Hey there, sorry to hear your iPhone 6 is stuck in this frustrating cycle—boot loops mid-restart and recovery progress grinding to a halt are the worst. Let’s break down actionable fixes tailored to your situation:

1. Quick Hardware Checks First (Don’t Skip These!) #

• Use official MFi-certified charging cables and original adapters: Cheap or uncertified cables often cause unstable power/connection during recovery, which can freeze the progress bar. Swap in a reliable set if you have one.
• Clean the Lightning port: Grab a soft, dry brush (like a trimmed toothbrush) to gently clear out dust, lint, or debris. Even tiny gunk can interrupt the data connection needed for recovery.
• Force restart repeatedly: Hold the Power + Home buttons until you see the Apple logo, then release. Do this 3-4 times—sometimes this jolts the system out of the loop long enough for recovery to proceed.

2. Advanced Recovery via DFU Mode (More Reliable Than Standard Recovery) #

DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode bypasses the bootloader entirely, which can fix issues that standard recovery mode misses. Here’s how to do it properly:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes (or Finder for Mac Catalina+).
2. Hold the Power button for 3 seconds.
3. Without releasing the Power button, press and hold the Home button for 10 seconds.
4. Let go of the Power button, but keep holding the Home button for another 15 seconds. Your screen should stay completely black (if you see the Apple logo, you did it wrong—start over).
5. Your computer will now detect a device in recovery mode. Click "Restore iPhone" in iTunes/Finder and let the process run uninterrupted (don’t disconnect or let your computer sleep).

3. Troubleshoot the Recovery Process Itself #

• Ditch third-party tools temporarily: Uninstall ReiBoot or similar utilities, restart your computer, and try recovery again with only iTunes/Finder. Third-party tools can sometimes conflict with official Apple drivers.
• Use a USB 2.0 port: iPhone 6 has known compatibility quirks with USB 3.0 ports. Plug directly into a USB 2.0 port on your computer’s motherboard (avoid hubs).
• Manually download iOS firmware:
  • Grab the correct iOS 12.5.7 firmware (the latest supported version for iPhone 6) for your specific model.
  • In iTunes, hold Shift (Windows) or Option (Mac) and click "Restore iPhone", then select the manually downloaded firmware file. This avoids potential issues with iTunes’ automatic firmware download.

4. If All Else Fails: Hardware-Related Causes #

• Battery failure: iPhone 6 batteries degrade over time, and a failing battery can cause random shutdowns, boot loops, and recovery stalls. Try replacing it with an official or high-quality third-party battery—this fixes a huge number of these "mystery" issues.
• Logic board damage: If replacing the battery doesn’t work, there might be underlying logic board issues (like corrupted components or water damage). At this point, you’ll need to consult a professional repair service.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Hiurako