How to fix error 1015 while restoring iPhone

Summary: Error 1015 appears during iPhone restore through iTunes. If you are getting this error, its probably due to attempts of jailbreak or iPhone downgrade. This post shares 7 ways to fix iPhone restore error 1015 on iPhone 7, 8, XS, XR, SE, 11, 12, and above models.

Are you receiving iPhone error 1015 during restore with iTunes as below?

Case 1: _I have an old iPhone 3G stuck in Recovery Mode. I am trying to restore it through iTunes. But at the end of the restore, I get unknown error 1015. How can I fix error 1015 on my own?
_

Case 2: I tried to restore my iPhone in iTunes. It won’t finish because of this error 1015 code. I have the latest software. I’ve restarted and updated my iPhone too. Still the same error message appears.

Have you used tools like TinyUmbrella to restore firmware that Apple no longer supports?

Did you try to jailbreak your iPhone by using applications like Redsn0w or Pwnage?

If yes, that’s the reason behind the problem. The error 1015 is typically caused by attempts of jailbreak or downgrade on the iOS device. Such activities are a violation of the iOS end-user software license agreement. They can make your iPhone vulnerable to malware and prone to errors like 1015.

Naturally, Apple wouldn’t encourage jailbreak or downgrading to an older iOS version. Thus, you are bound to face problems when trying the unauthorized iOS modifications on your iPhone or iPad.

Thus, the probable reasons for the iPhone restore error 1015 are:

Downgrade of iOS
Jailbreak
Outdated software
Third-party tools on your computer

This post shares all the possible solutions to fix iPhone restore error 1015.

You can apply these solutions on all iPhones including 3G, 4, 5, 6, 6s, 7, 8, X and above models using any iOS version.

1. Install the latest version of iTunes

Make sure your computer has the latest iTunes before restoring iPhone using iTunes.

On Windows PC, update iTunes by following Help > Check for Updates in the top menu bar of iTunes.

On Mac, go to App Store > Updates > click Install, if you see any iTunes updates.

2. Update iOS

iOS updates usually fix error 1015 which appears while restoring iPhone with iTunes.

On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update and tap Download and Install.

3. Update Windows or macOS

System update ensures smooth and error-free performance of your computer.

If you are using Windows PC, follow Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.

On Mac, click on Apple icon and select S****oftware Update and click on updates available.

4. Uninstall third-party software on PC/ Mac

Third-party software often create conflict among programs while performing iPhone restore or update with iTunes. You may not receive the error 1015, after uninstalling such programs.

On Windows computer go to Start > All apps. Find the third-party software and right-click on it. Choose Uninstall.

On Mac, in the Finder window, go to Applications. Find and select the third-party software. In the top menu bar, go to File and select Move to Trash. Next, click on Empty Trash.

5. Put your iPhone in Recovery Mode and restore

Before you put your iPhone on Recovery Mode, ensure you are using the latest version of iTunes. Next, follow the below steps to restore iPhone using the Recovery Mode.

Connect your iPhone to computer
Open iTunes
Force restart your iPhone while it is still connected to the computer, until you see the iTunes logo (To force restart use home and/or volume button depending on your iPhone version)

On your computer, you will receive a dialog box asking to either Update or Restore.

Click Update

After the Update process completes, you can restore your iPhone from iTunes or iCloud backup without facing the error 1015.

Note: If you are unable to enter Recovery Mode on your iPhone due to jailbreak, you may use programs like RecBoot, which are used to enter and exit the Recovery Mode on iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

6. Delete the IPSW file on your computer

Files with .ipsw extensions on your computer are backups and temporary files of your iOS updates. Many iPhone users who were receiving error 1015 while restoring iPhone were able to fix the problem by deleting these files on their PC or Mac.

Deleting these backup files doesn’t impact your iTunes or iPhone function.

Note: You can get rid of the old IPSW files and keep the most recent ones.

Location of .IPSW files on your computer:

On Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Update

On Windows Vista/7: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

On Mac OS X: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates

7. Restore your iPhone into DFU Mode

When no other method is helpful, choose to put your iPhone in DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode. Whether you are receiving the iPhone error 1015 due to jailbreaking your iOS device or not, the DFU mode solution is your last resort to fix error 1015.

As in Recovery Mode, bringing your iOS device to DFU mode will lead to loss of iPhone data. Thus, before you attempt this, make sure you have iCloud or iTunes backup.

Steps to DFU mode for iPhone 7, 6s and below users:

Connect your iPhone to computer (even if your iPhone is off)
For 8 seconds, press and hold the Sleep button and Home button (iPhone 6s and below users) or the volume down button (iPhone 7). Next, release the Sleep button but continue to hold the Home button or the volume down button until iTunes shows message _‘iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode._’

Leave the Home button or volume down button. The iPhone screen turns black indicating the device has entered DFU mode
Next, you can restore your iPhone using iTunes

Steps to DFU mode for iPhone X, 8, or 8 Plus users

Connect your iPhone to computer (even if your iPhone is off)
Quickly press and release the volume up button, quickly press and release the volume down button, and press and hold the side button until your iPhone screen turns black
Press and hold the volume down button while continue holding the side button for 5 seconds
Release the side button and continue holding the volume down button until your iPhone shows up in iTunes.
Next, release the volume button. Your iPhone is in DFU mode

Now restore iPhone with iTunes. You can exit DFU Mode by force restarting your iPhone.

| Unable to restore iPhone from iTunes after Recovery Mode or DFU Mode?
If after putting your iOS device to Recovery or DFU mode you are unable to restore iPhone, download Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone The DIY software for Mac and PC can easily restore the data from iPhone, iCloud, and iTunes.

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To Sum Up

Naturally, the error code 1015 is annoying when you quickly want to restore your iPhone using iTunes.

The error usually appears when your software is not updated, you have attempted jailbreak or downgraded your iPhone’s iOS.

The post shares 7 different ways you can try to fix the problem. Begin with the simpler troubleshooting such as updating your iOS, Windows/ macOS and iTunes. Uninstalling third-party security software or deleting the IPSW files on your computer has also worked for many in resolving the error 1015.

In case these methods don’t work, then go for the tougher solutions like bringing iPhone to Recovery Mode or DFU Mode which lead to iPhone data loss. They are the harsher solutions to the problem, but assure you don’t receive error 1015 while restoring from iTunes. But make sure you have iCloud and iTunes backup before attempting these two methods. Else you would need an iPhone data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone to restore your lost iPhone data. The software is quick and efficient way to get back lost data in cases of jailbreak, downgrade of iOS and restore errors.

How to Wipe iPhone Data Permanently?

Summary: Do you want to erase everything on your iPhone? But fear that it could be recovered. Learn about the best tool that wipes iPhone data permanently and makes it unrecoverable by any recovery software.

Your iPhone is a trove of personal data — photos, videos, passwords, ID proofs, bank details, chats, messages, contacts, and a lot more— which, naturally, you don’t want to fall into other hands. That’s why you prefer to delete all the information on your iPhone before selling it to others.

But several iPhone recovery software can easily restore deleted data from an old or discarded iPhone. So there’s always a fear that someone could recover your iPhone’s data and misuse it.

Here’s a solution — permanently wipe iPhone data beyond the scope of recovery by any software.

How do you permanently erase data from your iPhone?

Manual deletion is one of the ways to remove data. But it can be easily recovered by iPhone features like restoring ‘Recently Deleted’ or recovery software.

Then, Apple suggests resetting the content and settings of the iOS device. It’s effective as the deleted data is not accessible directly on your iPhone. But this also does not completely erase your data from iPhone storage.

So to wipe iPhones permanently, specialized erasure software should be used. The iPhone data erasure tool destroys all information on your storage by overwriting, thus rendering it unrecoverable.

Methods to erase everything on iPhone

Reset content and settings on iPhone (data gets inaccessible but recoverable)
Use iPhone data erasure software – Stellar Toolkit for iPhone (permanently wipes iPhone’s data, unrecoverable)

Method 1: Reset content and settings on iPhone

Apple provides a factory reset feature in iPhone with the ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ option. This method lets you bring your device to default settings by erasing iPhone data.

Apple’s factory reset will delete all settings, passcodes, photos, videos, notes, contacts, call history, messages, search history, app history, and other data on your iPhone.

However, erasing your iPhone with the ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ option does not delete your data permanently. All the personal data on iPhone is still recoverable with the help of advanced iPhone data recovery software.

Steps to Factory Reset iPhone:

Open Settings on your iPhone.
Tap and follow General > Reset.
Tap on Erase All Content and Settings.
A dialog box appears; click Erase Now.
Enter your Passcode and your Apple ID password when prompted. This will wipe iPhone completely and turn off the device.

Now your device is ready to use as new without any personal photos, videos, or other information.

Note: Back up your iPhone data on iCloud or iTunes before performing a factory reset. Even when you want to sell the iPhone, the old data remains in iCloud and iTunes. And you can access it anytime on your computer or new iPhone.

Method 2: Erase data permanently using Stellar Toolkit for iPhone

When you want to delete iPhone data permanently beyond the scope of any recovery software, use an iPhone erasure tool – Stellar Toolkit for iPhone.

The factory reset option by Apple does leave a chance of iPhone data recovery by using the software. But, Stellar Toolkit for iPhone software permanently resets iPhone. The software erases iPhone data from the storage drive by overwriting and setting it to the original default settings. The software leaves no possibility of recovering data by any means.

You can quickly remove iPhone’s settings, photos, videos, audio, music, contacts, messages, chats, installed apps, call history, reminders, search history, and other data.

The software works with all iPhones and iPads. It can wipe off data from iPhone 15, 14, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 11 Pro, 11, XS MAX, XS, XR, X, 8, 7, 7s, 6s, 6 Plus, 6, 5s, 5c, 5, 4s, and 4. It supports iOS 6.0 and up to iOS 16.x.

Stellar iPhone erasure lets you completely wipe data from an unlimited number of iPhones with the software.

Additionally, the Toolkit can also recover lost, or deleted data from iPhone, iCloud, and iTunes in various data lost cases such as water-damaged iPhones , broken iPhones , stuck at Apple logos , and so on.

Key benefits

Wipes complete iPhone data permanently
Erases data from multiple unique iPhones
Easy-to-use
Compatible with all iPhones and iPads

Steps to erase iPhone data permanently with software:

Step 1: Download and run Stellar Toolkit for iPhone on your computer.

Step 2: Select Erase Data.

Step 3: Erase the iPhone Data screen appears. Click Next.

Step 4: Plug your iPhone into the computer when prompted.

Step 5: Click Erase.

Step 6: An Erase Process dialog box appears. Select Yes to start the erasing process on iPhone. Next, you can view the process progress bar.

Step 7: Once the process finishes, the ‘Data Erase Completes’ message box appears. Click OK.

Your iPhone is now reset as new without any personal information, passwords, or settings.

When should you erase iPhone data with software?

Your data is sensitive and can be easily exploited by someone. So before giving away your iOS device to its next owner, it is better to wipe it off completely so that no one can recover it.

You can use iPhone erasure software when you are-

Selling an old iPhone
Exchanging an old iPhone with a new one
Donating an iPhone to someone
Fixing technical malfunctions in your iPhone

Final Words

Stellar Toolkit for iPhone comes to the rescue when you want to be sure about your iPhone data privacy.

If you have to use your iOS device as new, give it away, donate, or resell, you must use the erasure software to wipe iPhone data permanently. It’s 100% secure and easy to use.

A free trial is available for Stellar Toolkit for iPhone; you may try it yourself.

Apple will delete your photos in July. Here’s what you should do

Apple has recently announced that it will permanently delete photos from its users’ ‘My Photo Stream’ this month. This news has come as a surprise to the Apple community, as users struggle to understand the implications of this announcement and what necessary precautions can be taken. In this blog post, we will get into the details of this new move by Apple, explore the reasons behind it, and provide tips on how iPhone/iPad/Mac users can safeguard their precious photos.

The Announcement

_”_My Photo Stream is scheduled to be shut down on July 26, 2023. As part of this transition, new photo uploads to My Photo Stream from your devices will stop one month before, on June 26, 2023.

The photos in My Photo Stream are already stored on at least one of your devices, so as long as you have the device with your originals, you won’t lose any photos as part of this process. If a photo you want isn’t already in your Library on a particular iPhone, iPad, or Mac, make sure that you save it to your Library on that device…” Read more

What is Apple’s My Photo Stream?

My Photo Stream, launched in 2011, was designed to sync photos across multiple Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

This feature automatically stores your most recent pictures (up to 1000) for approx. 30 days so you can view and download them easily from other Apple devices. After this period, photos are removed from My Photo Stream but remain in your device’s Photos app. However, this only shows photos and not your live images or videos.

How to Protect Your ‘My Photo Stream’ Pictures?

Apple, known for its commitment to user privacy and data security, has recommended several preventive measures to mitigate the risk of losing any important photo due to this update.

1. Move My Photo Stream images to your Library

Even if the pictures in My Photo Stream are already there on at least one of your Apple devices, you must save these pictures to your Photo Library to avoid losing them**.** Here’s how to copy My Photo Stream pictures to your Photo Library:

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch:

Open the Photos app and tap Albums.
Tap on My Photo Stream > Select.
Select all the photos you want to save, then tap the Share button > Save Image.

On your Mac:

Open the Photos app and then open the My Photo Stream
Select the photos you want to save which aren’t currently in your photo library.
Drag and drop them from the My Photo Stream album into your Library.

2. Move to iCloud Photos

To preserve your My Photo Stream images in their original and high-resolution version, you can transfer them to iCloud Photos.

If you already have an iCloud account, just enable iCloud Photos to automatically upload & sync every photo and video you capture on the device, making them accessible from anywhere.

To use the iCloud Photos service, you will require the following:

iPhone running iOS 8.3 or later version.
iPad with iPadOS 8.3 or later version.
Mac running OS X Yosemite or later version.

How to set up iCloud Photos on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch?

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings.
Next, click on [Your Name] > iCloud.
Tap on Photos and do the following:

For iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or later versions: Toggle on the ‘Sync this [device]‘ option.

For iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or earlier versions: Turn on the iCloud Photos

How to set up iCloud Photos on your Mac?

On your Mac, go to Apple Menu and click on System Preferences.
Click Apple ID and then select iCloud in the sidebar.
Now, select Photos and turn on the switch next to Sync this Mac.

**

Don’t want to use iCloud Photos?

While iCloud Photos is a convenient option for many Apple users, it’s important to acknowledge that it is not the best fit for everyone. Limited free storage of 5GB or lack of cross-platform compatibility can compel Apple users to look for other alternatives.

Storage options, such as Google Photos, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, external hard drives, etc., are available to ensure your iPhone Photos are safe and easily accessible.

The Bottom Line

Apple’s announcement of the potential discontinuation of My Photo Stream has understandably caused worry among its users. While a specific reason for this action remains undisclosed, they are actively addressing the issue to prevent data loss. In the meantime, iPhone users must take precautionary measures to safeguard their photos. They can simply move the My Photo Stream images to the Photo Library, iCloud Photos, or other backup folders.

How to Restore iPhone from Backup when iTunes Backup is Corrupt or not compatible

Summary: Are you receiving the error, ‘iTunes backup was corrupt or not compatible’ while trying to restore iPhone? iPhone recovery is not possible from a corrupt backup file. This post shares how you can resolve corrupt iTunes backup file issue and restore iPhone’s lost data.

‘I dropped my iPhone and broke it. I got it repaired and formatted to factory settings to fix the various issues caused due to the fall. Since I had a backup in iTunes, so was not worried about my data. But had least idea that my iTunes backup file was corrupted! As I tried to restore iPhone from iTunes, a message appeared –: ‘iTunes backup was corrupt or Not compatible.’ Now I don’t know how to restore my iPhone. Please help.’ – Simon, UK

It’s not new when users get bowled over by iTunes when trying to restore their iPhone. iTunes sometimes shows a message that it could not restore iPhone because the backup was corrupt or not compatible with the iPhone that was being restored.

It may be because iTunes does incremental backup by updating the previous backup. It’s possible that some old backup data was corrupt, which results in the error message.

Whatsoever, it’s a fact that there’s no recovery possible from a corrupt backup file.

So how to fix such corrupt iPhone backup in iTunes and restore iPhone in such cases?

Here we share the best ways to fix corrupt iTunes backup file and efficient methods to restore iPhone’s lost data.

You can apply these methods on all iPhone models including series of iPhone 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, XS, XS Max, XR, X, 8 Plus, 8, 7 Plus, 7, 6S Plus, 6S, 6 Plus, 6, 5S, 5c, 5, 4S and 4 with latest iOS 16.x.

What you can do to fix ‘iTunes backup was corrupt or Not compatible’

Since you can’t repair or recover from a corrupt or incompatible iTunes backup file, it is best to delete such corrupt files and next try to create a new backup in iTunes.

How to delete your corrupt iPhone backup file in iTunes

Launch iTunes on your PC or Mac
Windows users click Edit > Preferences (on Windows PC). Mac users click iTunes Menu > Preferences
Select Find your iPhone backups
Select the corrupt or incompatible backup. Click Delete Backup
Close the iTunes Preferences window

How to delete the old iTunes backup files manually

If you don’t see the old backup in iTunes, then delete the backup manually.

In iTunes, under Summary click on Serial Number. You will see the iPhone’s UDID. Note it down.
Navigate to the iTunes backups folder on your computer.

On Mac follow: Finder > Option> Go menu> Library> Application Support >MobileSync> Backup

On Windows 11/10/8 follow: In Search box type %appdata%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup. Press Enter key

If you installed iTunes from the Microsoft Store, follow: In Search box type %userprofile%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup. Press Enter key.

You will see the backup folders named by your device UDID
Select the folders with your device UDID and delete them
Next go to iTunes and take the backup again

How to backup iPhone in iTunes again

Connect your iPhone to computer via lightning cable
Launch iTunes
Click on Back Up Now The backup process begins.

| Did you get a message — iTunes can’t back up your iPhone because an error occurred? Here’s what you should do…
• Update your iOS to the latest version
• Update your iTunes to the latest version
• Disable antivirus software on your computer
• Now create backup in iTunes

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How to restore iPhone when iTunes backup file is corrupt

Method 1: Restore iPhone from iCloud backup

Method 2: Recover from iCloud backup without erasing existing data

Method 3: Restore lost data directly from iPhone/ iPad

Method 1: Recover from iCloud backup

Instead of iTunes, you can restore iPhone by using the alternative backup solution, iCloud.

Steps to restore iPhone with iCloud

Click to follow Settings > General > Reset> Erase all Contents and Settings

A dialog box pops up, choose Erase Now
Follow the instructions until you get on to the Apps & Data screen
Tap Restore from iCloud Backup

Sign in to your iCloud account
Choose the recent backup and click Restore

Method 2: Recover specific files from iCloud without losing existing iPhone data

In case you want to restore specific data from backup, instead of complete backup, use an iPhone recovery software.

Steps to restore specific files from iCloud:

Download and launch Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on your computer.
Select Recover from iCloud Backup on main screen of software.

Select what you want to recover. Click Next
Enter the Apple ID and password
Select the relevant iCloud backup and click Scan

Select the data in the iCloud backup files list on left and preview

Click Save
In the dialog box select computer or iPhone to save the recovered data. To save directly onto your iPhone, connect your iPhone to the computer.

Method 3: Recover data from iPhone

If iTunes could not restore iPhone or iPad because the backup was corrupt and neither iCloud is able to restore backup, recover data from the device directly. You can easily restore lost photos, videos, messages, calendar, voice memos, Safari bookmarks, etc., with this method. It works in cases of broken/ water-damaged iPhone, factory reset, iOS crash etc.

Steps to recover lost data from iPhone/ iPad

Connect your iPhone to computer
_Launch Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone _
On the home screen select Recover from iPhone

Select the data you want to restore
Click Next

Preview the data and click Save. You can save the recovered data on computer or iPhone

Conclusion

You cannot repair or recover data from corrupt iTunes backup file that gives — ‘iTunes backup was corrupt or Not compatible’ message.

However, the situation can be tackled by deleting the corrupt backup file and creating a fresh new backup in iTunes.

To restore iPhone, you may use either the new iTunes backup or bypass iTunes by using alternative recovery methods. Other than iTunes, iCloud or Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone are the effective ways to restore lost data on your iPhone. Among these too, if you wish to restore specific data like photos, videos, voice memos, or contacts etc., Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone would be the best solution.

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How to fix error 1015 while restoring iPhone | Stellar