You’ll be able to use an iPhone to wirelessly restore an iPhone 16

You’ll be able to use an iPhone to wirelessly restore an iPhone 16

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

iOS 18 has a new feature that lets you wirelessly restore an iPhone 16 using another iPhone or an iPad, 9to5Mac reports.

9to5Mac says it was able to simulate the new recovery method. “Essentially, when the iPhone 16 enters Recovery Mode for some reason, users can simply place it next to another iPhone or iPad to start the firmware recovery,” according to 9to5Mac. “The other device will download a new iOS firmware and transfer it to the bricked device.”

Apparently, any device on iOS 18 can do the restoration, but only the iPhone 16 lineup of phones can actually be restored using this method. You can already use an iPhone to wirelessly restore an Apple Watch or an Apple TV, so it’s nice to see a similar feature come to the iPhone, too.

iOS 18 is out now, and the iPhone 16 lineup is set to launch on Friday.