iPhone Error 4013 – Here’s How To Fix It

Elsie Otachi

5 years ago

If you’re trying to restore your iPhone or update its operating system, the last thing you want to encounter is error 4013, which says it can’t be restored. While this may seem like a big issue, especially because the phone can’t be used until you resolve it, it’s actually fairly simple to fix.

The solutions we’ll discuss in this article apply to all iPhones, so read on to learn what causes iPhone error 4013 and how you can get it fixed.

Causes of iPhone error 4013

Error 4013 doesn’t only affect iPhones, but any device that runs iOS, including iPod touch and iPad. The error comes up when you’re trying to restore your device or update its operating system version.

Among its causes include disconnection from iTunes or iTunes can’t prompt your iPhone to finish the restore/update process. Mostly, it’s as a result of software bugs but sometimes in rare cases, it can be hardware failure that causes it.

When you get the error, iTunes sends a message that says: “the iPhone (name of device) could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (4013)”. You could also see other errors like 4014, 9, or 4005, which are related to 4013, so you can use the fixes below to resolve all of them.

How to fix Error 4013 on your iPhone

Install the latest iTunes version

If iTunes isn’t running the latest version, it causes the error 4013 to show up. iTunes is crucial when restoring or updating your iPhone so ensure you’re on the latest version. Update iTunes and try restoring or updating again.

Force restart your iPhone

This sounds simple but it can deal with difficult problems you find on your iPhone, owing to temporary software glitches that can be resolved by restarting it. It’s also referred to as hard reset, so try it and then update or restore your device again.

Connect to iTunes and restore

Connect your iPhone to a computer via USB and you’ll find iTunes asking if you want to restore or update your device – choose update. This will reinstall the OS and leave your data intact. Restore option will delete all data from the iPhone. After this step, try to update or restore your iPhone and see if the error disappears.

Check for PC or Mac updates

Sometimes software updates that need to be installed to your computer could cause error 4013. Check for any OS updates you need to install and once installed, try restoring or updating again.

Contact Apple

If all else fails, contact Apple to access top repair and training options. Don’t give in to sites that sell software that can ‘fix’ the problem as they’re not really necessary.