Apple Vision Pro firmware can be recovered with the help of an iPhone

February 1, 2024

2 min read

We’re only a few days away from the official launch of the Apple Vision Pro in the U.S., and we’ve been learning a lot about the device over the last few days as Apple has invited some journalists to try it out in advance. Some users have been wondering how to recover the Vision Pro firmware if it fails, and now we know that you can do it using an iPhone.

Recovering Vision Pro firmware with an iPhone

9to5Mac has learned that Apple Vision Pro has a firmware recovery process similar to the one Apple has implemented in Apple Watch and Apple TV. This means that if for some reason the firmware fails (for example during a software update), users can recover it with the help of an iPhone.

When Vision Pro enters Recovery Mode, users will see an alert message on their iPhone instructing them to restore visionOS. The process deletes all the data and restores the Vision Pro firmware, which should take a few minutes.

A process like this is required because Vision Pro doesn’t have a USB-C port to be restored through a computer, similar to Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple first implemented this process on the Apple Watch with watchOS 8.5 and iOS 15.4. tvOS 17 and iOS 17 brought this new firmware restore method to the Apple TV.

While this doesn’t guarantee that the firmware will be successfully recovered, the process will certainly save many users from having to take their device to an Apple Store because of software-related issues.

Apple Vision Pro will arrive in U.S. stores this Friday, February 2. Make sure you read 9to5Mac’s hands-on by Chance Miller, one of the first to try Apple Vision Pro.