Windows/Mac) or irecovery (irecovery -n). If the tool detects the phone in Recovery Mode, click Exit Recovery Mode once.
  9. If the phone boots to your lock screen, unlock it and immediately turn on Airplane Mode, then delete 5 to 10 GB of large apps (Settings -> General -> iPhone Storage) before backing up your photos over USB. If it falls back into the Apple logo bootloop, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Choosing between Finder / Apple Devices "Update" vs. 3uTools "Retain User's Data"

Case A: You had plenty of free space (10 GB+ free) before the update

  1. Open Finder (macOS Catalina 10.15+) or the official Apple Devices app / iTunes (Windows 10/11).
  2. When the dialog box reads "There is a problem with the iPhone that requires it to be updated or restored," click "Update" (verify you are clicking Update and NOT Restore).
  3. Wait while your computer downloads the 7 GB to 9 GB .ipsw firmware package. If the download takes longer than 15 minutes, the iPhone's iBoot watchdog timer will exit Recovery Mode and start bootlooping again. Let the download finish in the background, then repeat Step 1 to put the iPhone back into Recovery Mode and click Update again.

Case B: Your iPhone storage was nearly full, OR Finder/iTunes threw Error 14 ranei Error 1110

If your iPhone warned "iPhone Storage Full" before the update, or if clicking Update failed halfway through the progress bar with Error (14)ranei (1110):

  1. Understand what Error 14 a Error 1110 mean:
  2. Error 1110: Explicitly means NAND out of space during APFS volume update / migration.
  3. Error 14: Indicates a firmware truncation mid-write triggered when the ramdisk tries to expand system files onto a 99.9 percent full NAND chip.
  4. Why flashing a NEWER iOS point-release .ipsw via 3uTools (Retain User's Data) succeeds where iTunes fails:
  5. Standard iTunes Update sends a generic recovery command that stumbles over leftover OTA staging cache files in /private/var/MobileSoftwareUpdate.
  6. Using 3uTools (Smart Flash) with Retain User's Data selected passes the -u (upgrade) parameter to idevicerestore while clearing stale temporary update caches and installing the newest signed iOS build whose updated DataMigrator binary includes Apple's compact in-place migration fix.
  7. Exact 3uTools Retain User's Data Rescue Procedure (Windows / macOS):
  8. Install 3uTools(3u.com) and verify official Apple Mobile Device Support drivers are installed.
  9. Connect the iPhone in Recovery Mode (cable-to-laptop screen) using a rear motherboard USB-A port and an original USB-A to Lightning / USB-C cable.
  10. Click the Smart Flash tab at the top of 3uTools and select the latest signed stable iOS version under Available Firmwares (or a newer signed RC/Beta build if available, as upward schema migrations succeed more reliably than same-version re-flashes).
  11. Click Download and wait until the .ipsw file shows Downloaded / Verified 100% locally before proceeding.
  12. At the bottom of the window, inspect the three radio buttons: Quick Flash Mode (Wipes data), Retain User's Data (SELECT THIS ONE), and Anti-Recovery Flash (Wipes data).
  13. Double-check that the checkmark is on Retain User's Data, click Flash, and confirm in the popup that it will keep user data.
  14. Do not touch the cable or phone while the progress bar passes through Extracting Firmware -> Sending RestoreRamDisk -> Updating FileSystem -> Verifying Restore (12 to 25 minutes).
  15. When the phone boots to Swipe up to recover and prompts for your 6-digit Passcode, enter your passcode and let Attempting data recovery... complete.
  16. CRITICAL POST-BOOT STEP: The moment you reach your Home Screen, turn on Airplane Mode so iCloud, WhatsApp, and Mail do not download new messages and fill the remaining 50 MB of storage, which would cause a second bootloop. Go to Settings -> General -> iPhone Storage, delete or offload 5 to 15 GB of large apps (Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, games) to free space in the APFS container, then copy your photos off via USB immediately.

Phase 3: Rescuing the "Fake Software Bootloop" on iPhone X through iPhone 16 (Earpiece / Proximity Sensor Flex Short & Error 4013)

What if your iPhone reboots every 5 to 15 seconds on the Apple logo, or fails in Finder or 3uTools at 19% (Waiting for iPhone) with Error 4013?

  1. The Face ID Earpiece and Proximity Sensor Flex Short (iPhone X mā iPhone 14):
  2. Inside the top bezel of your iPhone screen sits a ribbon cable containing the earpiece speaker, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, and Face ID flood illuminator.
  3. Over time, moisture from rain, sweat during calls, or humid bathrooms seeps through the top acoustic mesh grille and corrodes the I2C communication line on the proximity and flood illuminator sensor.
  4. During the early seconds of booting iOS, the kernel queries every peripheral on the I2C bus. When the corroded top sensor flex pulls the I2C clock or data line low, the kernel hangs, watchdogs out, and reboots the phone on the Apple logo (or throws Error 4013 during a Recovery Mode update).
  5. How a 5-minute hardware disconnect saves 100% of your photos with zero soldering:
  6. If your iPhone fails with Error 4013 after trying a known-good USB-A cable, or if it loops every 5 to 10 seconds before reaching the slow migration phase, take the phone to an independent repair technician and give them this instruction: > "Do NOT wipe or restore my phone. Please open the display, temporarily disconnect ONLY the top earpiece and proximity sensor flex cable from the logic board, and press the power button to test if it boots to the lock screen."
  7. Unplugging that single corroded top ribbon cable allows the iPhone to boot straight to the lock screen in 20 seconds with every photo and video intact. Unlock with your 6-digit passcode and back up all your photos immediately.

Phase 4: Step-by-step Android photo rescue (Safe Mode, Samsung Odin HOME_CSC, me Google Pixel ADB Sideload)

Tikanga 1: Mawhiti i te Android "Cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt" Mata

Ki te kore te waea Android ki te whakaara i nga wa e toru i te rarangi i muri i te whakahou, ka uru te bootloader ki tetahi mata whakaora pango [ Try again ] me [ Factory data reset ]. 1. NEVER select Factory data reset: Highlight Try again, press Power, and immediately press and hold Volume Down continuously as soon as the boot logo appears. 2. Holding Volume Down throughout the boot animation forces Android into Safe Mode, which disables third-party launchers, overlays, and corporate MDM profiles that often crash system_server after an OS upgrade. Once on the lock screen in Safe Mode, unlock the phone, connect it to a PC via USB (File Transfer / MTP), copy your DCIM a Pictures folders off immediately, and free up 10 GB of storage space before rebooting normally.

Method 2: Rescuing a Samsung Galaxy Bootloop Using Odin + HOME_CSC (Retains All Photos)

If a Samsung Galaxy (S21 mā S25, Z Fold, Z Flip, ranei A-series) ka mau ki runga i te SAMSUNG logo muri a One UI whakahou: 1. Tuatahi, tomo ** Aratau Whakaora Samsung ** (honohia te waea ki te PC ma te taura USB, purihia Volume Up + Taha Power button) ka kowhiri Wipe cache partition (kia mohio KAUA koe e kowhiri Wipe data/factory reset kei runga ake), ka kowhiri Reboot system now. Te muru /cache ka muku i nga whakaahua whaiaro kore ka whakatika i te 25 paiheneti o One UI whakahōu koropiko. 2. Ki te muru /cache e kore e mutu te koropiko, tango i te mōkihi mārō Samsung mana mo to tauira tika me te kawe CSC (whakamahi Frija ranei Bifrost). Ka tangohia ki nga konae e 5: BL_, AP_, CP_, CSC_ (WIPES DATA), me HOME_CSC_ (PIRITI RANGATIRA). 3. Whakauruhia Samsung Download Aratau (Odin Mode) ma te pupuri i te Volume Up + Volume Down i te wa e hono ana ki te PC USB-C taura, ka pehi i te Volume Up. 4. I roto Odin3 (v3.14.4), utaina BL, AP, a CP ki roto i o ratou waahi rite, me te CSC mokowhiti KORERO HOME_CSC_...tar.md5 (KORE rawa e utaina te auau CSC_ file). Verify Re-Partition is unchecked, and click Start. In 6 minutes, your Galaxy will boot to the lock screen with all photos intact.

Method 3: Rescuing a Google Pixel Bootloop via ADB Sideload of the Official Full OTA Image

Google provides full OTA Rescue Images (developers.google.com/android/ota) that fix a post-update bootloop even when the bootloader is locked (OEM Unlocking is OFF) and without wiping /data: 1. Download Android SDK Platform-Tools (adb) and the latest Full OTA .zip file for your exact Pixel model from developers.google.com/android/ota. 2. Boot the Pixel into Fastboot Mode (Power + Volume Down), select Recovery mode, and on the No command screen hold Power, press Volume Up once, and release. 3. Select Apply update from ADB, connect the Pixel to your computer via USB, verify connection with adb devices, and run:

adb sideload ota-image-filename.zip
4. When Install from ADB completed with status 0 appears, select Reboot system now.


Reference table: decoding iTunes, Finder, and 3uTools error codes during bootloop recovery

Error Code Where It Appears True Root Cause Safe Data-Preserving Fix
Error 1110 Finder / iTunes / Apple Devices Confirmed Full Storage Crash (ENOSPC): The APFS container has zero free blocks left to stage the new system migration tables. Do not click Restore. Flash the newest signed .ipsw using 3uTools -> Smart Flash -> Retain User's Data.
Error 14 Finder / iTunes / 3uTools (fails mid-progress bar) Full Storage exhaustion on iOS 14 to 17 during Updating FileSystem, OR an unstable USB connection dropping packets during transfer. 1. Hurihia ki tetahi mana USB-A to Lightning cable on a rear motherboard USB port. 2. Flash the newest .ipsw via 3uTools Retain User's Data.
Error 4013 / Error 4014 Finder / iTunes (fails early at Waiting for iPhone ranei 19%) The iPhone disconnected from the USB bus before RestoreRamDisk mounted. In 80% of Face ID iPhones, caused by a shorted top Earpiece / Proximity Sensor flex cable pulling the I2C bus down. 1. Try a USB-A cable. 2. If it still throws 4013, have a technician open the screen and unplug the top earpiece and proximity flex cable, then boot or update.
Error 9 Finder / iTunes Device disconnected mid-flash due to a kernel panic, weak battery dropping below 3.5V under load, or NAND timeout. Charge the phone on a 5W charger for 30 minutes, check the charging port for lint or corrosion, or inspect battery health.
Error 75 / Error 78 3uTools (Sending file system ranei Updating NAND) Same underlying cause as Apple Error 1110 (Out of NAND storage blocks) or flashing an older .ipsw mismatched with the incomplete OTA stub. Download the newest available signed .ipsw (including a newer point release or signed Beta/RC if stable fails) and re-run Retain User's Data.
Error 26 / Error -1 Finder / iTunes / 3uTools (80% ki 99% of flash) Cellular Baseband Modem (BB) firmware failed to verify (Baseband CPU cold solder joint or damaged PMIC_BB power chip). If a phone has hardware Baseband damage, flashing fails at 80%. Have a board repair shop inspect Baseband power rails first.

Pātai auau

Can a data recovery lab take the storage chip (NAND) off my bootlooping iPhone or Android motherboard and read my photos directly?

No, not on any iPhone made since the iPhone 5s (2013) or any modern Android phone made since Android 7.0+. Every modern smartphone uses mandatory hardware-backed encryption (Apple's Secure Enclave UID key or Android's Titan M2 / Knox Vault / TEE hardware-bound key combined with your lock-screen passcode). The raw data written onto the NAND flash chip is meaningless cryptographic noise without the unique silicon-fused processor (`SoC`) me te pūtukatuka cryptographic mai i to papahoa papaa e whakaoho ana me te iriti i nga taviri Whakamuna-a-Kōnae i roto i te RAM. Ahakoa nga taiwhanga taiwhanga o runga e whakaora ana i nga whakaahua mai i nga waea pakaru, bootlooping ranei na repairing the motherboard or resolving the bootloop so the phone can boot to the lock screen and accept your passcode.

Why did Apple tell me at the Genius Bar that the only option is to "Restore" (wipe) my iPhone when it has Error 14 or Error 1110?

Apple Retail Store Genius Bar technicians are bound by strict internal support protocols and diagnostic tools (`AST2` and Finder) that only provide two buttons: Update a Restore. In addition, Apple's standard retail repair warranty expressly disclaims responsibility for customer data backup. When a standard Finder Update fails once with Error 14 ranei Error 1110 because the phone's storage was full, the store technician's script instructs them to click Restore or replace the handset. They are not permitted to use third-party idevicerestore wrappers (3uTools Retain User's Data), flash newer release-candidate .ipsw builds to bypass a stuck DataMigrator, or unplug a shorted I2C proximity sensor flex cable to let you copy your photos off.

What is the difference between DFU Mode and Recovery Mode, and why do so many YouTube videos dangerously tell people to use DFU Mode?

Countless generic troubleshooting blogs confuse Recovery Mode (where the screen shows a charging cable pointing to a laptop) with DFU Mode (Device Firmware Upgrade mode, where the screen is completely pitch black). When you put an iPhone into DFU Mode and connect it to Finder or iTunes, Apple's software grays out or removes the in-place Update path and forces a complete Restore iPhone (which permanently wipes all photos and user data). You should always use Recovery Mode (cable-to-laptop screen) when trying to preserve unbacked-up data, and only touch DFU Mode with a specialized tool that explicitly forces the Retain User Data kara ka kore e taea te whakauru i te Aratau Whakaora ake.

Once my phone finally boots up after fixing a full-storage bootloop, why did you say to turn on Airplane Mode immediately before backing up my photos?

When a phone barely survives a full-storage bootloop rescue (Error 14 ranei Error 1110), its user partition often has less than 100 megabytes of free space remaining. The instant the phone connects to Wi-Fi or cellular data on the home screen, background daemons (WhatsApp, iMessage, Mail, Instagram, Apple Podcasts, a Spotlight indexing) immediately start downloading queued messages and generating database caches. Within 90 seconds, those background downloads consume the final 100 MB of free space, causing SpringBoard to crash and throwing your phone right back into a second bootloop. Turning on Airplane Mode the second you unlock the screen stops all incoming data so you can calmly delete 5 to 10 large apps (Settings -> General -> iPhone Storage), free up 15 GB o te mokowā kōpae haumaru, ka tārua i tō pukapuka kāmera ki te rorohiko mā te taura USB.


Nga kaiarahi e pa ana


Nga puna me nga aratohu whai mana

  • Tautoko Apple Tuhinga Hangarau Whaimana (support.apple.com/en-us/118106 & support.apple.com/en-us/108308): Ki te mau to iPhone ki te tohu Apple; iOS Whakahou me te Whakaora Waehere Hapa (Error 9, Error 14, Error 4013, Error 4014, a Error 1110).
  • Aratohu Haumarutanga Paerewa Apple (support.apple.com/guide/security/welcome/web):APFS Hangahanga Rōrahi, Rōrahi Pūnaha Waitohu (SSV), Haumaru Enclave Key Hierarchy, me nga Karaehe Tiaki Raraunga I Nga Whakahoutanga Pūmanawa.
  • Google Android Open Source Kaupapa (source.android.com/docs/core/ota/virtual_ab) me Google Pixel Official Rescue OTA Repository (developers.google.com/android/ota): Whakahōu A/B Mariko A/B mokamoka-rua, snapuserd Whakaora Hanumi Tārua-Tuhituhi, me nga Whakaahua OTA Katoa mo te Kaitiaki Puataa adb sideload Whakaoranga.
  • Kaupapa Tuwhera-Putake-Libimobiledevice (github.com/libimobiledevice/idevicerestore):iBoot Aratau Whakaora vs. SecureROM DFU Aratau Kawa Whakatakotoranga me -u (Update / Retain User Data) Ramdisk Execution.