iPad Air iPad stuck in bootloop and Recovery mode

[mus3g33k]

My iPad Air 4 got updated to iPadOS 15.6.1 and the following problem began after that.

1. After the update got completed, the iPad got stuck in recovery mode. I mean the mode where there is a logo of a computer appearing on the screen with the link support.apple.com/ipad/restore written on top.
2. Once I saw this, I connected the device to my computer and then opened up iTunes. Then on iTunes there came the option of restore and update and clicked on the same. The latest version of software got downloaded and the restoration process was done. I mean the process where we get the Apple logo to appear on the screen along with the white progress bar.
3. After all this was done, I expected that the issue will be solved, but once again the recovery page started to appear on the iPad. So, I connected to the computer again and did the same procedure as in step (2). But the problem still persists.
4. Now, whenever I do connect my iPad to the laptop the recovery page appears and whenever I disconnect the Apple logo starts to appear and disappear every 3 seconds.
5. I have tried to restore and update numerous times, and every time the issue persists.
   
   
   I am not sure what mode I am in. I tried the trick to get into the DFU mode. But the thing is, whenever I connect my iPad to a laptop, the recovery mode is initiated and the trick to get into DFU does not work from there. So, what might be the issue ? I think this has got something to do with the version of iPadOS, but I am not sure how to fix it. I was thinking that if I could get into the DFU mode, then maybe I might be able to solve the issue. But, I am not sure how to get into the DFU mode when the recovery mode is already appearing on the screen.
   
   
   tl;dr, I connect the iPad to laptop ----> Recovery mode initiates ----> I click on restore and update ---->
   Restoration complete ----> iPad goes into recovery mode again.
   If I happen to disconnect from the laptop, then it goes into a boot loop with the Apple logo flashing every 3 seconds.

Kindly help me with this.

Thank You!

 

[Technerd108]

I don’t know how old your iPad is or if there is anything that happened recently to it hardware wise like a shock or something of that nature.

It sounds like you have a hardware failure and I would take it to an Apple store so they can diagnose the hardware.

Also hardware failure can happen without any outward damage so I am not suggesting that you did anything to the iPad just asking because a lot of times you have hardware failure it can be related to a drop or shock but not always the case.

It could be something else as I am no expert. It could be a software issue related to your computer not transmitting the download properly or a bad data cable connected to your iPad. If you have another cable you can use to connect your iPad try restoring it again and if you still have the same issue then the chances are that it is hardware related.

I hope it is just a bad cable.

Good luck!

 

[mus3g33k]

Thank You! I guess I will have to take it to an Apple Service Center. I tried numerous cables and restoration. I too am starting to believe that this is a hardware issue.

 

[rui no onna]

Could be NAND flash/SSD failure.

 

[Technerd108]

Thank You! I guess I will have to take it to an Apple Service Center. I tried numerous cables and restoration. I too am starting to believe that this is a hardware issue.

I am truly sorry for your situation and wish I could help more. Sucks when hardware fails.

 

[mus3g33k]

@Technerd108 I do not know what happened, but yesterday suddenly the boot loop stopped, and I was able to switch it again. But then again I switched it off to see how it will behave, and it got stuck again. Then after 4 hours, the loop stopped.
Apparently, I cannot switch off my iPad. If I were to do that, then it will take minimum 4 hours for the boot loop to stop. I am not sure what is the issue here. But, if I have to guess, then I think it has something to do with the update. But I have restored and update numerous times till now. So, this is just a speculation. These machines sure do work in a strange way.

I have been using this iPad since last two years. I just hope it lasts another year or two. All I got to do is make sure that it is never low on juice and I never switch off. I am not sure what will happen if I were to update it in the next update cycle. Albeit, I am thinking of not updating it ever again.

 

[mus3g33k]

I am truly sorry for your situation and wish I could help more. Sucks when hardware fails.

Yes! It is very irritating. I am more troubled by this compulsive thought to test what will happen if I switch it off.

 

[Technerd108]

I remember installing custom roms on a Google nexus tablet. It was easy to restore if I had an issue.

Since Apple controls the restore process and downloads the latest iPad OS there is no way for you to go back to a previous version to test if it would run better.

I suspect that since you still have issues with a complete restoration of the tablet that it is hardware related and a lot of times they can be intermittent. So it may work for a while and then after some time it may get worse. Generally hardware issues don’t self heal but rarely I have seen them go away.

I don’t think it is an update issue because if you had a corrupted update the restore would have fixed it.

But I don’t know what I am talking about just trying to help and spitting out ideas.

It seems like you have tried everything possible that you can do? I would take it to an Apple store and at least let them run diagnostics. If it is running you can chat with them and have them run diagnostics online while you are on chat. That might be the easiest route to go for now. At least it might give you a better perspective on what is going on.