The iPad mini 7 borrows a useful recovery trick from the iPhone 16
No computer needed
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We’ve just awarded four-and-a-half stars out of five toApple’s newest tablet in ouriPad mini 7 (2024) review, and we’re even more enamored with the device after hearing it’s borrowing a very handy recovery trick from theiPhone 16series.
As spotted by9to5Mac, the iPad mini 7 – like the iPhone 16 before it – comes with a special RecoveryOS partition. That means it can be restored and reset wirelessly with another iPhone or iPad, so there’s no need to hook it up to a Windows or macOS computer.
When the feature was discoveredon the iPhone 16– the first iPhone to get the functionality – it wasn’t clear whether or not it required the latest A18 chip to work. Now we know it’ll operate fine with the A17 Pro chip inside theiPad mini 7too.
Hopefully, it’s a feature you’re never going to need. However, should your iPad freeze up completely and become unresponsive, this does make the recovery process significantly easier if you’ve got another Apple phone or tablet to hand. It could also save you a trip to a repair shop or the Apple Store.
Recovery time
For now, the four iPhone 16 handsets and the iPad mini 7 are the only devices that can be restored wirelessly, because they have the dedicated RecoveryOS partition on board. However, the actual restoring can be done from any device runningiOS 18oriPadOS 18, so you’ve got more options there.
It’s not clear whether older devices are going to get this feature via a software update, though at this stage it seems unlikely. With iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 having been recently pushed out to devices, Apple has made no mention of this capability.
You can, though, restore several other Apple devices without plugging them into a computer – specifically theApple Watchand the Apple TV4K. It looks as though we’re going to get it on all iPhones and iPads going forward, as well.
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Your iPad mini 7 may automatically launch recovery mode if it’s in trouble, or you can manually trigger it by pressing volume up, then volume down, then holding the power button. Apple offers full instructions foriPadsandiPhonesif you need them.
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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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