Anybody can get locked out of their iPhone. Maybe you’ve forgotten the passcode. Perhaps you have entered the wrong one too many times. Whatever the reason, it’s frustrating, and you need to resolve it quickly so that you can use your device again.
Fortunately, Apple has a few options if you’re dealing with this situation. We’ll explain how to access your device for individuals who are locked out of iPhones.
Why Am I Locked Out of My Phone?
Apple locks you out of your iPhone for safety. If your phone is lost or stolen, you don’t want your data falling into the wrong hands.
Apple has created tools to prevent unauthorized phone access. You may already be familiar with two of them, Find My iPhone and Activation Lock. With these tools in place, nobody can erase your iPhone without your Apple ID and password if you’ve enabled the Find My iPhone feature.
Unfortunately, these same security tools can inadvertently lock out the phone’s rightful owner. Once a wrong passcode is entered too many times, you’ll see an “iPhone Disabled” message on your screen.
How Long is My iPhone Disabled?
If you enter the wrong passcode between 1-5 times, you’ll have no issue. After the sixth time, you’ll have to wait a minute.
If you keep entering the wrong code, the length of time you must wait expands to 5 minutes, 15 minutes, and 60 minutes. On the 10th time, you’ll need to connect your phone to iTunes in order to unlock it.
If possible, try not to get to this point. It’s much easier to input the correct passcode than to go through the following process. Instead, give yourself some time to remember your code. It’s likely that you’ll recall it eventually, assuming you picked a code that’s meaningful to you.
How to Get Back into Your iPhone
If you’re unable to remember your passcode, you’ll need to connect your iPhone to iTunes. If you’ve previously used your iPhone with iTunes, you’ll be able to restore and sync your phone with the most recent backup. If you haven’t, you’ll rely on your latest iCloud Sync.
If you have not used iTunes before, you can download the latest version of it to a desktop, laptop, or tablet. Then, you can connect your iPhone to your chosen device with a USB cable. After connecting the phone to the computer, tap the iPhone icon on the screen’s upper left hand side and select Restore iPhone.
Follow the steps to reset from the latest backup and you’ll be able to access your phone again. Make sure to set a new passcode that you won’t forget next time.
Entering Recovery Mode Without iTunes
Some iPhone owners have never connected their device to a computer before. If you’ve never backed up your phone with iTunes, you’ll need to use Recovery mode.
Connect your phone to a computer with iTunes installed on it. Next, reboot your phone by following these steps:
For iPhone 8 and newer: Quickly press and let go of the Volume Up button followed by the Volume Down button. Next, press and hold the Side button until Recovery Mode appears on the screen.
For iPhone 7 Models: press and hold the Volume Down and Side buttons at the same time until Recovery Mode launches.
For iPhone 6s or older: (and iPad or iPod Touch): Press and hold the Home Button and Sleep button until Recovery Mode launches.
Once in Recovery mode, you’ll see an iTunes message giving you the option to Restore or Update the device. Choose to restore and wait until it downloads.
You may have to launch Recovery Mode again if you have a slow internet connection. After your device has completed the download, follow the directions to restore it.
If the Activation Lock is enabled, you’ll need to enter your Apple ID and password to initiate the restoration process. If you’ve been using iCloud, the majority of your data should be restored without issue.
Be Cautious of Alternative Solutions
Using Recovery Mode or iTunes to unlock your phone are the only Apple-certified ways to solve this problem. However, if you start browsing around the internet, you may find different solutions.
There’s no guarantee that any of these tools or techniques will actually work. Also, some of them are the same apps and services that criminals use.
You have no idea if these services might grant cybercriminals access to your data. If that happens, they may steal your identity.
if you try any solution other than the two approved by Apple, you do so at your own risk.
Prevent Future iPhone Lockouts
The easiest thing to do if you need to access your iPhone is to utilize Apple’s biometric security features, including TouchID and FaceID. With them, you can easily and quickly access your phone, even if you happen to forget your passcode.
Be careful who you trust with your phone. Children are usually the most frequent culprits when these lockouts occur. This is because they like playing with the passcode screen, and the next thing you know, you’re locked out of your device.
Make sure you have set up your iCloud and Find My iPhone accounts to use these protective features and maintain access to your phone. Also, you can store your passwords and passcodes in a password manager. This makes it unlikely that you will forget them.
I’m Locked Out of My iPhone! [Solved!]
Getting locked out of your iPhone is frustrating. Fortunately, Apple provides you with a couple of excellent options to fix the problem. If you back up your phone often, you also don’t have to worry about data loss if you must restore iPhone functionality after a lock out.
Beware of any non-Apple methods you might use to regain access to your phone, since those might put your device and data at risk. Instead, prevent lockouts by using TouchID and FaceID, and consider setting up a password manager to store all of your passwords.
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To learn more solutions to common iPhone issues, you can also check out our blog. You can discover great tips, including what to do if your phone screen is black, how to repair broken Touch ID, and so much more. Learn everything you need to know about iPhones, phone upgrade programs, and all things smartphone on the Buyback Boss blog!