What is iPhone error 2005/2003

2005 and 2003 are two quite old error codes that one may encounter while attempting to update the firmware or restore their iOS devices through iTunes. The message appears in a pop-up window and usually looks like this (depending on whether you tried to update or restore your device):

“The iPhone [device name] could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (2005/2003).”

or

“The iPhone [device name] could not be updated. An unknown error occurred (2005/2003).”

Although there is no single reason for why these errors occur, they are often related to problems with USB cables, outdated software, compatibility issues, and other possible causes as well. Both 2005 and 2003 issues were reported a long time ago, but still continue to stretch their existence in the iPhone world of various issues. Below, we have gathered a list of the most common and effective solutions that will potentially help you get rid of the problem and successfully update your iPhone.

iphone itunes errors 2005/2003

Download repair tool

Sometimes resolving the errors is out of our control and possibilities. This is where third-party tools are more than welcome to contribute and carry all the difficulties away. If you are facing error 2005 or 2003 or similar issues, but fail to benefit from any of the manual steps below, try using Tenorshare ReiBoot – a great recovery tool designed for resolving errors like that. Get to know how one can use it to address the errors and restore or update an iOS device successfully on their website.

Download iOS Repair Tool
  1. Download and install ReiBoot for either Mac or Windows.
  2. Once done, open the app and plug your device into the computer.
  3. The program should recognize your device and offer a couple of options.
  4. Choose Standard if you simply want to update your device or Deep repair if you want to fully restore it.
  5. Then, download the firmware found by the app for your smartphone by clicking Download.
  6. Once the process is finished, click Repair now to start resolving the problems.
  7. Standard is meant to search for basic issues and bugs to address them without wiping out your data.

    Deep repair will reset your device to factory settings and delete the entire data stored on it.

  8. Wait until the app finishes its repair and restores your device. It will take about 15 minutes to end.

If your device is stuck on the Apple logo and does not want to move any further, skip over to these steps and get to the original sequence of methods after reviving your device.

1. Check your USB cable

The number one thing we recommend you do is to check whether your USB cable is not damaged. To find this out, you can try and connect your phone to different ports and see if this helps you bypass the issue. Furthermore, some users also reported that using a non-original USB cable may also become the reason for dealing with connectivity problems. This means the cable should preferably be manufactured by Apple and no other third-party vendors.

2. Remove all peripheral devices

To decrease the risk of having to encounter compatibility issues, it is also recommended to unplug all the connected external devices (e.g., mouse, keyboard, headphones, flashcards, etc.) and leave only your USB cable connected. Do so and check whether this affects the issue positively.

3. Ensure your iTunes and macOS are up-to-date

Keeping your system up-to-date is key for stability and flawless operation. When dealing with issues related to updating or restoring a device through iTunes, many users end up successfully solving the problem by retrieving new software updates. This is why we advise you to check both iTunes and macOS for available updates and install them if any. Here is a short instruction on how you can do this:

To install updates for macOS:

  1. Go to Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen and choose System Preferences.
  2. Then, click Software update and choose Update Now to install the latest update available for your current version.
  3. If you don’t see this button, this means your system is already up-to-date.

Usually, other apps like iTunes get updated along with installing the latest macOS version. Despite this, it is still worth double-checking.

To install updates for iTunes:

  1. Open App Store from the dock on your screen.
  2. Move to Updates on top of the window or left pane and search for iTunes from the list.
  3. If there are any updates available, you will be able to click on Install to get them.

Otherwise, your iTunes service is up-to-date. If you installed iTunes on Windows from Microsoft Store, do a similar procedure there.

4. Force-restart your device

This is a solution to get out of the Apple logo loop which may occur while updating or restoring your device through iTunes. Such an issue is pretty common to happen during the update or restoration. Here is what you can do to get out of this black hole and try updating your device using alternative methods again.

iPhone 8 or later:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press and hold the Side button (which you use to unlock your screen) until you see the Apple logo.

iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPod touch (7th generation):

  1. Press and hold the Side (or Top) button and the Volume Down button together at the same time.
  2. Likewise in the previous steps, the Apple logo should appear on the screen.

iPad models with a Home button, iPhone 6s or earlier, and iPod touch (6th generation) or earlier:

  1. Press and hold both the Side (or Top) button and the Home button until you see the same Apple logo as it was above.

iPad models without a Home button:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Then press-hold the Power button and wait until the iPad restarts.

Basically, the pattern of restarting your device is the same only varying by a combination of buttons on different generations of IOS devices.

5. Disable third-party security software or Use a different internet connection

Errors like 2003 and 2005 can also originate from Internet problems. Therefore, it is worth checking that no third-party security software blocks access to it. Some anti-malware programs may lead to certain incompatibilities that prevent proper communication with Apple servers in some cases. Thus, let’s check it by doing the following:

  1. Try to disable your third-party antivirus or other security software.
  2. If this does not help or there is simply no third-party software you can disable, maybe the problem is with your Internet connection.

  3. Restart the router plus computer and reconnect to your wireless network again.
  4. If you are using a wireless Internet connection, try to connect an Ethernet cable directly to your computer (if there is one available). This could also help you resolve the problem.
  5. You can also find another network and try to use it instead.

6. Try using another computer

If the methods above did not help you get to a logical end of the error, try to borrow a Mac from your friend or other family members to update/restore the problematic device. This method is worth giving a shot because you never know what is the problem with the Mac itself. It is also possible your USB port is damaged as mentioned above, and you are simply unable to identify the issue. Therefore, give it a try using a Mac of somebody else.

Summary

Apart from errors 2005 and 2003, there are a number of others that tend to occur when trying to update or restore your iOS device. Such issues often have the same root of appearance and are therefore solved using the same set of solutions. In other words, the methods we discussed above will most likely work with other similar errors should they again occur on your device someday in the future.

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