Apple TV Can Be Restored With an iPhone Starting With iOS 17

Starting with the iOS 17 and tvOS 17 software updates released on Monday, any Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K model experiencing problems can be restored with a nearby iPhone, according to a new Apple support document.

tvOS 17 iPhone Recovery Mode
If a black screen with an iPhone appears on the TV, users can unlock their iPhone, hold it close to the Apple TV, and follow the on-screen recovery steps on the iPhone. When the recovery process is completed, the Apple TV will reboot.

On the Apple TV HD, there is a USB-C port that allows the device to be restored with a Mac over a wired connection. However, there is no USB-C port on any of the Apple TV 4K models, so Apple advised customers to contact Apple support to restore those models. With the new iPhone-based restore method, that is no longer necessary.

Read our tvOS 17 release post for an overview of other new Apple TV features, such as a FaceTime app and a redesigned Control Center.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...

Top Rated Comments

CarAnalogy Avatar
29 months ago
This is what portless looks like, people. Let’s not be so quick to get rid of tried and true connectors.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cocky jeremy Avatar
29 months ago
Cool, but I hope to never have to use it. lol.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Heat_Fan89 Avatar
29 months ago
One feature that is welcomed is the addition of power off mode instead of sleep mode. My ATV4 that I purchased in 2015 is still getting OS updates. That's 8 years of OS upgrades. I do plan on upgrading when the OS upgrades stop.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
29 months ago

How do I mess my Apple TV up enough so that I can try this?
Try unplugging it during an update to tvOS 17 when it specifically tells you not to. That aught to do it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
29 months ago

This is what portless looks like, people. Let’s not be so quick to get rid of tried and true connectors.
Yes, now we need a thousand dollar dongle to restore instead of a $5 cable. Progre$$$$$$! ;)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LedRush Avatar
29 months ago
I’ve been using Apply TV since near the beginning, and I’ve never had this issue. But this sounds like a very welcome improvement for those who have.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)