There are more than 100 tools used for flashing/managing an iDevice some of these tools are free while some are paid, in this post, I'll tell the best and free two tools I used for, Managing, Restoring & Updating, Backup & Restore.
Every phone repair technician has his own best tools for flashing, backup, restore and updating iDevice so also me. In this post, I'll tell you the best two tools I used for fixing almost all iOS devices.
Free & best tools for fixing Apple iOS devices
iTunes
iTunes shouldn't be the first but I'll have to put anyway for a few reasons. iTunes is a software developed by Apple Inc., iTunes is a Media tool for Music Playing/Download, Videos, Syncing (Backup & Restore), updating an iOS device, downloading games, downloading applications, etc.
iTunes is an official software for managing an iOS device that is why it will have to be considered as the No. 1 tool for fixing apple devices related problems even though it lacks so features which in this post I will talk about it later.
Features of iTunes
- iPhone activation
iTunes is used for activating iPhone models. Meaning you can connect your iPhone to iTunes on PC activate your device, this is required only a new device or a restored iOS device. It can also be activated by using a wifi connection through the setup wizard.
- Backup & Restore
Another feature for iTunes is the ability to back up and restore important data on an iOS device, which includes: Photos, Videos, iBooks, Call logs, Messages, Wallpaper, etc.
- Restore & Update
iTunes allows you to Restore a forgotten password iDevice, Download firmware and flash/restore, or a software faulty iOS device such as brick, boot loop, etc. It also has the ability to download the latest iOS firmware and update it to the latest version.
- Apps
iTunes allows you to download and install apps to an iOS device.
- Synchronization
iTunes has the ability to send Media files (such as videos & music) from PC to an iOS device.
iTunes software requirements
Below iTunes requirements are for a Windows PC because all Mac OS comes with iTunes pre-installed.
- Windows 7 or later
- 64-bit editions of Windows require the iTunes 64-bit installer
- 400MB of available disk space
- Some third-party visualizers may no longer be compatible with this version of iTunes. Please contact the developer for an updated visualizer that is compatible with iTunes 12.1 or later.
3uTools
This is a super powerful tool for managing an iDevice, it is one of my best and also one the best tool with many features for free. 3uTools features are much so I won't be able to explain everything but I'll and talk on the most important or the features I'd used so far.
Features of 3uTools
- Enter/Exit Recovery Mode (iTunes Mode)
On a bricked device or boot loop device it is always very hard to enter recovery mode to get an iDevice ready for flashing, in 3uTools when you just click Enter recovery mode when your device is connected it will enter recovery mode and exit when you click on exit, that also makes it easier for phones with a faulty home button or power button.
- iDevice flashing
This feature in 3uTools helps you flash an iDevice with a .ipsw firmware.
- Keep firmware cache
iTunes, 3uTools, and other flash tools must activate firmware first before flashing a device, this feature in 3uTools help you keep the firmware cache in your PC hard drive so you don't have to always wait for firmware extraction before flashing.
- Auto-activate iDevice
What this feature does on an iDevice is, whenever you bought a new Apple Device or flashed an Apple device you will be required to activate it, 3uTools enables bypass activation. The feature works only when there is no Apple ID logged in on the device.
- Skip Setup Wizard
It is required to set up an iDevice after every flashing or firmware update, this feature in 3uTools helps you skip the setup screen. Also, this feature works on devices that don't have an Apple ID on it.
- Backup & Restore
The Backup and Restore feature on 3uTools differs from that of iTunes, on 3uTools you will be able to view the data you backed up and can also customize backup by ticking the specific files you want to backup. E.g. Photos and Music, the same thing goes for restore you can choose the files you want to restore and skip those you don't want.
- Media Transfer
3uTools allows one to copy any file you want from your phone and put to pc and vice versa, you can also import ringtones, convert video, convert audio, etc.
- Data Transfer
This feature on 3uTools enables the transfer of data from one iDevice to another serially, which means you can connect both phones and transfer data from one phone to the other.
Other 3uTools features
- Other features
- UDisk
- Firmware Download
- Make Ringtone
- Convert Audio
- Edit Audio Tags
- Convert Video
- Compress photo
- Convert HEIC
- 3uAirPlayer
- Realtime Screen
- Realtime Log
- Enter Recovery Mode
- Open SSH Tunnel
- Reboot iDevice
- Turn Off iDevice
- Stop iOS Update
- Manage icon
- Accessibility
- Delete invalid icon
- Erase All Data
- Clean Garbage
- Deactivate iDevice
- Install IPCC
- Virtual Location
- Screen Time
- Skip Setup
- Back-Up BootSec
3uTools software requirements
Below 3uTools requirement is for a Windows PC.
- Windows 7 or later
- 32 or 64bit
- 400MB of available disk space
Conclusion
So that’s it, guys, this was my take on the two best free tools for flashing/managing an iDevice. I would recommend the use of 3uTools because of its efficiency and multitasking, but that doesn't mean we totally get rid of iTunes, there are tendencies 3uTools refuse to work on your device and the option left is to go back to iTunes and try it.
I hope that you found this post useful. Just in case you have any questions related to this topic. Then, feel free to leave them in the comments section down below.
