See iPhone Error 4013? Learn To Fix iPhone Could Not Be Restored/Updated Error 4013

Kelly Wu
Last updated: Jul 9, 2024

iPhone error 4013, also known as iTunes error 4013, is usually a hardware-related issue. In this quick iPhone Troubleshooting guide, we will explain what iPhone error 4013 means, what are the causes, and how to resolve iPhone that could not be restored/updated error 4013 with the best fixes.

Our Customer Service experts and iPhone repair engineers from Dr.Buho have recently discovered the fact that many Apple users are facing an iPhone error coded as 4013, without further explanations from Apple's official documents. Based on our experience, this error usually appears when trying to update or restore an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. When you see the "iPhone Error 4013" message while using iTunes or Finder to update or restore your device, we believe it can be quite frustrating.

So what is iPhone error 4013, what are the causes and how can we resolve it? Read this quick manual article to find a solution.

Learn To Fix iPhone Could Not Be Restored/Updated Error 4013

What Does iPhone Error 4013 Mean?

An iPhone error 4013, based on our understanding, is a hardware-related issue occurring during the device update or restore process via iTunes, or Finder on Mac. We have searched through Apple's official documents but didn't find a specific explanation. According to our user feedback and experience, this error usually indicates a problem with the connection between the device and the computer.

iPhone Error 4013

What Are the Main Causes?

We summarized some primary causes of iPhone error 4013. Have a check and let us know if you're in the same case:

  • (Likely) Hardware Issues: The connection cable (such as the Lighting / USB cable) between the device and your computer may be faulty or damaged, leading to an unstable connection.
  • (Common) iTunes Driver Issues: There may be problems with the device driver or outdated iTunes components on your computer, or it may not be installed correctly.
  • (Common) Software Conflicts: There may be other security or firewall software installed on your computer that is incompatible with iTunes or Finder, thus causing errors during your iPhone update or restore process.
  • (Rare) Network Issues: Although error 4013 is mainly related to connection problems, an unstable network can also cause the device update to fail.

How To Fix iPhone Error 4013 - 8 Ways

Although getting the iPhone 4013 error means that your iPhone or iPad updating or restoring via iTunes/Finder failed, it’s not a dead-end issue without an answer. Usually, you can resolve it with a few simple steps. Let’s go through them together.

1. Replace the USB Charging Cable

Whenever our customers report that they've run into this issue, the first thing we recommend is to check if the USB charging cable is working properly. Sometimes, low-quality third-party cables can cause iTunes to not recognize your iPhone. Try using an original, or Apple certificated charging cable and see if the error still appears. This simple step can often fix these common iPhone could not be updated/restored error problems.

Apple certificated charging cable
Note
One of our most sincere suggestions is to always use an Apple original or MFi certificated cable to charge or connect your device to your computer. MFi badges inform the customers that this accessory has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards.

2. Check USB Port

For a Windows PC, it has chance that the USB port is loosening or simply doesn't work properly. So make sure the charging port on your computer is working well, or try switching to a different USB port on your computer. You can also connect your iPhone to iTunes on another computer to see if the issue is caused by the USB port on your original computer. We assisted dozens of customers in solving this iPhone 4013 error by recommending they use another computer. It sounds absurdly simple but it's just one of our killer solutions.

3. Update iTunes to the Latest Version

If iTunes is not up to date, you might encounter errors when trying to update or restore your iPhone. Therefore, make sure to update iTunes to the latest version before using it.

Update iTunes Installed from the Apple Website (On Windows PC)

If you installed iTunes from the iTunes download page, you can manually update iTunes to the latest version, or you can also set iTunes to automatically check for new versions from its Preference Settings every week.

In the iTunes app on your Windows PC, Choose Help > Check for Updates.

Check for Updates

Have iTunes automatically check for new versions each week: Choose Edit > Preferences, click Advanced, then make sure “Automatically check for new software updates” is selected.

iTunes Automatically Update
Note
When you check the Automatic Update option, iTunes checks for new updates each week. To enable iTunes to automatically check for updates, you must use iTunes once a week by restarting it after you last quit iTunes.

Update iTunes Installed from Microsoft Store (On Windows PC)

If you installed iTunes from the Microsoft Store, you're having the automatically updated version of iTunes by default. If you still want to check iTunes update manually, open the Microsoft Store app > Search iTunes and check if an update is available.

Update iTunes on Mac

Like it or not, if your Mac is running macOS 10.15 or later, iTunes is no longer available and was replaced by Finder, which doesn't need a specific action to update.

If your Mac OS version is before macOS 10.15, you can update to the latest version of iTunes (up to iTunes 12.8) by following the steps below:

  1. Open the App Store on your Mac.
  2. Click Updates at the top of the App Store window.
  3. If any iTunes updates are available, click Install.
Update iTunes on Mac

4. Disable Firewall or Antivirus Software

Another effective way to troubleshoot this iPhone 4013 error is to temporarily disable the firewall or antivirus software on your computer, as they might interfere with the connection between your iPhone, iPad, and your computer.

5. Restart Your Computer or Use Another Computer

A simple restart can often resolve connection issues. Try restarting both your computer and your device, then attempt the update or restore. If the above methods don’t work to solve your iPhone could be updated/restored error 4013, try connecting your device to iTunes on another computer to see if you can successfully fix the issue.

6. Restore to Factory Settings

If the data on your device isn’t crucial, consider restoring the device to factory settings and then attempting the update or restore. Here are the detailed steps:

  1. Make sure to back up your device before taking any step listed here, so that you can restore your data later after factory resetting it.

  2. On your iPhone or iPad, tap Settings > General > Transfer or Reset [Device] > Tap Erase All Content and Settings.

Erase All Content and Settings iPhone

7. Use An Expert iOS System Recovery Software

Not everyone is a fan of iTunes due to its overwhelming design and bloated feature packs. More than half of our customers are not very familiar with iTunes before purchasing Apple products, even a quarter of these individuals might have never even used iTunes once.

In this case, it's recommended to find an expert iOS System Recovery program to pane the way to update or restore an iPhone or iPad without error. BuhoRepair is the best to fix an array of iPhone software issues, like iPhone bricked, iPhone or iPad in a frozen screen, iPhone being unavailable/disabled, iPhone error 9, iPhone boot loop, iPhone stuck on Apple logo, etc.

To troubleshoot this iPhone 4013 error, you can follow the steps below to have a quick fix:

DownloadRuns on Windows & Mac
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Step 1: Download and install BuhoRepair on your Windows PC or Mac.

Step 2: Click the Repair Now button in System Repair:

System Repair

Step 3: Connect your iPhone to your computer using an Apple original or MFi certificated cable.

Step 4: Choose Advanced Repair > Repair Now.

Advanced Repair

Step 5: After loading your device info, BuhoRepair will load the proper firmware information for you. Click Download to continue.

Download iOS Firmware

Wait for a few minutes to let the downloading complete. Please keep your Internet connection is stable during the whole process.

Download iOS Firmware

Step 6: After the firmware downloading is completed, click Repair Now to start fixing this iPhone update/restore error 4013.

Repair iPhone Error 4013

Step 7: After a short while, BuhoRepair will show you a finish message.

8. Contact Apple Support

If none of these methods resolve the issue, it’s best to contact Apple Support for professional assistance.

Conclusion

In this post, we have discussed the reasons, fixes, and more troubleshooting tips of iPhone error 4013 in detail. Follow the fixes to bring your iPhone back to normal!

Living in Chengdu, Kelly is an Apple technician focused on Mac, iPhone, and iOS repairs. Meanwhile, he's also a columnist at Dr.Buho, with a simple mission to help fix Apple things that are with software or hardware glitches.