With iOS 27, the iPhone Restores Itself: The New Recovery Mode Works Like on Apple Silicon Macs

With the developer beta of iOS 27 distributed in the days following WWDC 2026, a new feature emerged that was not announced on stage: an integrated recovery mode in the device, also available on iPadOS 27, which allows restoring, updating, and diagnosing iPhone and iPad without connecting the device to a computer.

The access mechanism mimics that of Macs with Apple Silicon: the device needs to be turned off, then the side button is held down during the powering on until a progress bar appears under the Apple logo. At that point, the system launches into a separate interface, without loading the main operating system.

What the recovery screen offers

The recovery screen displays five options: Recovery Assistant, Software Update, Diagnostics Mode, Erase All Content and Settings, and Recovery Mode. It also shows the battery charge percentage and automatically connects to known Wi-Fi networks, making connectivity-dependent functions operational without additional intervention.

The most significant feature is Recovery Assistant: the official Apple documentation describes its ability to detect startup problems and attempt automated fixes. An iPhone stuck in a startup loop or with a software update interrupted midway can be recovered directly, without connecting to a Mac or PC.

When the iPhone Won't Start

Scenarios such as a failed software update or a device that fails to complete the startup previously required connecting to a computer with iTunes or Finder. With the recovery mode in iOS 27, the entire process becomes manageable from the device itself, including the reinstallation of the system software.

This functionality did not receive a dedicated press release: it emerged from the analysis of the developer beta and was reported by 9to5Mac on June 11, while the official WWDC 2026 materials focused on Siri, Apple Intelligence, and interface updates.

A similar feature was introduced in iOS 26, but it was limited to sending a diagnostic report of the device to Apple to request technical assistance.