Forgot iPhone passcode? Here’s how to get into a locked iPhone
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Written By Harsha Alamchandani -
Approved By Rohit Arora
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Updated on 11 Apr, 2023 -
Min Reading 5 Min - Share
Summary: If you have forgotten your iPhone passcode or getting the ‘iPhone disabled’ message, try the methods shared here to unlock and access your iOS device again. The methods are applicable to all iPhone models, including series of iPhone 14, 13, 12, 11, XR Max, XS, and models.
Recently when Sandy forgot her iPhone 8 passcode, she felt her life has come to a halt. She couldn’t make calls, send messages, click or share photos, read her e-mails, book cabs, or shop for her daily needs via apps.
Sandy made a few desperate attempts to enter the passcode. But unfortunately, her options were limited. Apple doesn’t let you enter more than six passcodes in a row — all for the good to prevent unauthorized access to the iOS device.
Now her iPhone was disabled and she helplessly read messages flashing on her device –
iPhone is disabled try again in 1 minute, iPhone is disabled try again in 15 minutes,…iPhone is disabled try again in 1 hour,…. is disabled try again in 24,400,755 minutes…!
So can Sandy unlock her iPhone 8 bypassing passcode?
What about her existing iPhone data? Has she lost it forever or is there a way out to bypass the lock screen and regain access to her contacts, messages, chats, videos, photos, Notes, etc.?
Here we share in detail how to bypass the iPhone passcode and access your iOS device again.
The methods shared here are applicable to all iPhone models, including iPhone 14, 13, 12, 11, X Max, XS, X, 8, 8 plus, 7, 6s, 6, 5s, and 4. They work on iOS 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, iOS 10, iOS 11, and below. You can also unlock iPad and iPod touch, bypassing passcode as well.
Note: This blog doesn’t support or promote in any manner of illegal iPhone hacking or bypassing iOS device passcode.
How to get into a locked iPhone without the password
If you forgot your iPhone passcode or see an ‘iPhone disabled’ message, you can try any of the below methods to unlock and restore your iPhone data.
Method 1: Bypass iPhone Passcode using Siri
Key points for this method –
Bypass iPhone passcode unlocks without computer
Unlock iPhone bypassing passcode without restore
Doesn’t require Apple ID and passcode
Doesn’t remove your existing iPhone data
Steps to bypass iPhone passcode with Siri
1. On your iPhone, press and hold the Home button to activate Siri
2. Ask Siri ‘What’s the time now?’ and Siri displays the local time
3. Click on the clock icon. Menu of the World Clock opens. Click on the plus sign on the top right corner
4. Type any characters in the search box and ‘Select All’ these characters
5. Click ‘Share’
6. Next, select Message in the pop-up window.
7. A new message window opens. In the ‘To’ field hold and click ‘Paste.’ The copied text is pasted
8. Wait for a few seconds. Press the Home button. You are now on the home screen of your iPhone bypassing the device passcode.
Method 2: Bypass iPhone passcode by using Recovery Mode
Key points for this method –
- Unlocks disabled iPhone without passcode
- Requires Apple ID and passcode
- Installs the latest iOS on your iPhone
- Removes your current iPhone data completely
- You can restore data later from iCloud and iTunes backup
Note: If you had not backed up your iPhone data in iCloud/ iTunes before you forgot the passcode, you won’t be able to recover the lost data after applying Recovery Mode.
Steps to bypass iPhone passcode by using Recovery Mode
- Install iTunes on your Mac or PC
- Next, put your iPhone to Recovery Mode using the Side and Volume buttons.
- Recovery Mode screen appears on your iPhone
- Open iTunes on the computer. It detects your iPhone and asks to Restore or Choose Restore.
- iTunes will download iOS for your iPhone. You can now set up your iPhone and restore it from a recent backup.
| If you are unable to restore iPhone from iCloud or iTunes, take the help of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. It quickly restores lost data on iPhone. You can also select and recover specific photos, videos, contacts, messages, WhatsApp chats, etc. that you want rather than recovering everything. The software works with all models of iPhone and supports latest iOS 16. |
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Method 3: Unlock a disabled iPhone by using ‘Find My iPhone’
Apple ‘Find my iPhone’ is used when you want to track a stolen or missing iPhone. However, the feature can also be utilized to unlock a disabled iPhone, by way of bypassing the device password.
Key points for this method –
- Works if you had set up ‘Find My iPhone’ on the device before it was locked
- Need Apple ID and password
- Erases all data on your iPhone
- Can restore data later from iCloud or iTunes backup
When you sign in to iCloud.com or the Find My iPhone app, you can see your missing device on a map. And you can use Lost Mode to lock, track, or remotely erase all of your personal information.
Steps to unlock a disabled iPhone by using ‘Find My iPhone’
- Sign in to your iCloud account on your computer
- Click on Device list and select your iPhone
- In the device information window, click ‘Erase iPhone’
- Enter your Apple ID password and remote erase begins
Your iPhone is now set to factory settings with the device passcode removed. Next, you can restore your iPhone data by using the recent iCloud or iTunes backup.
Wrapping Up
Your iPhone manages a big part of your day-to-day life. No wonder, forgetting its passcode can get maddening. And once you receive the ‘iPhone Disabled’ message, there’s not much you can do.
However, by using Siri, you not only bypass the password to unlock iPhone but also protect its existing data as well. Recovery Mode to unlock disabled iPhone is also effective, but erases your data and requires to restore from backup.
If you have turned on ‘Find My iPhone’ on your device, it is another smarter way to get out of forgot iPhone passcode situation.
Hope you found this post helpful.
Is there any other method to unlock iPhone, if forgot the passcode? Do share with our readers in the comments section below.
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NO About The Author
Harsha is a technical expert who loves Mondays, technology and is a big time Apple fan. She knows her way around the data loss problems and is always looking for ways to help out people.
2 comments
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Hi harsha, I changed the passcode of my iPhone X but forgot to write the number, I was in a hurry to catch train, later I came back & tried failed attempts, now in 8 hours mode but can’t access phone, if I try again then don’t know will permanently disabled, unfortunately I don’t remember the apple ID password, tried different methods of password recovery but didn’t work, I don’t want to lose data because didn’t backup well & saved data in personal computer.
Please help me out how to recover passcode without losing data
Thanks in advance
Hi Samy,
Thanks for reaching out! I’m sorry to hear that you’re unable to access your iPhone X due to forgetting the passcode and Apple ID password. It’s understandable that you don’t want to lose your data, especially if you haven’t backed it up properly.
One possible solution is to use iTunes to restore your iPhone X without losing data. Here are the steps you can follow:
1. Connect your iPhone X to the computer that you normally use to sync it.
2. Launch iTunes and wait for it to sync with your iPhone X.
3. Once iTunes has finished syncing, click on the iPhone X icon in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window.
4. Click on the “Summary” tab and then click on “Restore iPhone.”
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the restore process.
When prompted, choose the option to restore your iPhone X from the most recent backup that you have in iTunes. This should restore your iPhone X to its previous state, including all of your data.
If this method doesn’t work, you can try contacting Apple support for further assistance. They may be able to help you recover your passcode and Apple ID password without losing your data.
In the future, it’s important to regularly back up your iPhone X to prevent data loss. You can do this by connecting your iPhone X to your computer and using iTunes to back up your device, or by using iCloud to back up your device wirelessly.
I hope it helps!