ideviceenterrecovery

ideviceenterrecovery [options] [UDID]

-u, --udid UDID
    Specify the 40-character device UDID (Unique Device Identifier) to target a specific iOS device. If omitted and multiple devices are connected, the command might fail or target an arbitrary device.

-h, --help
    Display the command's help message and exit.

-v, --version
    Show version information about the command and exit.

The ideviceenterrecovery command is a utility from the libimobiledevice software suite, designed to interact with Apple iOS devices. Its primary function is to force a connected iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch into Recovery Mode. Recovery Mode is a special state that allows the device to communicate with a computer for software restoration or updates, often used for troubleshooting, downgrading firmware, or preparing for jailbreaking. This command provides a programmatic way to enter this mode without requiring specific button combinations on the device itself. It's particularly useful in automated scripts or when physical access for button presses is inconvenient, streamlining tasks like firmware updates or data recovery.

The device must be powered on and in a state where it can communicate with the host computer (e.g., not DFU mode, not already bricked beyond basic communication).
Entering Recovery Mode will interrupt any ongoing operations on the device.
The device will remain in Recovery Mode until explicitly exited, typically by using ideviceexitrecovery or connecting to iTunes/Finder on a computer.

After successfully executing ideviceenterrecovery, the connected iOS device will reboot and display the 'Connect to Computer' or 'Recovery Mode' screen, indicating it is waiting for further instructions from iTunes, Finder, or other libimobiledevice tools.

Ensure that the libimobiledevice utilities are installed on your Linux system. On most distributions, this can be done via the package manager (e.g., `sudo apt install libimobiledevice-utils` on Debian/Ubuntu, `sudo dnf install libimobiledevice` on Fedora, `sudo pacman -S libimobiledevice` on Arch Linux).

ideviceenterrecovery is part of the libimobiledevice project, an open-source initiative that provides cross-platform protocol libraries and tools for communicating with Apple's iOS devices. Developed as an alternative to Apple's proprietary MobileDevice framework, libimobiledevice tools, including this command, enable Linux, macOS, and Windows users to interact with iPhones, iPads, and iPods without relying on iTunes or Finder for many tasks. Its development has focused on providing robust, programmatic control over iOS device states for various purposes, from development to forensics.

ideviceexitrecovery(1), idevice_id(1), ideviceinfo(1), idevicepair(1)