Errors 

Error 3194 in iTunes when restoring and updating iPhone or iPad: reasons, how to fix it

Almost every owner of an iPhone and iPad has at least once encountered problems that arise when restoring or updating the device’s firmware, in particular with error 3194. If you encounter this error when trying to restore your iPhone or update iOS, do not rush to run to a service center to fix it. You can do this yourself at home and completely free of charge.

First of all, I would like to note that absolutely no one is immune from errors, and if they occur, this does not mean that your device is damaged or that you are doing something wrong. Sometimes errors occur due to your computer's security software, sometimes they are related to router settings, or even problems with Apple servers.

General information about iTunes error 3194

This error occurs in a variety of cases, most of it is related to the operation of the software, but this is not always the case.

iTunes error 3194 occurs when:

    If an error occurs while restoring the device, you will see a warning on your computer screen in iTunes: “Unable to restore iPhone (iPad). An unknown error occurred (3194).”

    If it occurs during the update, the message will be similar: “The iPhone (iPad) could not be updated. An unknown error occurred (3194).”

    Causes

    To understand the reasons for the error, let’s consider the process of restoring an iPhone step by step:


    If, after iTunes sends a request to sign the firmware with a unique certificate, no response is received from the update server, then unknown error 3194 occurs.

    Causes of error 3194 in iTunes are divided into categories:

    1. Software
    2. Hardware

    You can diagnose the cause of the error by the moment it occurs:

    1. If the error occurs before the Apple logo and status bar appear on the iPhone or iPad screen, or at the very beginning of its filling, the reason is software.
    2. If error 3194 occurs during the firmware process at approximately 75% (2/3 of the line is filled) - the reason is hardware.

    Software causes of error 3194

    The reasons why this error occurs in case of software problems are:


    Hardware causes of error 3194

    Unfortunately, error 3194 occurs not only due to software problems. If it appears when the status bar is 2/3 full (75%), with a 99% probability we can say that the reason is a problem with the device’s modem or its power supply.

    How to Fix Error 3194 in iTunes

    The method for eliminating the error depends on the cause of its occurrence. If the reason is hardware, you should contact an authorized service center. Apple equipment is difficult to repair and, in particular, repairing the iPhone 6 is a painstaking and complex process, the guys from iFixit rated it only 6 points out of 10. Therefore, we strongly advise against attempting to repair an iPhone or iPad yourself.

    To correct the error if there is a problem with the modem, you may need to either completely replace it or restore the contact connections. Of course, the service center specialists will trick you into completely replacing the modem, but there’s nowhere to go.

    How to fix error 3194 yourself

    If unknown error 3194 occurs due to software problems, you can fix it yourself without leaving home.

    Updating iTunes to the latest version

    Sometimes, although very rarely, error 3194 occurs in an out-of-date version of iTunes. All you need to do to fix it, or the first thing you should try to do is: update iTunes to the most.

    Please note that the iTunes installer (.exe) contains not only the program itself, but also all the necessary drivers.

    Another tip: to remove the current version of iTunes, use uninstallers; personally, I use the Uninstall Tool.

    Checking the hosts file

    The question arises: how are entries containing "gs.apple.com" added to the hosts file without user interaction?

    If you have at least once run the TinyUmbrella utility, which allows you to download digital signatures (SHSH hash) of iPhone and iPad for current iOS from the Apple server, the program makes changes to the hosts automatically, without your knowledge. All requests from iTunes that follow the modification of the file are not received by the Apple update server, and therefore no responses are sent.

    First of all, check the contents of the hosts file, if it contains a line or lines like: “xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx gs.apple.com” before this line (lines), add the ignore character “#”, or delete it/them completely. For this:


    On Mac computers running OS X (Apple solution):


    After completing the steps described above, try recovery again; this method helps fix the error in 70% of cases.

    TCP/IP address filtering, firewall or security software (antivirus)

    In some cases, although quite rarely, responses to iTunes requests from Apple servers do not arrive on the computer due to incorrect operation of security software (antivirus, firewall), as well as due to filtering of TCP/IP protocols by network routers through which the computer connects to the Internet.

    It is difficult to say unequivocally what caused the error; here it is necessary to act radically, namely:

    1. Completely disable security software during recovery.
    2. Disable TCP/IP filtering in the settings of your router (router) or modem.
    3. Exclude the router (router) from the Computer-Internet chain, i.e. connect your computer to the Internet directly (if you have wired access).

    How to get iPhone out of Recovery Mode after error 3194 appears in iTunes

    If, due to error 3194 in iTunes, the iPhone is turned on in recovery mode, but the flashing process has not yet begun (the error occurred before the status bar started filling), returning it to its original state (normal mode) is quite simple:


    If your iPhone or iPad is in recovery mode after an error appears in iTunes, the device will not be able to get it out of Recovery Mode.

    As you can see, error 3194 in iTunes, in most cases you can fix it yourself, there is nothing complicated about it.

    If you have any questions, additions, or the methods provided do not help solve the problem, write in the comments, we will try to help you.

    If the article was useful to you and you managed to solve error 3194 and safely restore your iPhone or update iOS, we will be grateful for a link to the article on your page on social networks!