How to fix iPhone (iTunes) error 2009

What is error 2009

Do you get an error message while trying to update or restore your iPhone through iTunes? – Then this guide will be helpful for you. Error 2009 is a popular and widely-complaint iTunes issue among the likes of other similar error codes such as 53, 14, 2016, 1110, 3194, etc. Users facing this problem encounter a message saying this text: “The iPhone [device name] could not be restored/updated. An unknown error occurred (2009)”. As a result, no further continuation of updating or device restoration will take place due to the error occurrence. Reasons for why such errors arouse are not binary – they can be caused by outdated software, internal and third-party conflicts, system glitches, and other unknown reasons. Below, we have compiled a list of instructions to help you deal with the error 2009 potentially. Follow carefully each step after each until you find the working solution.

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 2009 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.

Tenor Reiboot Dashboard

Tenor Reiboot Download iOS

Tenor Reiboot Repair Modes

Tenor Reiboot Repair Process

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.

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.

7. 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 trying solutions after reviving your device.

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

Sticking to the usage of old macOS versions means you have outdated software, which may no longer endorse the same operation of certain features as it was before. Thus, this could be the reason why errors like 2009 occur. Our advice is to check your macOS for available updates and install them if any. We would also recommend you check updates for iTunes as it could be outdated as well. 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.

2. If your device is stuck on the Apple logo

This is a solution to get out of the Apple logo loop. It has become quite common for IOS users to have their devices stuck at the Apple logo while trying to update or restore a device via iTunes. Here is what you can do to get out of this pitfall and try updating/restoring 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.

3. Disable third-party security software

It was reported that enabled third-party antivirus on Mac may cause incompatibility problems while trying to use iTunes for updating or restoration. Therefore, if you have some anti-malware software running in addition to the original Apple security, try turning it off and launch the same procedure again. Maybe this is the reason why you are facing the error.

4. Disable iTunes Helper

Another reason for error 2009 is sometimes iTunes Helper – a default macOS service developed to monitor the connection of IOS devices and automatically open iTunes upon successful detection. Amazingly, but some users actually managed to resolve the issue by disabling this service. You can do it using the following steps. Even if removing the service will not result in any positive effect, you can add it back to the list of Login items at any time necessary.

1. On top right of your screen, navigate to Apple menu > System Preferences and click on Users & Groups.
2. Choose your current account and go to Login Items.
3. Then, select iTunes Helper and click on the minus button below.
4. After this, restart your computer and try to update or restore your iPhone device through iTunes again.

5. Check your USB cable

When restoring or updating a device through iTunes, there is a chance the connection cable is damaged or badly connected. Try to look over its physical appearance for visible damage and replug it again. Make sure you plug the cable into native PC or Mac USB ports. Avoid using USB hubs and other external devices. If the problem continues its presence, try using a different cable compatible with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. The same problem could be with your USB port on Mac or PC itself, so make sure you check it as well. If the cable and USB port seem fine but you continue being struck by the error, move your eyes over to our final recommendation below.

6. Try using another computer

If you did not manage to sort things out using the methods above, 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 since you never know what is the problem with the Mac itself. It is also possible your USB port is damaged as mentioned above, which you are unable to see without sufficient experience. Therefore, give it a try using the Mac of somebody else.

Summary

We hope the 6 methods above have been enough to resolve error 2009. If you are still unable to succeed in updating or restoring your device through iTunes on Mac, try doing this on iPhone itself unless it is a problem as well. Our website counts a number of other Mac, iPhone, Android, and Windows-related articles too. Thus, in case you get to face some other issues on any of these platforms, do not hesitate to find the corresponding article on our blog.