IPhone 4s issue

[Huskie]

I could not connect to wifi so I tried to download an update to the operating system through my computer.  Now the phone shows the itunes logo and the pludg in, cant get it to do anything, help!

[delcecchi]

did you do the "disconnect phone" or eject or whatever they call it? 

[leechlake]

did you press the "home" button at bottom and at same time hold power button.  Should do a soft reset and get good to go in about a minute.

[Ufatz]

I think LLake may be right.  Do a reset and report back to us.

[jmd1]

i have to do this every now and again with my 5.  good luck

[Huskie]

Tried that didn't work.  We stopped at a verizon store, told us to restore via Itunes on our laptop by updating the IOS..  It gets about halfway through and no more progress.  They now said that perhaps the older phone doesn't have enough memory to finish the update, so it's stops halfway.  Now what, find an apple store, {we are on vaca}, get a new phone or find a teenager to fix it?????

[Jim Almquist]

By doing a restore you should get your phone to the point before you had problems. You would not have been able to load anything else on it if the storage was full. You should have received a message stating that you don't have enough drive space. I would just try to do a restore only if the laptop have a backup of your phone on it. Once restored you could do a update if that is what you want.

My wife wanted to do one of the IOS updates and it would not go due to the phone storage was too full and she needed to remove some of the apps. She refused and just used it. 

[Ufatz]

I still think a "restore" will solve this.  Brain dead simple.

[Huskie]

We tried the brain dead simple restore, it doesn't work!!!  The phone shows the Itunes system with a picture of the plug in beneath it.  The phone shows the white line as the restore progresses but it stalls about half way and will go no further??? We've tried holding both buttons down at the same time but the symbols reappear.

[delcecchi]

7 minutes ago, Huskie said:

We tried the brain dead simple restore, it doesn't work!!!  The phone shows the Itunes system with a picture of the plug in beneath it.  The phone shows the white line as the restore progresses but it stalls about half way and will go no further??? We've tried holding both buttons down at the same time but the symbols reappear.

How long did you wait for it to go no further?  I was just doing some reading and it can take an hour or so with no perceptible movement... 

Sorry if you have already seen this.  

Quote

Apple logo with progress bar after updating or restoring iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

After you update iOS, restore from a backup, or erase your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, your device displays the Apple logo with a progress bar.

 

When this occurs, the progress bar might be moving very slowly or seem like it isn't moving.

Let the device complete the update, restore, or erase process.

The progress bar shows installation progress. The amount of time depends on the number of files on the device and whether you're erasing, updating, or upgrading your iOS. This process can take as little as a minute if your device has little or no data or if you're erasing the device. If your device contains a large number of files, the process can take from several minutes to an hour.

If your device appears in iTunes, you can configure sync options, and you can sync content, the process is complete. Leave your device connected to iTunes and wait for the migration process to finish.

If you're updating over the air, connect your device to a power source so that it won't run out of power during this process. If your device runs out of power, connect it to a power source and turn on the device to let the update or restore complete.

In some cases, you may see the progress bar complete, then start again.

Get Help

If the update or restore never completes or your device is unresponsive, force your device to restart.

Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Follow the steps to restart your device.

 

How to restart

1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears.
2. Drag the slider to turn your device completely off.
3. After the device turns off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again until you see the Apple logo.

How to force restart

You should force restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as a last resort, and only if it's not responding. To force restart your device, press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo.

Get more help

You can also learn what to do if your device still doesn't respond or turn on.

If your device turns on but gets stuck during start up

You might see the Apple logo or a red or blue screen for a long time during start up. Try these steps:

1. Connect your device to a computer and open iTunes. If you don't have a computer, you can borrow one, or go to an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider for help. 
2. While your device is connected, force it to restart. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons at the same time. Don't release when you see the Apple logo. Keep holding until you see the Recovery mode screen.
   
3. When you get the option to restore or update, choose Update. iTunes will try to reinstall iOS without erasing your data.
   

iTunes will download the software for your device. If it takes more than 15 minutes, your device will exit recovery mode and you'll need to repeat steps 2 and 3 again.

What to do next

Contact Apple Support to set up service if you have any of these issues:

• You still see a black screen after charging, force restarting, or following the steps in this article.
• You see a black screen, but can hear alerts, sounds, and vibrations.
• Your screen is on, but it doesn't respond to when you tap, slide, or try other gestures. 
• You can't force your device to restart because your Home button or Sleep/Wake button is broken or stuck.
• Your device is stuck on the Apple logo, displays a solid color, or isn't recognized in iTunes.

Last Modified: Feb 2, 2016

 

 

There are also third party programs for your computer that claim to help.   For example (first one in google via reddit)

http://www.iphone-android-recovery.com/iphone/iphone-stuck-in-recovery-mode.html

[Huskie]

Thanks, but we've tried that as well.  Almost seems like there is a wifi problem with the phone itself.  I think we will hit an apple store on the way home from our vacation.

[delcecchi]

WiFi shouldn't be an issue if you plug it into the computer with the cord.  You did plug it in when using the iTunes thing right?  But the apple store is a good idea for sure.

[Huskie]

yes we did, maybe not wi fi but maybe something internal.  Thanks for the help. if I need a new phone, might go the droid route, not because of this issue but for other factors, thanks again.

[Ufatz]

Sure sorry to hear this has been such a bummer.  I'd call the iPhone folks and talk with them.  They have always been VERY helpful to me when I got confused about something.  A lot of this stuff is hard for me to absorb-my brain works fine on other things.

When my 4s finally and totally quit I had a tough time convincing them to sell me ANOTHER 4s at a time when the 5, 5s and 6 were all the rage.  They were having trouble why I'd want to pay $200 for (to them) an outdated and less capable phone.  But they finally did,  I had it the next day,  and it's been serving me well for the past year and a half. With the apps etc. they have now and that I have loaded I think it would be no problem to fly around the world in my old airplane!!!

Have fun. Life is a blast!!