First check whether a progress bar is present. During restoration or migration, Apple says to confirm that it has not moved for at least one hour before using its recovery procedure. If recovery is needed, try Update first; Restore erases the iPhone.
What is on the screen?
Section linkScroll the table sideways to see every column.
| What you see | What to do next |
|---|---|
| Bar during an update | Allow time and keep power connected |
| Migration bar has not moved for at least one hour | Follow Apple’s frozen-logo recovery guidance |
| Logo for several minutes without a bar | Check recovery-mode instructions |
| Update or Restore prompt | Try Update first; Restore erases data |
01A progress bar and a bare logo need different checks
Section linkDuring an update or restore, a progress bar can move slowly, appear still, or finish and start again. Keep the phone connected to power during an over-the-air update. If pressing a button displays an updating message, the process is still running. For an iPhone with iOS 13 or later that is restoring a backup or migrating from another phone, Apple’s frozen-logo guidance uses a bar that has not moved for at least one hour as the recovery threshold. This is not a universal timer for every startup problem. A bare Apple logo remaining for several minutes without a bar is a separate situation covered by Apple’s recovery-mode guidance.
02Prepare a computer before changing the phone
Section linkUse an updated Mac with Finder, or a Windows PC with the current Apple Devices app. Connect the iPhone by USB and open the app. Keep the cable connected during recovery. Before choosing any erase option, check whether you have a usable backup. Recovery mode does not itself mean that your photos have already been deleted, but it does not guarantee they can be recovered either. If irreplaceable data is unbacked up, get advice from Apple before choosing Restore.
03Enter recovery mode using the correct buttons
Section linkOn iPhone 8 or later, including iPhone SE of the second generation or later: quickly press and release Volume Up, quickly press and release Volume Down, then hold the side button until the Connect to computer screen appears. Keep holding beyond the Apple logo. On iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, hold the side and Volume Down buttons together until that screen appears. On iPhone 6s or earlier, including the original iPhone SE, hold Home and the side or top button together. These are recovery-mode steps while connected to a computer; stopping at the Apple logo is not the same endpoint.
04Try Update before Restore
Section linkSelect the iPhone in Finder or Apple Devices. When offered Update or Restore, try Update first if you have not already done so. Apple’s frozen-logo instructions use Update to reinstall the current iOS version without choosing an erase. Success and data preservation are not guaranteed. Restore reinstalls iOS and erases the phone. It is not another name for restart. If the software download takes more than 15 minutes and the phone leaves recovery mode, let the download finish, then enter recovery mode again rather than repeatedly restarting the download.
05Stop when the same recovery attempt keeps failing
Section linkWrite down any error number and whether the computer detects the phone. If a required button is stuck, recovery cannot complete, or the phone remains on the logo after the recommended steps, contact Apple support or arrange service. For example, “the bar has not moved during migration” and “the computer reports an error after Update” give support different starting points. Avoid treating repeated erasing as a way to diagnose either case.