Restore your iPhone or iPad with a nearby device

During a wireless software update, your iPhone or iPad might display an animation asking you to move the device closer to another device.

If your iPhone or iPad1,2 displays an animation of devices moving close together, you can use another iPhone or iPad to restore the device. The other device needs to have iOS 18 or later or iPadOS 18 or later.

  1. Connect the device that's in recovery mode to a power source.

  2. Place the device that's in recovery mode near another unlocked device already connected to Wi-Fi.3 You should see the "Restore Nearby [device]" message.

    An iPhone showing the Restore Nearby iPhone message.

  3. Tap Continue and wait for the devices to connect. The device in recovery mode displays a six-digit code. Enter this code on the other device to share its Wi-Fi connection.

  4. Tap OK when you see the "Restoring [device]" message.

If you want to view the restore progress, bring the devices next to each other again.

If you see a restore screen on your device or if you want to use a computer to restore your iPhone or iPad, learn what to do.

1 This feature is available on the following iPhone models: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPhone 16, and iPhone 15 Pro.

2 This feature is available on the following iPad models: iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad Air (5th gen) and later, iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd gen) and later, and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th gen) and later.

3 Captive networks and networks that require 802.1X authentication aren't supported.

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