iPhone 3G slips into recovery mode

tlattimore · Jul 22, 2011

I have an iPhone 3G that running iOS 4.2.1. Overall the phone seems perfectly functional. I can make and receive calls, play music, use apps. But it keeps going into Restore / Emergency call mode (see attached image). This happens sometimes when the phone is restarted and it will just boot into this mode. But also sometimes when the phone is able to boot alll the way up and is in use it will just slip into this mode randomly? I have restored the phone through iTunes several times and still keep having this same problem occur. Really strange.

Could this be a hardware issue? I am not getting any errors at all, and it can connect and interact with iTunes fine.

bab2010 · Jul 22, 2011

You might want to get another ipsw and shift restore it to the phone, or you might also want to downgrade to a lower iOS version.

tlattimore · Jul 22, 2011

I have tried downgrading and am still having the same problem. I installed 4.1 on it and was still getting the same issue, and even tried 3.1.3 and that gave me even more problems.

I have also used a program on it called iRecovery. Which is a command line tool to help get it out the the recovery mode loop (among other things). The first time it restarts after using this software it works fine. But after restarting again, or even just after being on for awhile, it will go back into the same mode as mentioned in the first post?

Any other ideas?

bab2010 · Jul 23, 2011

tlattimore said:
I have tried downgrading and am still having the same problem. I installed 4.1 on it and was still getting the same issue, and even tried 3.1.3 and that gave me even more problems.

I have also used a program on it called iRecovery. Which is a command line tool to help get it out the the recovery mode loop (among other things). The first time it restarts after using this software it works fine. But after restarting again, or even just after being on for awhile, it will go back into the same mode as mentioned in the first post?

Any other ideas?

Hardware wise for sure then. Take it to the app store for fixing the hardware. I know that it's surely a hardware issue because when I was at the Apple Store, some clients came and was having that same issue but with iPhone 4. They could use the device after plugging it to a computer, but they recovery screen appear once they restart the device, and in addition they couldn't even upgrade or downgrade the iOS. The genius guy said that it was a hardware issue. In your case, you can upgrade downgrade the iOS but can't pass te recovery screen. Just take it to the Apple Store.

tlattimore · Jul 24, 2011

bab2010 said:
Hardware wise for sure then. Take it to the app store for fixing the hardware. I know that it's surely a hardware issue because when I was at the Apple Store, some clients came and was having that same issue but with iPhone 4. They could use the device after plugging it to a computer, but they recovery screen appear once they restart the device, and in addition they couldn't even upgrade or downgrade the iOS. The genius guy said that it was a hardware issue. In your case, you can upgrade downgrade the iOS but can't pass te recovery screen. Just take it to the Apple Store.

Well, I can sometimes get passed the recovery and it will start and work properly. But other times it won't. Or it will even just slip into recovery mode while in use (sometimes after a few mins, other times after an hour).

I agree though. Mostly likely a hardware issue.