How to unlock iPhone if you forget your password? The exact instructions for each iPhone depend on its configuration when it comes to restoring access. By default, there is no password at all. However, Apple notes the following regarding forgotten data ...
How it works?
If you repeatedly enter the wrong password, your iPhone will be disconnected for a longer period of time before you can try again. After too many unsuccessful attempts, you will not be able to repeat them until you connect the smartphone to the computer with which you last synchronized it (if it was connected to it earlier). How to unlock iPhone 5s if I forget my password?
You can configure the device so that it itself erases all the information after ten consecutive attempts to enter the wrong password. This setting is disabled by default. It can be enabled by clicking "General Settings" - "Password Lock".
What will the recovery procedure entail?
How to unlock iPhone 5 if I forgot my password? If you cannot remember the password, you will need to restore the device using the computer with which you last synchronized it (or iCloud). This allows you to reset the code and re-synchronize data from the device (or restore from a backup). If you restore information on another computer to which this device has never been connected, you can unlock it for use and reset the password, but your data will not be present on it.
Also note that Apple representatives cannot unlock the iPhone for you without restoring your smartphone. The recovery process will erase everything from his memory.
How to unlock the device
How to unlock iPhone 6 if I forgot my password? If you forget the access code on your iPhone, you will have to restore the device.
If you do this, all your data (songs, photos, videos, applications, etc.) will be deleted on it. To do this, use the following instructions. Make sure you back up content from your iPhone before restoring it.
If iPhone is pre-synced with Mac or PC
How to unlock iPhone if you forget your password? If you previously synchronized your device with iTunes on a Mac or Windows computer, you can still back up the latest additions to your smartphone by connecting it to the same PC or laptop that you used earlier, without having to enter a password.
After the backup, you just need to restore your iPhone and transfer the backup to it using iTunes.
What needs to be done for this?
How to unlock iPhone if I forgot my password? Apple's official instructions for restoring an iPhone using iTunes are as follows:
- Connect your iPhone to the computer (which you previously used to sync the device).
- In iTunes, select iPhone from the Devices list, then find the Summary at the top of the screen.
- If iTunes does not sync your iPhone automatically, do it manually (and confirm that the sync and backup were successful).
- Click Check for Updates. ITunes reports if there is a newer version of software for iPhone.
- Click Restore. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the recovery process. In this process, it is recommended that you back up your iPhone again when prompted.
- When the iOS Setup Assistant prompts you to set up your iPhone, select "Restore from iTunes Backup."
- Select your device in iTunes and find the latest backup of your device.
After this process, your iPhone should be restored with information from its last backup, but the password will no longer be activated on it. After that, think carefully before setting a different password or using this feature again.
Backup iPhone Using iCloud
How to unlock iPhone 4s if you forget your password and haven’t connected to iTunes? Apple explains that if you have the Find My iPhone feature enabled, you can use remote wipe to delete the contents of your device. Similarly, if you used iCloud for backup, you can restore the most recent backup to reset the passcode after deleting the device.
Guide from the manufacturer separately explains a simple process for iCloud, allowing you to erase the iPhone. This is mainly intended for a phone that has been lost or stolen, but this instruction can also be used with a forgotten password.
How does this recovery process happen?
How to unlock iPhone 6s if I forget my password and use iCloud? This is done like this:
- Log in to iCloud with your Apple ID (the one you use with Icicle), then click Find My iPhone.
- Click "All devices", then select the "iPhone" you want to erase.
- In the info window, select "Erase iPhone."
- Enter your Apple ID password to confirm. If iOS 7 or later is installed on the device you are erasing, enter the phone number and receive a confirmation message. This is intended to be displayed to anyone who finds your iPhone if it is lost or stolen. Just erasing the iPhone is not necessary.
Now you can restore information to your device using iCloud Backup (if the backup was turned on even before you deleted it).
In the same way as with the recovery process in iTunes, your iPhone must be restored via iCloud with information from its latest backup. In this case, the smartphone will no longer have the password turned on.
If the iPhone has never been synced or copied
How to unlock iPhone if you forget your password, if you have never synced your device with iTunes on your computer or haven't backed up using iCloud? The only option is to restore the phone as new, which will delete all your personal information. An access code that can be obtained by someone else will not be of particular benefit, therefore it is intended for security purposes.
If you find yourself in such a situation, try not to panic and do not rush. Just calm down and wait a while without thinking about this problem. Having a little rest, you can remember the forgotten data.
If you still can’t remember, take your iPhone in your hands and ideally visit the place where you repeatedly entered the password.
If this is not an option, try walking in the direction you went when you successfully entered your password earlier. Enter the data effortlessly, without focusing on letters or numbers, and instead try to "feel" them. You may be able to activate the “muscle memory” of the movement that you used earlier to enter the code.
How to unlock iPhone if you forget your password and if none of this works? Unfortunately, you will have to start all over again, as if you just purchased a new iPhone. If you use it for only a few days, you will not lose a lot of data. Users, as a rule, most often forget the password of a new device.
If you recently set a password on an iPhone with a lot of personal information that was not synced using iTunes or from which backup was not created using iCloud, and this information is really important to you, you can think about buying a new smartphone without restoring the old one. It may happen that you can remember the password in the future.
However, next time, either do not use a password, but instead use a Touch ID with fingerprint identification enabled on iPhone 5s, or be sure to sync your iPhone with iTunes and / or iCloud.
After you reset your iPhone
No matter which of these options you use, you will get an iPhone that was in the same condition you got it out of the box. You have three options for your next step:
- Set up iPhone from scratch: select this option if you want to start all over again on your device and do not want to restore any data (or you did not store anything important).
- Restore from backup. Best of all, if you have a backup of your data in iTunes or iCloud and you want to return it to your phone. Above is the instruction for this action.
- Reloading content. Even if you don’t have a backup, almost everything you bought in iTunes, App, and iBooks can be reloaded onto your device. Learn how to re-download this content by contacting the support service you need.
What about a content restriction password?
There is another kind of password that you can have on your iOS device: a code that protects the content.
This access code allows owners or IT administrators to block certain applications or functions and does not allow those who do not know the password to change these settings. How to unlock iPhone X if you forget your password when you are a parent or administrator?
In this case, the previously mentioned options for deleting data and restoring from the backup will work. If you do not want to do this, you will need the iPhone Backup Extractor program (it is available for both Mac and Windows). In the process of using it, you will be forced to view many files that may seem complicated or intimidating, but this should not be too difficult for the average user.
Final word
The relatively useful iPhone password feature is good for security, but bad if you forget it. Do not let a forgotten access code stop you from using it in the future, as this is too important to protect your data. Just make sure that next time you will use a password that will be easier to remember (but not too easy to guess!).