Entering dfu mode. FAQ on device firmware and DFU mode
Switching to DFU mode on all Apple smartphones occurs the same way. If you don't know how to enter this function, follow our instructions.
1. Transition procedure
To put any iPhone into DFU mode, do this:
- By using USB cable connect your device to your computer. In this case, the operating system on the PC/laptop should be either Windows or Mac, and with installed program iTunes (but don't launch it yet). If you do not have this program, download it from apple.com and install it.
- While connected, turn off your iPhone. To do this, it is most convenient to simply hold down the power button, also known as “Power” (located on the side or top). You can also simultaneously hold down the “Home” button, also known as “Home” (large, round, located under the screen on the front side of the device), and the aforementioned “Power”. If you chose the second option, keep these two buttons pressed for exactly 10 seconds (no less). Launch iTunes on your computer.
Clue: In iPhone 6, the on/off button (“Power”) is located on the side. This is the only difference when it comes to how to enter different models of Apple smartphones into recovery and update mode.
- After 10 seconds, release “Power”, but do not release “Home”. Hold down the Home button until the message shown in Figure 2 appears on your computer. It indicates that the connected device is in recovery mode. Actually, this is what we need.
Important! The process of switching to the desired mode from the moment you release the “Power” button, but hold the “Home” button, can take about 30 seconds, and in some cases up to a minute. Don't let go of the button! If after a minute nothing happens, start over.
Also remember that when you go to DFU, absolutely nothing will be displayed on the smartphone screen. Only a message on the computer indicates that you did everything correctly.
If something happens on the smartphone, it starts to turn on or some pictures appear on it, then something is wrong.
It is very important to adhere to the time frames indicated above - hold down the power and Home buttons for only 10 seconds, and the Power button for up to a minute, until a message appears in iTunes.
Now you know how to transfer an Apple smartphone to DFU. But this instruction is relevant only for those cases when all the keys are in working condition. If this is not the case, you will have to use workarounds.
2. Go to DFU with broken buttons
Important! This method assumes that you jailbreak your iPhone, that is, replace the firmware on it with a custom one. In this case, the warranty for the device will no longer apply.
If you do not want to jailbreak, take your phone to a service center. For assistance and to find your nearest service center, visit support.apple.com. For more information about contacting support, read our article.
Now let's move on to how to enter DFU mode without using buttons.
To do this, do this:
- Download and install the redsn0w utility. You can download it, for example, from iphonehacks.com.
- Launch the program and successively click on the “Extras” buttons, in the next window “Even more” and then “DFU IPSW”.
- Now download the official (this is important!) firmware. If you want your device to have latest version iOS, download firmware from apple.com. But if you need more old version, then it can be found, for example, on the website newapples.ru. Although there are a huge number of similar sites, and you can choose any of them. Often firmware can also be found on forums.
- In the next window, select the file with the official firmware and click “OK”. You will have to wait a little while the program creates custom firmware from the official one and installs it on your smartphone. It is impossible to say exactly how long this process takes. It all depends on the model. But you will see the progress of this action on your screen.
- When the firmware creation is complete, launch iTunes on your computer. At the same time, hold down the “Shift” button if you have Windows and the “Option” button if you have a Mac. A message appears indicating that iTunes will restore the data on the connected device. Click "Restore".
- Now the smartphone will be connected to the computer, and will be in DFU mode. This is what we needed.
As you can see, you can put your iPhone into recovery and update mode both with and without working buttons. However, in the second case you will have to jailbreak.
DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) - special treatment, originally intended to update the firmware of your device. It is also used for password recovery or jailbreaking (removing restrictions of official firmware).
Listening to tips for iPhone, it is impossible not to note two modes with similar functions - DFU and Recovery Mode. DFU mode can be called more effective and “rougher”.
Difference between DFU mode and Recovery
Its main difference from Recovery mode is that it bypasses operating system, that is, when entering DFU, the iPhone does not even start loading iOS and directly flashes the firmware.
This mode is suitable for solving problems such as the inability to correctly complete a firmware update via iTunes in Recovery Mode, the inability to unlock the phone, and so on. However, we can recommend that you always use it first, so as not to accidentally create unnecessary problems for yourself and avoid unnecessary costs and effort.
In DFU mode, only technical information signals are sent over the USB connection. From under DFU it is possible to reflash the Flash parts and restore absolutely all settings. In addition to all this, when entering DFU, unlike Recovery, the screen remains completely black, that is, nothing is displayed on the display. You can find out if your iPhone is in this mode only with using iTunes, which will issue a notification that it has recognized the device in stabilization (recovery) mode.
Many inexperienced iPhone users confuse these two modes. In reality they are completely different. Now you will learn how to enable and disable Recovery mode and how to switch iPhone mode to DFU.
Recovery mode: how to enter
- connect the cable to the computer, not to the device
- hold down the “Home” button and continue to hold it, connect to the cable to the iPhone
- wait until the cord icon appears on the display
How to exit Recovery Mode?
Press the “Home” button + the “Power” button for at least 10 seconds. You can also get by with a software solution by using the TinyUmbrella utility, which has a version for both Windows and Mac, to work with Recovery Mode.
DFU mode
Most easy way entering or exiting DFU is using a specially created utility. It will indicate which buttons to press and how long to hold them. The iReb utility is also suitable for Windows.
To get started, you need to select your device on the main screen, and then follow the instructions of the program itself. To exit the mode, you just need to go to the next tab of the program. Then click “Set Auto-Boot True”.
Enter DFU mode using buttons
- close iTunes
- connect your phone to your computer
- turn off your phone
- simultaneously hold down the “Home” and “Power” buttons for 10-15 seconds
- While continuing to hold "Home", release "Power"
- wait for the computer to notify you that a new device has been detected
- launch iTunes
That's it, your phone is in DFU mode. The screen will not display anything, while remaining completely black or completely white.
Exit DFU mode
- connect the USB cable to the computer
- hold down the Home and Power buttons for at least 10 seconds, then release them at the same time
- press “Power” to turn on the iPhone
There is also a way to do without connecting to a computer - just hold down “Home” and “Power” for 10 seconds until the logo appears on the display. After this, the iPhone will boot into normal mode.
Not long ago on the world market mobile devices New smartphone models from Apple have been released - iPhone X, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. It would seem that only iPhone 10 has radically different controls from previous models, but no... Eights have also undergone changes. Everyone who purchased these devices will have to relearn how to press buttons, because if you don’t know the new combinations, you won’t be able to do a hard restart, enter recovery mode and DFU mode.
No matter what you do, the key combinations that worked on previous models will not work at all on the iPhone X, 8 and 8 Plus. In this article we will tell you how to force a reboot, activate recovery mode and DFU mode.
Before moving on to the instructions, we will repeat the names of the iPhone X keys. Nowadays, the power and lock key of the device is called the “Side Button”, or “Side Button”. In the past it was called "Power". The Volume UP and Volume DOWN keys have not changed their names. The “HOME” button has also undergone changes - it is simply NOT present (but only in the iPhone 10). The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus still have the Home button. Despite this, the key combinations are the same for all of them.
Now let's get down to business.
How to restart iPhone X/8/8 Plus?
If suddenly your smartphone freezes, glitches, or does not turn on at all, you need to do a forced reboot. Below - step-by-step instruction, which will help you reboot.
- Briefly press the Volume Up key. After pressing, you must immediately release the button.
- Briefly press the Volume Down key. After pressing, you must immediately release the button.
- Press and hold the Power Button (Side Button). Hold until the Apple logo appears - an apple.
Well, now you know how to do a hard reboot.
Recovery Mode on iPhone X/8/8 Plus
Now we will figure out how to enable recovery mode. We follow the instructions:
DFU Mode on iPhone X/8/8 Plus
Now it's time to tell you about the DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode. If suddenly none of the above helped, the only hope left is for this regime. There is nothing more you can do on your own. Then only to the official service center.
This mode is for installing the operating system “from scratch”, so to speak “From under the BIOS”. Based on this, everything that was previously stored on the phone will be deleted permanently.
The “Device Firmware Update” mode will help in cases where the iPhone gets stuck at the boot stage (cyclic reboot), or in cases where the phone sometimes displays a blue or red “screen of death”.
Before you take action, ATTENTIVELY read what is written below to imagine and understand everything fully, how and what should be done. Let's get started.
That's all. In truth, DFU mode on the iPhone X and 8 is activated exactly the same as on the iPhone 7. Reboot and recovery mode are new.
Over time, we will all get used to the new combinations, and we will not have problems with this.
P.S. I hope this information was useful to you!
Any iPhone phone, iPad or multimedia tablet iPod touch can be entered in DFU mode. To be honest, I myself have never entered my iPhone into DFU mode; they say that beginners do not succeed right away; to enter the device into this mode, you need to get used to it, which is what we will do today. We will take as a sample for experiments Apple iPhone. The peculiarity of entering DFU mode is a completely black screen, and there are no identifying marks on the iPhone screen; if the transfer to DFU was accompanied by at least an inscription, as in the picture on the left, it would be a little clearer.
Besides DFU, there is another mode called (recovery mode). What are these two modes for? They are mainly used to flash or restore the firmware of their iPhone. It also happens that the iPhone or iPad crashes and the iOS firmware does not start; in such cases, Recovery Mode and DFU are used. To begin with, they always try a softer mode - Recovery Mode, but if it does not help, then they already use the DFU mode.
Sometimes DFU is confused with Recovery Mode. So that you don’t get confused, I’ll try to explain what the difference is between them:
- When you put your iPhone or iPad into Recovery Mode, appears on the device screen. When entering DFU, the device screen shows a black display.
- You don't have to use iTunes to enter Recovery Mode. I can’t start DFU mode without iTunes, I tried it myself.
- Recovery Mode is launched using the iOS operating system, and DFU mode bypasses the operating system, i.e. at the hardware level.
How to put iPhone into DFU mode
We will look at two combinations that can put our iPhone into DFU mode. You can use any one that is more convenient. Before we begin, launch iTunes on your computer and connect your iPhone or other gadget to it using the included cable. Do not use USB adapters; plug the cable into the computer itself. After the iPhone is connected to a computer running iTunes, we try to put the phone into DFU mode using one of the methods below:
Method 1. How to log into DFU
Putting iPhone into DFU mode. Method No. 1
The easiest way to enter an iPhone into DFU is as follows: simultaneously hold down the Home button plus the Power button and count to 10. After holding it for 10 seconds, release the Power button and continue to hold the Home button.
Method 2: Second attempt to enter DFU
Step by step launching DFU mode on iPhone. Method No. 2
This method is called more correct, but it is more difficult for beginners. and wait for the device to turn off completely. Now hold down the Power button and after counting to 3 seconds, press and hold the Home button in the same place. Now, while holding Home + Power, count to 10 and release Power, but continue to hold the Home button.
iTunes program while starting DFU mode
When finishing putting your iPhone into DFU mode, it is useless to look at the phone screen, since it will simply be black; you need to look at the running iTunes program, which will detect the device with DFU mode running and display the following message:
iTunes detected the iPhone in recovery mode. You must restore this iPhone before using it with iTunes.
If you see such a notification, and a single button appears in iTunes - Restore iPhone, now look at the phone screen, if the screen is black, then it is in DFU mode. If you pressed something incorrectly, an image with the iTunes logo and a USB cable may appear, which means this is Recovery Mode.
How to enter iPhone into DFU mode
If, while reading the instructions, you entered your working iPhone into DFU mode, you can remove the phone from it using the usual method - holding the Home + Power buttons for 10 seconds. The phone will reboot and work normally. To exit the manually launched Recovery Mode, we used the same method of exiting Home + Power for 10 seconds. When the cable is connected, after holding Home and Power for 10 seconds, the phone may not start, then press the Power button and it will turn on.
One day, after an unsuccessful attempt to update the firmware, the firmware got out and our iPhone fell into a permanent recovery mode, from which only . Perhaps, if the iPhone does not exit DFU with a reboot, then you can try programs like TinyUmbrella or iReb. I have not encountered such a situation yet, but if I do, I will definitely tell you.
iPhone restoration is a standard operation to return an Apple smartphone to a working state after various failures. Unsuccessful firmware, incorrectly executed jailbreak, incorrect iOS update - if you know how to restore an iPhone, you can fix almost any problems that arise during the operation of this device.
Recovery procedure
To restore your iPhone, you need to enter Recovery Mode. It's easy to do:
When the iPhone is ready for the rollback and error correction procedure, click the “Restore” button. 
iTunes will find it on its own current version firmware and install it on the smartphone, returning it to the state in which it was immediately after purchase.
Working in DFU mode
If iPhone recovery does not work in Recovery Mode, then you need to enter the device into DFU mode. This mode is used when there are software errors - for example, when the iPhone does not turn on. DFU mode works at the hardware level, so it helps to reset all settings even in the most difficult cases. To enter DFU mode:
- Connect your device to your computer.
- Press and hold Power and Home for 10 seconds.
- After counting to 10, release Power while continuing to hold the Home button.
It's difficult to enter DFU mode the first time because nothing changes on the screen. If the recovery mode detects itself as an iTunes icon, then the phone does not seem to turn on in DFU. Therefore, you need to look at the computer screen where iTunes is running. As soon as the iPhone enters DFU mode, a notification will appear in iTunes informing you that the program has detected the device in recovery mode, and you need to reset all settings and content to continue working with your smartphone. 
If you need to install another firmware, hold down Shift and click “Restore”. An explorer will appear through which you need to specify the path to the previously downloaded firmware.
Recovery without a computer
If you don’t have your computer at hand, it won’t turn on, or you can’t connect your iPhone to it, then try resetting all settings through the device settings. As a result of this operation, you will get a clean smartphone without settings and user information, so be sure to make a backup before resetting. If the smartphone turns on normally:
It is not necessary to delete user files. If the iPhone turns on, then you can eliminate problems with its operation by simply resetting the settings. In this case, the user’s personal data will remain intact.
Recovery after reset
If you need to restore your iPhone after resetting all settings and deleting content, then without backup copy It won't be possible to do this. The presence of a backup file with information stored in the device’s memory is the main point that needs to be checked before performing a reset. After restoring the iPhone to its factory state, all personal data of the user is erased from it.
Creating a backup before resetting:
After the reset, the iPhone will be like new: no content or settings will remain on it. To get all the information back, you need to connect the device to your computer and restore from the backup via iTunes. Choose the most recent backup, as it stores the most current information. 
You can also restore all settings after a reset via iCloud, provided that you stored backups on the cloud. In this case, when setting up iPhone you need to select the “Restore a copy from iCloud” option and specify a suitable backup.
Problems during recovery
If after a normal recovery the phone does not turn on, then it makes sense to put it in DFU mode and try restoring it through iTunes again. This time you should not trust iTunes: download the official firmware and select it in the Explorer window by holding Shift and clicking on the “Restore” button . 
Sometimes the TinyUmbrella utility helps solve the problem that the smartphone does not turn on after resetting the settings via iTunes. This program has an “Exit Recovery” button. If the iPhone does not turn on after recovery, you need to select it in the TinyUmbrella window and click “Exit Recovery”.