Apple has been diligently developing a feature that allows users to restore and recover their device firmware wirelessly for some time now. Initially rolled out for the Apple Watch with iOS 15.4 and watchOS 8.5, and then extended to Apple TV through iOS 17 and tvOS 17, this capability is now making its way to the iPhone 16 series with the release of iOS 18.
iPhone 16: Wireless Firmware Restoration Capabilities
According to 9to5Mac, the iOS 18 firmware designed for the iPhone 16 integrates the same RecoveryOS that enables the restoration of Apple Watch and Apple TV firmware directly via an iPhone. We were able to test this new feature to see how it functions.
In practice, when an iPhone 16 is placed in Recovery Mode, users can simply position it near another iPhone or iPad, allowing the second device to download the necessary firmware and transmit it to the malfunctioning device. This innovative feature eliminates the need for a Mac or PC for firmware repair on iOS devices.
It’s worth noting that while any device running iOS 18 is capable of assisting in the restoration of a non-functional device, the wireless restoration feature appears to be exclusive to the iPhone 16 models at this time. These new devices are equipped with a specialized recovery partition that can oversee the entire restoration process, independent of whether the main iOS partition is operational.
Currently, it remains uncertain if Apple intends to roll out this wireless restoration system to earlier iPhone models or if it necessitates specialized hardware. Nevertheless, this development represents a significant advancement in simplifying the process for users to address firmware issues without needing to visit Apple or a repair service.
Interestingly, we reported back in 2020 that Apple had been developing this tool behind the scenes.