4 Ways to Fix a Bricked iPhone or iPad in 2023

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Sarahi Johns
Last updated: Feb 3, 2023

Is your iPhone or iPad bricked? You've come to the right place. Here, we've prepared some solutions for you. Read on to learn what they are.

Updating to the latest iOS is exciting, but doing it incorrectly can brick your iPhone and iPad. A bricked iPhone or iPad is of no use to you. So the question is: how to unbrick it?

If you are facing the same problem and looking for a solution, look no further. From this blog, you'll learn 5 ways to fix a bricked iPhone or iPad.

4 Ways to Fix a Bricked iPhone or iPad

What Does It Mean to Brick an iPhone/iPad?

Bricking means useless. Most of the time, bricking is because of damaged firmware. If your iPhone or iPad is bricked, you will see one of the following scenarios:

  • Stuck on the Apple logo.
  • Stuck in recovery mode.
  • Stuck on a black screen.
  • Stuck on the spinning wheel.
  • Won't turn on.

What Causes an iPhone/iPad to Brick?

Before we learn how to revert a bricked iPhone or iPad, let's take a look at the reasons behind a bricked device.

There are many reasons why your iPhone or iPad becomes bricked, and the most common ones are:

  • Update to unstable iOS version.
  • Insufficient storage space on iPhone/iPad.
  • Errors occurred during the iOS update.
  • Incompatible apps and software.
  • Failed jailbreak.
  • Attacked by malware.

Wondering how to unbrick your iPhone or iPad? Read on to find out.

How to Fix Your Bricked iPhone/iPad

Unbricking is the process of restoring a bricked iPhone or iPad to its normal state. Here are some methods you can use.

Method 1. Unbrick Your iPhone/iPad By Force Restarting

If your iPhone or iPad doesn't boot properly, force restart it to see if you can regain access to your device.

Here's how to force restart your iPhone:

  • iPhone 8 or later: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button, press and quickly release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Side button. When the Apple logo appears, release the Side button.

  • iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake button and the Volume Down button at the same time. When the Apple logo appears, release both buttons.

  • iPhone 6s or iPhone SE: Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time. When the Apple logo appears, release both buttons.

Here's how to force restart your iPad:

  • If your iPad doesn’t have the Home button: Press and quickly release the Volume button nearest to the Top button, press and quickly release the Volume button farthest from the Top button, then press and hold the Top button. When the Apple logo appears, release the Side button.

  • If your iPad has a Home button: Press and hold the Top and Home buttons at the same time, then release them until the Apple logo appears.

Method 2. Unbrick Your iPhone/iPad via BuhoUnlocker

If a force restart doesn't unbrick your device, try BuhoUnlcoker. It is a tool designed for iPhone that allows you to restore your iPhone or iPad easily. No skills are required.

Here's what you need to do:

  1. Download, install and open BuhoUnlocker on your computer.
  2. Select the "Remove Screen Passcode" or "Remove Screen Time Passcode" feature and click "Start".
  3. Follow the instructions to put your device into recovery mode, download the latest firmware for your iPhone, and wait for the recovery process to complete.
  4. When you see the hello screen on your iPhone, set up your iPhone.
Tip
Restore will result in data loss. But if you have a backup, you can restore your files from the backup later.

Method 3. Unbrick Your iPhone/iPad in Recovery Mode

Instead of using third-party tools, you can also use iPhone or iPad recovery mode. Here, we take the steps of the iPhone as an example. Follow the following steps to unbrick your iPhone in recovery mode.

  1. Connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac.

  2. Open Finder on Mac and iTunes on Windows.

  3. Put your iPhone into recovery mode. After successfully entering the mode, you'll see one of the following screens on your iPhone.

    iphone-in-recovery-mode.png

  4. Select Restore in Finder or iTunes and confirm your action.

    Restore iPhone in Recovery Mode
  5. Wait for the restore process to complete, then set up your iPhone.

Method 4. Unbrick Your iPhone/iPad in DFU Mode

DFU mode is a more advanced mode than recovery mode. If you can't get your iPhone or iPad into recovery mode, put it in DFU mode. Here, we take the steps of the iPhone as an example.

  1. Connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac.
  2. Open Finder on Mac and iTunes on Windows.
  3. Put your iPhone into DFU mode. When your iPhone enters DFU mode, it will display a black screen, and a pop-up window will appear in Finder or iTunes saying that your iPhone is in DFU mode.
  4. Click the Restore iPhone button and confirm.
  5. After the restore process is complete, set up your iPhone.
Put iPhone Into DFU Mode on Mac

Conclusion

Following the steps above, you should have your bricked iPhone or iPad fixed. If unfortunately not, there may be a hardware issue with your device, in which case, take it to your nearest Apple Store for repair.

It's important to note that restoring your iPhone or iPad will erase all content and settings on the device. So back up your device beforehand to avoid the hassle of data loss.