Bricked iPhones: Apple Rolls Back iOS 17.3 Beta Rollout

Apple introduced the second beta version of iOS 17.3 on Wednesday. However, it was swiftly withdrawn after reports surfaced that some iPhones were encountering issues after the update. Several users took to Twitter to share their experiences of iPhones stuck in a boot loop following the installation of iOS 17.3 beta 2.

This problem impacted a range of Apple handsets, from the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 15 series. In response to the situation, Apple promptly removed the software, providing the following explanation in its release notes:

iOS and iPadOS 17.3 beta 2 have been temporarily withdrawn due to an issue that prevented a small number of devices from starting up. If your device is in this state, you can recover it by entering Recovery Mode and restoring a previous version of iOS.

For those who have updated to the latest iOS and are experiencing issues, there is a solution. By reverting to iOS 17.3 beta 1 or iOS 17.2.1, users can restore their devices to normal functionality. It is important to note that having a backup of the previous version is necessary to restore all data.

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There are indications that the problem may be related to the Back Tap setting. This feature enables iPhone users to execute various actions by tapping the rear panel of their devices. Some users reported experiencing the boot loop issue when the Back Tap gesture was disabled, while those with it enabled did not encounter the problem.

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It remains unclear if this is the sole cause of iPhones crashing on upgrades to the latest iOS. Apple is expected to fix the boot loop bug and re-release iOS 17.3 beta 2.