- The iPad mini 7 comes with a handy RecoveryOS partition
- It can be restored with any iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 device
- There's no word yet on whether older tablets will get it
We've just awarded four-and-a-half stars out of five to Apple's newest tablet in our iPad mini 7 (2024) review, and we're even more enamored with the device after hearing it's borrowing a very handy recovery trick from the iPhone 16 series.
As spotted by 9to5Mac, the iPad mini 7 – like the iPhone 16 before it – comes with a special RecoveryOS partition. That means it can be restored and reset wirelessly with another iPhone or iPad, so there's no need to hook it up to a Windows or macOS computer.
When the feature was discovered on the iPhone 16 – the first iPhone to get the functionality – it wasn't clear whether or not it required the latest A18 chip to work. Now we know it'll operate fine with the A17 Pro chip inside the iPad mini 7 too.
Hopefully, it's a feature you're never going to need. However, should your iPad freeze up completely and become unresponsive, this does make the recovery process significantly easier if you've got another Apple phone or tablet to hand. It could also save you a trip to a repair shop or the Apple Store.
Recovery time
For now, the four iPhone 16 handsets and the iPad mini 7 are the only devices that can be restored wirelessly, because they have the dedicated RecoveryOS partition on board. However, the actual restoring can be done from any device running iOS 18 or iPadOS 18, so you've got more options there.
It's not clear whether older devices are going to get this feature via a software update, though at this stage it seems unlikely. With iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 having been recently pushed out to devices, Apple has made no mention of this capability.
You can, though, restore several other Apple devices without plugging them into a computer – specifically the Apple Watch and the Apple TV 4K. It looks as though we're going to get it on all iPhones and iPads going forward, as well.
Your iPad mini 7 may automatically launch recovery mode if it's in trouble, or you can manually trigger it by pressing volume up, then volume down, then holding the power button. Apple offers full instructions for iPads and iPhones if you need them.
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