iPhone can be stuck on the “Data recovery cannot be completed. Please restore your iPhone from backup” screen after you have changed your passcode, updated your phone, attempted to transfer your data to a new device using the quick start method, restored a backup, etc.
When your iPhone says “Data recovery cannot be completed”, you can try a couple of solutions to fix the issue. A majority of Apple device owners have already tried these troubleshooting methods and have eliminated the problem within no time.
How to Bypass the “Data Recovery Cannot Be Completed” Screen
Listed below are some trusted remedies to help you if your iPhone says data recovery cannot be completed. On your part, you can try these suggestions one by one and see if any of them can bypass the screen.
Solution 1: Force Restart iPhone
If you haven’t restarted your iPhone for the past couple of months, its memory may have collected some junk information that might be hindering the recovery process. This could be the case when you are trying to get your data back after updating the iOS or changing the passcode. In simple words, it is the right time to force restart your iPhone.
For the newer models of iPhone with Face ID, you need to press the volume up button and then the volume down button, and finally hold the side button until you see the Apple logo which means your iPhone is restarting. If you have older models of iPhone, check the guide here to learn how to force reboot your iPhone.
Solution 2: Update iPhone Via Recovery Mode
If your iPhone is unstable and you see the “Data recovery cannot be completed” message on the screen after the update, you should put your phone in Recovery Mode and try updating the iOS from there.
However, because Apple has modified the form factors of the latest iPhone models, the combination of buttons that you must press to put your phone in Recovery Mode vary. You can know that your device has successfully entered the Recovery Mode when its screen shows the iTunes or PC simple along with the icon of the Lightning Cable.
To update your iPhone via Recovery Mode:
- Launch iTunes.
- Use the Lightning Cable to connect your iPhone to the computer.
- Put your phone into Recovery Mode by following the instructions given here.
- Once in Recovery Mode, click Update.
- Follow the on-screen instructions from there to update your iPhone.
- Try recovering your data again and see if the issue is gone.
Solution 3: Fix iPhone Using AnyFix
AnyFix is a third-party tool by iMobie and is available for both Windows and Mac platforms. The software is versatile and can fix more than 130 issues known to iPhones. In addition, the application can also fix iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and iTunes problems.
When your iPhone is showing “Data recovery cannot be completed” message, you can use iMobie AnyFix to repair a corrupt iOS and eliminate all the inconsistencies that could be preventing your iPhone from recovering the data. After the operating system is rectified, you can continue the recovery process to bring everything back up and running.
To use iMobie AnyFix to fix the “Data recovery cannot be completed” issue:
- Visit the official website and download and install iMobie AnyFix on your computer.
- Launch AnyFix.
- Use the Lightning Cable to connect your iPhone to the PC.
- Click System Repair from the program’s main interface.
- Click Start Now on the next screen when it appears.
- On the next window, click to select the Standard Repair tile.
- Click Standard Repair from the bottom.
- Next, click Download to get the latest firmware.
- Once done, on the Download Complete screen, click Fix Now to begin the iOS repair process.
- When the Repair Complete window appears, click OK.
- Retry recovering the data, and see if the problem is fixed.
Note: The ‘Standard Repair’ option keeps all your data on the device intact, whereas if you choose ‘Advanced Repair’ or ‘Ultimate Repair’, AnyFix erases all personal data from the phone. Nevertheless, if you have your files backed up, you can recover them easily after the iOS is rectified.
Solution 4: Restore iPhone via Recovery Mode
In addition to the ‘Update’ option, Recovery Mode also allows you to restore your iPhone. When you click the ‘Restore’ button while in Recovery Mode, iTunes contacts the corresponding Apple server, downloads a clean copy of the latest firmware, and installs it on your phone.
Although this approach erases all data from the device, because a fresh instance of firmware is installed, your iPhone works as flawlessly as new.
After the restore process is complete, you can set up your phone and recover data from the most recent backup.
To restore iPhone via Recovery Mode:
- Launch iTunes on your computer.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer.
- Use the method given here to put your iPhone in Recovery Mode.
- Once done, click Restore.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to restore your iPhone via Recovery Mode.
- After the restore check if you see the iPhone says “Data recovery cannot be completed” or not after doing what you wanted to do before.
Solution 5: Restore iPhone via DFU Mode
Device Firmware Update or DFU is a state of any iDevice (including iPhones) where nothing appears on the screen, but iTunes detects that your iPhone/iPad is connected to it. Also, when you put your iPhone in DFU mode, the only option that iTunes gives you is ‘Restore’. Now, as mentioned earlier, restoring your iPhone installs a fresh instance of firmware, thus eliminating all the problems that your current iOS may have.
To restore your iPhone via DFU mode:
- Launch iTunes.
- Connect your iPhone to the PC using the genuine Lightning Cable.
- Follow the method explained here to put your iPhone model into DFU mode.
- Click OK on the information box that iTunes shows.
- Click Restore iPhone on the iTunes interface.
- Wait while iTunes downloads and installs a fresh instance of firmware on your phone.
- Once iPhone restarts, it will be like a new device.
After restoring, you can try recovering your data again and check if your iPhone still shows the “Data recovery cannot be completed” error message.
Conclusion
The “Data recovery cannot be completed” error message comes up if your iPhone is somehow misconfigured or the iOS has encountered some inconsistencies. Regardless of the reason, the solutions explained above are effective and have helped many people throughout the world to get rid of the problem within no time.
