Because only limited portions of the iPhone's components are active in DFU mode it cannot be used to charge the phone. It is also not advisable to place the iPhone into DFU mode unnecessarily as any accidental damage or corruption to the phone's firmware can result in the phone not working correctly or at all.
What exactly is DFU mode? Device Firmware Update is a mode that an iPhone or iPad can be put in to get your device back into working order. DFU is very similar to the BIOS on Windows computers or Recovery Mode on a Mac. This mode is available 'below' the operating system level.
There are two good uses for DFU Mode. One is to repair an iPhone or iPad that has a corrupt bootloader. This is done by accessing DFU Mode, and then hooking it up to a Mac or PC to install the new software. The other main use for DFU is to downgrade to an older version of iOS.
Follow these steps to enter DFU mode on an iPhone 7: Connect your iPhone 7 to a Mac or Windows PC with the USB cable. Open the iTunes or Finder app. Press and hold the Power/Sleep button and the Volume down button together for 8–10 seconds.
Put an iPhone or iPad in DFU mode
The Difference Between Recovery Mode and DFU Mode The main difference between the Recovery mode and DFU mode rests in iBoot. Recovery mode uses iBoot during restoring or upgrading your iPhone while DFU mode bypasses the iBoot so you can downgrade the current firmware because there is no iBoot agent during the DFU mode.
DFU mode lets the device interface with iTunes, update the firmware, and restore the OS without automatically installing the last downloaded version. It's useful for installing older versions of iOS if a beta persistently hangs your phone, or if a jailbreak goes bad.
An iPhone in DFU Mode allows you to install custom firmware, Jailbreak the device, Unlock SIM, Downgrade iOS, Unlock disabled iPhone and recover iPhone from problems. While it takes a bit of practice and skill to put iPhone into DFU Mode, you should be able to get it right within the first 2-3 attempts.
What is iPhone DFU mode? DFU mode is a state that you can put your iPhone into where it can interface with iTunes, but does not load the iPhone operating system or boot loader (this is what really differs DFU mode from the more simple recovery mode). DFU stands for Device Firmware Update.
DFU mode is quite different - it loads a new firmware on your device, wiping all previous data from it. DFU stands for Device Firmware Update, so it will update your firmware but will also wipe your phone clean.
Putting the device into DFU Mode may be necessary to fix some situations, but it's important to remember that it's potentially dangerous. Using DFU Mode to downgrade the OS or jailbreak the device can damage it and violate the warranty.
If you are unable to put iPhone in Recovery Mode, you can try to Unlock iPhone using DFU Mode. DFU Mode will erase all the data on your iPhone, including its Lock Screen Passcode and provide you with the option to restore your device as New iPhone.
DFU mode is a low-level device restore state that allows for an iPhone to be restored directly from firmware, it requires a Mac or Windows PC with iTunes to use properly. If you need to enter DFU mode on an iPhone XS, XR, or XS Max, we'll show you how to do so in this walkthrough.