What Does Attempting Data Recovery Mean on iPhone? Fixed!

Is your iPhone stuck in the Apple logo and attempting data recovery loop? What does attempting data recovery mean on iPhone? Find ways to fix iPhone attempting data recovery issue.

By @Lora Last Updated September 18, 2024

Stuck on the “Attempting Data Recovery” screen

You may have many questions as follows if you stuck on the "Attempting data recovery" screen for a long time. Let's get the basic and more about this error. 

“My brother recently got an iPhone 7 but he forgot its passcode. We have tried to factory reset it via iTunes. There was one error message of 0xE800015. When we finally get to the correct screen on iTunes. It requires updating iTunes. The iPhone has been stuck on a white screen saying 'Attempting Data Recovery' once that is gone. It says it has failed and comes back saying press the home button to recover. Is there anyone to know how to fix this issue? Thanks a lot.”

🔷🔹What happens at the process of "Attempting data recovery"?
 

In general, the "Attempting data recovery " window will take several minutes (up to 30 minutes) and solve itself. If this process fails, it will prompt you to “Press Home to recover" and try to recover data from iPhone.

But your iPhone may also be stuck in a boot loop until your iPhone is disabled. While iTunes states “iTunes could not connect to the iPhone because it is locked with a passcode” and does not do any data recovery operations.

🔷🔹What does attempting data recovery mean on iPhone?
 

The "Attempting data recovery" means your iPhone or iOS version is experiencing issues, mainly occurring after the iTunes or OTA update, and it's trying to recover data from a backup, but something is wrong with the process.

This also occurs when you try to, factory reset or restore your iPhone, fix connect to iTunes issue, or normal processes interrupted by iOS update bugs or insufficient space, etc.

Some users have reported they are stuck at this error for hours.Even worse, they lose part or all of the data on the iPhone.

🔷🔹Why do you receive an "Attempting data recovery" error?
 

We collect a list of possible reasons below:

  • You update to a new iOS version or downgrade from iOS 14 to 13 or below.
  • You update iOS after jailbreak
  • Incompatible hardware or software interfered with the update process.
  • Your iPhone has a low battery level or was disconnected from the power source during the update process.  
  • You are trying to restore your iPhone from backup but the process is interrupted.
  • Your iPhone has insufficient storage space

How to fix attempting data recovery loop

Apple company has not provided an official explanation or solution for the problem. But don't be afraid, we collect several proven methods from users to fix the attempting data recovery loop.

⚠️If you lose some or more data during this process, try the methods in the 3rd part to recover lost data on your iPhone. Using iPhone data recovery software is the most easiest one. 

Way 1. Press the Home button and wait

⭐This method works for iPhones that have a Home button.

There’s no need to panic if your iPhone is stuck in attempting data recovery. Simply press the Home Button when prompted and wait for the update to complete. When the update is finished, your iPhone will return to normal operation.

Way 2. Force restart the iPhone

If your iPhone keeps displaying "attempting data recovery" with no progress, a force restart may assist you in resolving the error. A force restart is always an effective way to solve lots of iPhone problems. For different iPhone models, there are different steps for force restart.

👉 For iPhone X/XS/XR/11/12/13/14/8/8plus/SE 2:

  • Press and fast release the Volume Up button.
  • Press and fast release the Volume Down button.
  • Press and hold the Side button (Power) until the Apple logo appears.

👉 For iPhone 7/7 plus:

Press the Volume Down button and Sleep/Wake button simultaneously until the Apple logo appears and then release the two buttons.

👉 For iphone 6/6s/SE 1:

Press the Sleep/Wake button and Home button simultaneously until the Apple logo appears and then release the two buttons.

Way 3. Put your iPhone into recovery mode

If the force start can’t work, you could fix the attempting data recovery issue by putting your iPhone in recovery mode. This method is generally useful when an iOS update fails.

⚠️Note this method may erase all the current data in the iPhone and require you to set it up again like a new device. To preserve your settings and content, try to restore them from iTunes backups in the recovery mode. If not, you can only download some files from your iCloud.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to the computer.

Step 2: Force restart your iPhone but don't release the buttons when you see the Apple logo, wait until the “Connect to iTunes” screen appears.

Step 3: Then launch iTunes. A pop-up message will show the options to Restore or Update. Select “Update” to reinstall iOS without losing data.

Step 4: If the “Update” couldn’t fix the issue, you could repeat Step 2 and choose “Restore” in Step 3, which will erase all the data on the iPhone.

Step 5: Wait for the update or restore process to complete and set up your device.

How to recover lost data during attempting data recovery 

Here are 3 methods to recover lost data from iPhone after fixing the "Attempting data recovery" error. Whether using iCloud or iTunes backup, your current iPhone data will be deleted. So don't use them unless you want to restore your iPhone to a previous good state.

Way 1. Recover deleted data on iPhone using software

If you don't want to lose any data currently on your iPhone, try to recover data using professional iPhone data recovery software like MyRecover for iOS

Why choose MyRecover?
  • Deep & quick scan for up to 99% recoverable data.
  • Recover deleted photos, videos, contacts, call history, notes, voice memos, WeChat history, etc., in 3 easy steps.
  • Preview and selectively recover data, not the whole iPhone.
  • Compatible with iPhone devices and iOS versions, e.g., iPhone 15,14, 13, 12, 11, X, 7, 6, from iOS 10.0 and above to the latest iOS 17.
  • .....

All you need to do is download and install it on your Windows computer first. 

MyRecover for iOS

Best iPhone data recovery tool for personal use.

Step 1. Open MyRecover for iOS. Then, connect your iPhone to your computer and click "Trust this PC" on your iPhone when prompted. 

Step 2. Then, tap “Scan Now” to scan your iPhone for deleted or lost data. Wait patiently, the scanning time depends on the amount of data you have.

Step 3.  Tap Photos, Videos, Voice Memos, etc., to preview lost iPhone data. Once found, select them and click the “Recover” button to recover data from your iPhone.

Way 2. Recover iPhone data from iTunes backup

Step 1. Launch iTunes and connect your iPhone to the computer with which you have made iTunes backup before.

Step 2. Click your iPhone device icon and click “Restore Backup” under the Backups menu.

Step 3. Select the latest backup and click “Restore”.

Way 3. Recover data from iCloud backup on iPhone

Step 1. Click “Settings” > “General” > “Reset/Transfer or Reset iPhone” > “Erase All Content and Settings” in order. 

Step 2. Set up your iPhone. When comes to Apps & Data screen, tap “Restore from iCloud Backup”.

Step 2. Sign in to your Apple ID and then select the latest backup from the list to recover.

Wrap it up

Hopefully, you will not encounter such an update error in the future. Even it occurs again, you can easily fix the issue and get rid of the iPhone stuck on the “Attempting Data Recovery” error by force restarting and putting the iPhone into recovery mode.

It's necessary to backup your data regularly via iTunes or iCloud, which is especially useful to restore your iPhone to a previous date. In addition, you still need another tool that allows you to restore individual files instead of the whole iPhone. So you don't lose any data after restoring from backup. AOMEI FoneBackup is recommended.