Locked Out of iPhone? 5 Ways to Unlock Your iPhone

User Concern

“I got locked out of my iPhone XR and the only way to verify is through my phone number to get a verification code. But I can’t access the code because the phone number is on the phone that’s locked. Is there a way AT&T can help me with this process??” - From AT&T Community Forums

Apple provides a series of security functions to protect your iPhone or iPad. One of the most common ways to ensure the safety of your iPhone is to lock it with a passcode of your choice.

What if you forgot your passcode for some reason and locked out of your iPhone? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

Here this guide will include the reasons why you may be locked out of iPhone and 4 methods you can employ to unlock your iPhone and regain access to the device.

Part 1. Locked Out of iPhone, Why?

In order to unlock your iPhone, you should know why you may get locked of your iPhone.

• To keep your iPhone/iPad protected, entering the wrong password too many times will lock the device. This security measure is helpful but sometimes causes troubles.
• The device screen is broken or unresponsive.
• You don’t know what the security question is when you unlock the device.

Part 2. How Long Can Your iPhone Be Locked out

It’s not a problem if you enter the wrong passcode forless than 5 times. After attempting for 6 times, you will receive a notification that "iPhone is Disabled". You can enter the passcode again after 1 minute. The 7th incorrect passcode will get you locked out of iPhone for 5 minutes, the 8th is for 15 minutes, the 10th is for 1 hour. If you try again, the iPhone will be disabled and you’ll need to connect to iTunes to restore the disabled iPhone.

Part 3. How to Get Into A Locked iPhone without Password

All these methods given below will help you get out of a locked iPhone or iPad, however, each method has its own strong and weak points. Before unlocking your iPhone, let's first look at some limitations for each method.

• FoneGeek Solution: The iPhone Passcode Unlocker tool is not free to use, you need make a payment to unlock your iPhone screen.
• iTunes Solution: This way is workable only if you've previously synced your iPhone with iTunes and the Find My iPhone should be disabled.
• iCloud Solution: You've singed into iCloud before and Find My iPhone is enabled on the locked iPhone. And your Apple ID and password is required.
• Recovery Mode Solution: The whole process is a bit complicated, and you may end up with your iPhone stuck in recovery mode and won't restore.

Now, let's dive in into the solutions.

Way 1: Use the Quickest Way to Unlock Disabled iPhone

Let's start with the easiest and hassle-free method you can use to reset your iPhone when locked out of it. FoneGeek iPhone Passcode Unlocker is a powerful tool that can help you reset and unlock iPhone or iPad, then you're able to access to the locked device without knowing the passcode. It is available for both Windows and Mac computer, just download the right version and have a try.

Key Features of FoneGeek iPhone Passcode Unlocker

• Unlock iPhone and regain access to the device without iTunes or iCloud.
• Remove various types of screen lock from iPhone like 4-digit/6-digit passcode, Touch ID, Face ID, etc.
• Very simple to use, no special knowl edge requires to get into a locked iPhone.
• Secure and reliable to use, ensures up to 99% success rate.
• Works well with almost all iOS devices, even the newest iPhone 13 Pro/13, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro/12 Pro Max running iOS 15/14.
• Highly recommended by iLounge, JustWebWorld, iGeekPhone and many other media sites.

Here's how to unlock disabled iPhone or iPad without password:

Step 1: Download FoneGeek iPhone Passcode Unlocker and install the software on your computer. Launch it and then click on "Unlock Screen Passcode".

Step 2: Connect your locked iPhone or iPad to the computer and wait for the software to detect it automatically, then click "Next" to continue. If your device can't be detected, you should follow the onscreen steps to put it into Recovery/DFU mode.

Step 3: Now this tool will prompt you to download the latest firmware package, just choose a save location and click "Download". When the download process is complete, click on "Start Unlock" to resetting the locked iPhone.

Way 2: Access Locked iPhone by Restoring iPhone System

iTunes is not only useful for music and media activities, but also come in handy when you're locked out of your iPhone or iPad. If you used iTunes to sync and back up your iPhone, you can also use it to ditch the passcode and unlock the device.

1. Connect your locked iPhone or iPad to the computer you've previously synced it with, then launch iTunes.

2. Wait for the device to automatic sync and back up. If however, it requires a passcode, try another computer you've synced with, or skip to the Recovery Mode solution described in the latter part of this post.

3. When the syncing is done, you can click on "Restore iPhone" to reset and unlock your device. If you're notified that Find My iPhone should be disabled first, then skip to the iCloud Method below.

4. Once the restore process is complete, you can set up your iPhone/iPad like a new device or restore from a backup.

Way 3: Remotely Unlock Disabled iPhone without Computer

You can also use iCloud to unlock iPhone when you're unfortunately locked out of it. Please note that this method only works if you've signed into iCloud before and Find My iPhone is activated on your locked iPhone.

• Go to iCloud official website on another iDevice if available.
• Sign into iCloud with your Apple ID and password, then click on "Find iPhone".
• Click on "All Devices" at the top corner of the window and select the device you want to reset.
• Click on "Erase iPhone", then enter your Apple ID password to confirm your choice and wait for the process to finish.

• When the device data is erased, the iPhone will start with the ‘Hello Screen’, requiring you to reset the device.
• Follow the steps on the screen and you will reach the ‘Apps & Data’ screen. Choose the option of ‘Restore from iCloud Backup’ if you have created an iCloud backup before or choose ‘Set Up as New iPhone’ if there is no any backup.

• When you restore your iPhone, you will have access to the locked device without entering the passcode.

Note: If you wish to restore from iTunes backup, you should ensure that there is an iTunes backup on your computer.

Way 4: Get Back into iPhone with Apple's Official Recovery Mode

If you've never backed up your iPhone with iTunes and don't have Find My iPhone enabled, you can force your locked iPhone into Recovery mode and restore it to its factory default settings, then erase data on the device including the lock screen password. You can still use iTunes to regain access to the device. However, you will need to first erase the iPhone by entering into Recovery mode.

Step 1. For the 1st step, you should turn off your iPhone.

Step 2. The 2nd step, you should put the device into Recovery Mode by following the steps below.

• iPhone X or later, iPhone 8/8 Plus: Plug the iPhone into computer and pressing the Side button at the same time. Keep holding this button until you can see ‘connect to iTunes’ on the device screen.

• iPhone 7/7 Plus:Plug the iPhone into computer and pressing the Volume down button. Keep holding this button until you can see ‘connect to iTunes’ on the device screen.

• iPhone 6S and earlier: Plug the iPhone into computer and pressing the Home down button. Keep holding this button until you can see ‘connect to iTunes’ on the device screen.

Step 3. When your phone is in recovery mode, you will see an iTunes prompt on your computer providing the option to Restore or Update the device.

Step 4. Click on the "Restore" option and waif for iTunes to download the necessary software, the follow the onscreen instructions to restore the device.

Note: If the iPhone exits recovery mode after 15 minutes, you can repeat the steps above to enter the recovery mode again.

Way 5: Bypass iPhone Passcode via Siri Command

When you search Google, you will see a trick to bypass iPhone passcode via Siri command. But we don’t guarantee that this method will work.

• Activate and ask Siri to open an app that you haven’t installed. Click on the Apple Store icon and click the Home button twice.
• Ask Siri to open the clock app and click the app to show the alarm ringtones. Click on ‘buy mode tunes’ and the Home button.
• Ask Siri to turn off the Cellular data and change the passcode.

Part 4. How to Avoid Being Locked out of iPhone

The most convenient way to prevent iPhone lockouts is to set security features such as Face ID. If you set Face ID before, you can unlock your iPhone even if you cannot remember the password. When Face ID recognizes your face, the iPhone will be unlocked automatically.

Conclusion

Getting locked out of your iPhone can be infuriating and can practically grind your activities to a halt. Luckily, that won't be the case with you thanks to this post. When next you've been locked out of your iDevice, you can confidently employ any of the methods above to reset your locked iPhone/iPad and regain access to your device ASAP! We recommend using FoneGeek iPhone Passcode Unlocker to enjoy an easy fix of the locked out of iPhone problem.

Fay J. Melton has explored the area of technology and software for more than 5 years and he is enthusiastic about helping users solve various technology issues.

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