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iOS 17 upgrade bug: What to do if you get stuck on the Apple logo during iPhone 15 setup

Apple has identified an iOS 17 bug that may affect the iPhone 15 upgrade experience today. During iPhone setup, the Transfer from another iPhone option may fail and leave your new iPhone in a state where it is stuck booting on the Apple logo black screen. Here’s what to do if that happens to you.

The bug affects iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro as these phones ship with iOS 17 preinstalled. However, it may also affect anyone switching phones that are running iOS 17 and use the transfer data option.

If you encounter the bug, during the transfer of apps and data, the new iPhone will get stuck in a boot loop on the Apple logo screen.

To resolve the issue, Apple says that you need to put the device into DFU mode and restore it using a computer.

To do this, connect your iPhone to a PC or Mac using a cable. Press the volume up, press the volume down, and then press and hold the side button. Keep holding the side button while iPhone reboots until it displays an icon on the screen that represents a computer and cable. It will look similar to this:

After you get the iPhone into DFU state, it will then show on your computer through the Finder, or through iTunes if you are connecting to a Windows PC (or older version of macOS). In Finder/iTunes, you will be able to Restore or Update; press the Restore button to reset the phone.

After the phone has been restored, you can start the setup process again. There may be an additional software update available.

Finally, you can try again. If you are upgrading to an iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro, you can set up using transfer data or iCloud backup. The aforementioned software update will have fixed the iOS 17 bug, so you can safely transfer data again and finish new iPhone setup.

However, if you are upgrading to an iPhone model earlier than the 15 series, a fix for the transfer data glitch is not yet available.

So, Apple recommends that you update using iCloud Backup instead. Make sure your previous iPhone has a recent iCloud backup complete (you can force this by going to Settings -> [your name] -> iCloud -> iCloud Backup -> Back Up Now). Then, on your new iPhone, start iPhone setup and choose the “From iCloud Backup” option when it asks how you want to transfer your data to your new phone. Your iPhone should then finish setup successfully.

These steps are described in an Apple support document, which first revealed the existence of this iOS 17 glitch.

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Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.


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