10.1.1 Permanently Killed my iPhone

[Aragornii]

So has anyone had an experience like this? Updated my 6S to 10.1.1 today, and got stuck in the infinite loop. Try plugging in to iTunes for update and then factory reset. Still in infinite loop. Took it to the genius bar and their response was sorry, your phone's toast, two weeks out of warranty, need to buy a new one.

Anyone heard of anything like this before? I'm scratching my head as to how an iOS update can kill my phone and that means I have to pay for a new one.

 

[Goatllama]

The potential for this to happen comes with most every update, honestly. As long as there's no accidental damage to your phone, it hasn't been replaced before, and you're nice about it, I'd advise contacting Apple Support and appealing to one of their senior advisors about it. Sounds like you have a good case for them to make an exception. The stores are strangely more stingy about making exceptions.

 

[C DM]

So has anyone had an experience like this? Updated my 6S to 10.1.1 today, and got stuck in the infinite loop. Try plugging in to iTunes for update and then factory reset. Still in infinite loop. Took it to the genius bar and their response was sorry, your phone's toast, two weeks out of warranty, need to buy a new one.

Anyone heard of anything like this before? I'm scratching my head as to how an iOS update can kill my phone and that means I have to pay for a new one.

Have you tried recovery mode?

 

[stooovie]

It's probably not the update itself, but a hardware issue that the update exposed. But it's exceedingly rare. Try DFU restore.

 

[Alexrat1996]

If not try to email Tim Cook he can take care of this issue and someone from Apple will call you back

 

[Xgm541]

If not try to email Tim Cook he can take care of this issue and someone from Apple will call you back

I wouldn't email Tim Cook directly and expect an answer, or for someone to call me back. It's like emailing Obama because there's a pothole on your street, and expecting a crew to come fix it.

Use official support channels.

 

[beernut]

I wouldn't email Tim Cook directly and expect an answer, or for someone to call me back. It's like emailing Obama because there's a pothole on your street, and expecting a crew to come fix it.

Use official support channels.

How do you know if you don't try? Maybe try using his alternate email, TimmyC@apple.com instead of the other one that everyone knows about.

 

[C DM]

I wouldn't email Tim Cook directly and expect an answer, or for someone to call me back. It's like emailing Obama because there's a pothole on your street, and expecting a crew to come fix it.

Use official support channels.

Realistically speaking there's usually a team of executive/customer relations people working on dealing with such emails and often enough respond to quite a few of them.

 

[Russ5144]

So has anyone had an experience like this? Updated my 6S to 10.1.1 today, and got stuck in the infinite loop. Try plugging in to iTunes for update and then factory reset. Still in infinite loop. Took it to the genius bar and their response was sorry, your phone's toast, two weeks out of warranty, need to buy a new one.

Anyone heard of anything like this before? I'm scratching my head as to how an iOS update can kill my phone and that means I have to pay for a new one.

Is it stuck on the "connect to iTunes" screen? I had this happen to me yesterday, and could not get it to update at all (kept getting errors & then back to the connect screen on the device)... I was finally able to fix it by downloading a copy of the previous firmware to my desktop (in my case 10.1) and manually selecting it in itunes (right click restore) instead of updating to the new one.

 

[JayJohnPaul]

You updated through iTunes or OTA?

 

[Boatboy24]

I'm updating my 7 today and have been stuck on the 'verifying update' screen for over an hour. Can't do anything. My phone is occasionally vibrating, so it appears emails are still coming in. But the phone isn't of much use stuck on this screen.

 

[C DM]

I'm updating my 7 today and have been stuck on the 'verifying update' screen for over an hour. Can't do anything. My phone is occasionally vibrating, so it appears emails are still coming in. But the phone isn't of much use stuck on this screen.

Have you tried restarting?

 

[Boatboy24]

Have you tried restarting?

Hard reboot won't work. I can't power down. Tried updating via iTunes to bypass the current update. No dice. The 'slide to turn off' screen comes on if I try to power down. But the 'verifying update' screen is on top of that and the touch screen is non-responsive.

 

[C DM]

Hard reboot won't work. I can't power down. Tried updating via iTunes to bypass the current update. No dice. The 'slide to turn off' screen comes on if I try to power down. But the 'verifying update' screen is on top of that and the touch screen is non-responsive.

I meant resetting using lock and home buttons together. If not, perhaps recovery or DFU mode.

 

[Boatboy24]

I meant resetting using lock and home buttons together. If not, perhaps recovery or DFU mode.

Sorry, that's what I meant by a hard reboot - home and lock simultaneously. It doesn't do anything.

 

[C DM]

Sorry, that's what I meant by a hard reboot - home and lock simultaneously. It doesn't do anything.

Nothing happens at all, even if you hold it for like 30 seconds or so? Or it reboots but just goes back to what it was?

 

[Boatboy24]

Nothing happens at all, even if you hold it for like 30 seconds or so? Or it reboots but just goes back to what it was?

Duh. Just remembered that on the 7, a hard reboot is done using the sleep/wake button and volume down button (not the home button). Was able to restart and all appears OK. Of course, the update is still showing as not done, but I think I'll wait. Thanks for chiming in!

 

[C DM]

Duh. Just remembered that on the 7, a hard reboot is done using the sleep/wake button and volume down button (not the home button). Was able to restart and all appears OK. Of course, the update is still showing as not done, but I think I'll wait. Thanks for chiming in!

Didn't realize it was a 7 (I think the 6s mentioned in the OP was in my mind all along).

 

[minimo3]

If you bought it with a credit card most cards offer an additional year of warranty coverage beyond the manufacturer's warranty

 

[C DM]

If you bought it with a credit card most cards offer an additional year of warranty coverage beyond the manufacturer's warranty

I think a few do, but far from most.

 

[kazmac]

Realistically speaking there's usually a team of executive/customer relations people working on dealing with such emails and often enough respond to quite a few of them.

True. I contacted Tim Cook about iMac refund issues last year, and was polite yet firm. Within a day I heard from a senior advisor and began the process for my refund. I think the OP should try every avenue including contacting Tim Cook. Just be polite and explain what happened.

 

[Denmac1]

True. I contacted Tim Cook about iMac refund issues last year, and was polite yet firm. Within a day I heard from a senior advisor and began the process for my refund. I think the OP should try every avenue including contacting Tim Cook. Just be polite and explain what happened.

Believe it or not, this does work. Executive team does respond in a very positive manner when approached with genuine concern and a positive attitude. Resolved my issue.

 

[Aragornii]

So here's an update on this. To answer all the questions, yes, I tried every manner of resetting to factory settings, and also tried manually downloading the update and installing via iTunes.

None of that worked and Apple was firm that the phone was unusable (as stated in one of the earlier posts, they claimed that it wasn't the update that killed the phone, but the update uncovered a defect in the phone). So I bought a new phone and stuck mine in a drawer. This week Apple pulls 10.1.1 and releases a new update, so I tried that on my broken phone and lo and behold it works fine. So now I'm stuck with two phones, and Apple clearly was in the wrong about it not being the update that bricked it.

Will have to pursue some sort of compensation but I won't hold my breath.

 

[newellj]

So here's an update on this. To answer all the questions, yes, I tried every manner of resetting to factory settings, and also tried manually downloading the update and installing via iTunes.

None of that worked and Apple was firm that the phone was unusable (as stated in one of the earlier posts, they claimed that it wasn't the update that killed the phone, but the update uncovered a defect in the phone). So I bought a new phone and stuck mine in a drawer. This week Apple pulls 10.1.1 and releases a new update, so I tried that on my broken phone and lo and behold it works fine. So now I'm stuck with two phones, and Apple clearly was in the wrong about it not being the update that bricked it.

Will have to pursue some sort of compensation but I won't hold my breath.

Interesting. Are you within the two week return period for the new phone? You must be, right? Your original post was only 10 days ago.

 

[C DM]

So here's an update on this. To answer all the questions, yes, I tried every manner of resetting to factory settings, and also tried manually downloading the update and installing via iTunes.

None of that worked and Apple was firm that the phone was unusable (as stated in one of the earlier posts, they claimed that it wasn't the update that killed the phone, but the update uncovered a defect in the phone). So I bought a new phone and stuck mine in a drawer. This week Apple pulls 10.1.1 and releases a new update, so I tried that on my broken phone and lo and behold it works fine. So now I'm stuck with two phones, and Apple clearly was in the wrong about it not being the update that bricked it.

Will have to pursue some sort of compensation but I won't hold my breath.

Can't you rerun the new phone you got? And, yeah, typically it's quite hard and usual to actually brick an iPhone with an update--it can certainly happen, but even then in enough instances it's some installation/software weirdness and it's not actually bricked.