Updating your iPhone to a new iOS release should be a seamless background procedure. However, looking at your iPhone only to see a stark white or black screen displaying an Apple logo, a frozen progress bar, and the alarming header text “Attempting data recovery” can cause immediate panic that your device is bricked and all photos, messages, and files are permanently lost.
The “Attempting data recovery” screen is an automated fallback mechanism introduced by Apple. It triggers when an iOS update encounters an unexpected error during the filesystem migration phase—most commonly due to insufficient internal storage overhead during uncompressed file extraction, or a disrupted USB connection during a computer-based restore. In many cases, the iPhone simply needs time to rebuild its filesystem database. If it remains frozen for hours or loops indefinitely, follow this structured guide to recover your device without data loss.
Method 1: Allow the Recovery Process to Complete Patiently
Before interrupting your device, understand that “Attempting data recovery” is a legitimate operating system process. When an update restructures SQLite database schemas for Health data, Photos, and Messages, this process can take considerable time.
- Keep your iPhone connected to a reliable wall charger or your computer. Do not disconnect power.
- Allow the device at least 30 to 45 minutes to run through its recovery verification routines.
- Observe the thin progress bar beneath the text. Even if it appears motionless, internal filesystem defragmentation may be underway.
- If the progress bar completes, your iPhone will reboot and prompt you: “Press home to recover” or “Swipe up to recover”.
- Enter your lock screen passcode and wait an additional 5 minutes for your apps to rebuild their local caches.
Method 2: Perform a Hardware Force Restart
If the recovery bar has remained completely motionless for more than an hour, the update daemon has entered an unrecoverable thread deadlock. Performing a forced hardware restart cuts power to the CPU, clearing the hung state without erasing stored user data.
For iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2nd/3rd Gen), iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16:
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side button (Power button).
- Continue holding the Side button for 10 to 15 seconds, ignoring the “Attempting data recovery” screen.
- Release the Side button only when the screen goes completely black and the white Apple logo reappears.
- Allow your iPhone to attempt booting normally. In many cases, the update will finalise cleanly following the reboot.
For iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus:
- Press and hold both the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button simultaneously.
- Hold for 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears, then release both buttons.
Method 3: Update via Mac Finder or Windows Apple Devices / iTunes
If the force restart loops straight back to the “Attempting data recovery” screen, connecting the iPhone to a computer allows Finder or iTunes to repair the operating system files using the non-destructive Update command.
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac or Windows PC using a high-quality genuine Apple USB cable.
- Open Finder (on macOS Catalina or newer) or open Apple Devices / iTunes (on Windows).
- Put your iPhone into Recovery Mode:
- Press Volume Up, press Volume Down, then press and hold the Side button.
- Do not release the Side button when the Apple logo appears. Continue holding until you see the Recovery Mode screen (an image showing a computer and a USB cable).
- Your computer will detect an iPhone in recovery mode and display a dialogue box offering two options: Update or Restore.
- Click Update. Do not click Restore.
- Finder or iTunes will download a fresh copy of the latest iOS firmware and reinstall the operating system while strictly preserving your personal data and settings.
Method 4: Mitigate Storage Bottlenecks via DFU Mode (Last Resort)
If the update fails because your iPhone had less than 1GB of free storage before starting the update, the filesystem cannot expand the temporary firmware payload. In this scenario, Device Firmware Upgrade (DFU) mode may be required.
- If you maintain a recent iCloud or computer backup, putting the device into DFU mode allows you to execute a clean factory restore.
- Connect the iPhone to your computer.
- Press Volume Up, press Volume Down, hold Side button for 10 seconds. While holding Side, press and hold Volume Down for 5 seconds. Release Side button while continuing to hold Volume Down for another 10 seconds.
- The screen will remain completely black. Finder/iTunes will detect a device in recovery.
- Click Restore to flash the device clean, then restore your personal backup from iCloud.
iPhone Data Recovery Screen Troubleshooting Matrix
Use the matrix below to assess update recovery states and their recommended resolutions:
| Observed State | Probable Root Cause | Optimal Resolution Step |
|---|---|---|
| Progress bar moving slowly over 30 mins | Large Photos/Health SQLite database rebuilding | Leave connected to power; allow process to finish |
| Screen frozen completely for over 2 hours | Filesystem migration thread deadlock | Execute hardware force restart (Vol Up, Vol Down, hold Side) |
| Loops between Apple logo and recovery screen | Corrupted in-flight operating system files | Connect to PC/Mac > Recovery Mode > select “Update” |
| Computer returns Error 14 during update | Defective USB lightning cable or port interference | Change USB cable and plug directly into motherboard port |
| Computer returns Error 1110 during update | Internal storage completely full before updating | Attempt update with latest iTunes; or DFU restore |
Preventing Future Update Freezes: Check Free Storage First
Major iOS updates (such as updating from iOS 17 to iOS 18) require significant temporary working overhead—frequently 10GB to 15GB of unallocated space to download, verify, unpack, and migrate system databases. Always verify your storage capacity prior to initiating major updates by visiting Settings > General > iPhone Storage. If your free space is below 10GB, delete unused apps or offload videos before proceeding.