Fix iTunes Error 9006 When Restoring/Updating iPhone or iPad

iTunes errors like iTunes error 9006 rarely happen when updating or restoring your iOS device. However, there are cases that this error occurs in the middle of update, restore or download and it goes with a message, “There was a problem downloading software for iPhone. An unknown error occurred (9006).” Since the error message does not mention what exactly is causing the problem, it is hard to figure out what you should do to fix the solution.

If you are facing this issue right now, there is no need to worry anymore as we have easy solutions to get rid of the annoying iTunes error 9006. One of the reasons why this happens is because the anti-virus program on iPhone 7 hinders the update of the Apple software.

What is iTunes Error 9006?

The iTunes error 9006 is usually an error that you may encounter when downloading purchases, updating or restoring your iOS device. This message appears when iTunes fails to restore your iPhone or iPad because it cannot connect well to the Apple servers. This stops iTunes from downloading the IPWS file required to finish the update process.

Solutions to Fix iTunes Error 9006

Usually, iTunes errors can be resolved quickly with basic troubleshooting techniques which let users continue their download, update or restoration. However, that is not always the case as error 9006 can be triggered by iOS software servers and stops the download of files. This is the reason why the first things to blame are anti-virus programs or firewalls, so you may have to disable them temporarily.

Before we start, make sure that your Mac or PC is updated, and you are running the latest version of iTunes. You should also have stable internet connection to restore or update your iOS device correctly.

1. Temporarily Disable Anti-Virus Program and Firewalls

Turn off your anti-virus program and firewalls temporarily and restart both your computer and iOS device. Many users have reported solving the issue after doing this solution.

• Make sure that your computer is connected to an active network.
• Close iTunes.
• Disable software firewalls and anti-virus program temporarily.
• Restart your computer and iPhone or iPad.
• Reconnect your iPhone or iPad to your PC with a USB cable. You can also try using a different port.
• Open iTunes and try to restore, download or update your iOS device again.

If disabling software firewalls and anti-virus program did not help, you could try the next solution which is updating your iPhone or iPad using IPSW file.

2. Update iPhone or iPad using IPSW File

This solution lets you switch between iOS version without too much hassle as long as you are comfortable using it. There are two parts, removing the first IPSW file that failed and downloading a new IPSW for updating your iOS device.

Step 1: Using iTunes, delete the old IPSW file manually.

For Mac OS X users, you can locate the old IPSW files in home directory:

~/Library/iTunes/

Now, look for your device to see the IPSW file. Example, iPhone commonly stores the updates in: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates

For old versions of OS X, the file is in ~/Library/Application Support/iTunes/.

For Windows users, you can locate IPSW files depending on the version of your Windows.

Windows 8 and 10: \Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\.

Users of Windows 7 and Vista: \Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates.

Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates.

Step 2: Download the appropriate IPSW file for your iOS device on your computer or Mac.

Step 3: Connect your iPhone, iPad or iPod to computer. Launch iTunes and choose your iOS device.

Step 4: For Windows users, press and hold Shift and click Restore. For Mac users, hold the Option and Command button and click Restore.

Step 5: Select the IPSW file that you downloaded and update your iOS device.

If you still cannot continue to update or restore your iOS device after using the new IPSW files, the network itself could be blocking the Apple server IP addresses. It is also probable that your computer has hosts file that blocks the IP addresses.

Here are some tips that you can do:

• Check hosts file to ensure that it is not blocking iTunes from connecting to Apple servers.
• Make sure that the date and time of your computer are correct.
• Try using a different USB slot.
• Disable your security software temporarily.
• Restore or update your iOS device using a different computer connected to a different internet connection.
• Make sure that there is no more than one security software installed to prevent errors.

If the solutions worked to fix iTunes error 9006 for you, or if you know other solutions to fix the issue, share it with us in the comments section below!