Apple’s iOS 26 lets you fix a crashed iPhone without a PC or Mac
This feature, called Recovery Assistant, kicks in when an iPhone fails to boot and helps diagnose and resolve the issue. However, users will still need a secondary Apple device, like an iPad or another iPhone, to complete the recovery process.
Apple is addressing one of the most frustrating iPhone issues with its upcoming iOS 26 update. With the iOS 26 beta 2 release, a new feature called Recovery Assistant has been introduced, designed to help iPhone users recover their devices wirelessly, without relying on a Mac or PC.
This new tool is especially useful if an iPhone crashes or fails to boot up properly. In such scenarios, the device will automatically switch to a recovery mode, allowing the system to detect and resolve any underlying issues.
Recovery assistant: How does it work?
According to Apple, the new feature works when an iPhone fails to start up normally. It will automatically boot into Recovery Mode and display a message stating:
“This iPhone encountered an issue while starting. To aid in diagnosing and resolving it, it has booted into Recovery. Recovery will look for any problems and attempt to resolve them if found.”
While this sounds like a major leap in convenience, there’s still a small catch.
You’ll still need another Apple device
Even though you don’t need a PC or Mac, Apple still requires a secondary Apple device—like an iPad or another iPhone—to initiate the full recovery. This secondary device will help install a fresh iOS version on the affected iPhone and restore it to working condition.
Apple has not yet rolled this feature out to the public yet. It remains in the developer beta phase but is expected to roll out widely with the public iOS 26 beta early next month. The final version is likely to debut alongside the iPhone 17 series later this year.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 lineup in September 2025, featuring four models: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. New colour options, increased screen sizes, and potential price hikes are expected. The iPhone 17 Plus will reportedly be discontinued.