While most people use their face scan or fingerprint to unlock their iPhones, sometimes these features may not work, or you may not have them enabled on your phone. You’ll need the backup password to access your phone in such cases. But what if you forget your iPhone’s password?
If you forget your iPhone’s password, you’ll have six attempts to enter the correct password before your iPhone disables. Once your iPhone is disabled, you’ll have to restore it through iTunes, an iCloud backup, or by disabling your iPhone through Recovery Mode.
So if you prefer using passwords but forget them sometimes, you’ll need to know what to do. Now let’s look at the different methods of accessing a disabled iPhone when you forget your password and tips for preventing your iPhone from getting disabled again.
What to Do if You Forget Your iPhone Password
If you forget your iPhone password, you’ll have six tries to get it right. If you enter the wrong password six times in a row, the iPhone will automatically disable it, and you won’t be able to access the iPhone with the password. This is to prevent hacking ultimately. The only option to access a disabled iPhone is to restore or reset it using a backup.
Some iPhones will allow you to modify the security settings so that the phone automatically deletes all its data after you’ve entered the wrong password six times in a row.
However, your data will already be erased in a factory reset, so it’s important to ensure that your data is regularly backed up so you don’t lose important data when you perform a factory reset.
Restoring your iPhone is the best way to access it again when you forget your password. If you don’t have an iTunes or iCloud backup to restore your iPhone, you can reset it through iCloud. Let’s look at both methods of restoring a disabled iPhone.
How to Restore Your iPhone
When you forget your password or your iPhone is disabled, the best solution is to restore it. You can restore the iPhone if you have a recent iTunes or iCloud backup on your computer.
This process will take less than 15 minutes, and you’ll be able to restore most of the data. Also, you don’t have to use up all six tries and potentially wipe the data off your iPhone to restore it through iTunes.
Follow these steps to restore your iPhone through iTunes:
- First, make sure you have a recent backup of your iPhone on iTunes.
- Then, connect your iPhone to the Macbook or PC through an adapter cable.
- Open the iTunes app and select how you want to back up the phone. You can choose whether you wish to restore the phone from a backup on the computer or an iCloud backup.
- Click on Restore Backup and enter your Apple ID and password.
- Wait for the backup to commence until your iPhone is restored. Then, ensure the internet connection is stable, and don’t disconnect the iPhone from the computer until the restoration process is complete.
Restoring your iPhone through iTunes will reset most data, including contacts, call and messaging data, videos, pictures, and app data. It also restores your iPhone to its original settings but check the settings to be sure.
How to Reset/Erase Your iPhone
If you don’t have an iTunes backup, you’ll have to erase and reset your iPhone through iCloud. This method works best when you have an iCloud backup that you can use to restore your iPhone’s data.
You can erase and reset your iPhone with the Find My iPhone feature on iCloud or by forcing the phone into recovery mode.
Here’s how to erase and restore your iPhone through iCloud:
- Open the iCloud website on a computer or phone.
- Log into iCloud using your Apple ID and password.
- Click on Find iPhone.
- Click on Erase to wipe off the data from the phone. Your iPhone should restart.
- Switch on your iPhone and follow the on-screen prompts to reset the data. You’ll have to enter your Apple ID and password to access the phone.
- From the list of data restore options, select Restore from iCloud and wait for the phone to reset.
Like with an iTunes restore, you’ll need a stable internet connection and ensure the iPhone doesn’t switch off due to low charge when performing a reset through iCloud.
If you don’t have a recent iCloud backup, the only option is to erase the iPhone and restore it after entering recovery mode.
Here’s how to erase your iPhone by entering recovery mode:
- First, switch off your iPhone and connect it to a computer.
- Then, open the iTunes app and make sure it’s updated to the latest version.
- Different iPhones have different ways of entering recovery mode. For iPhones with a home button, press and hold the Home button and the Side button until you see the recovery screen. For newer iPhones, press the Volume Up button, followed by the Volume Down button and then press and hold the Power button until you get a recovery screen.
- Once you enter the recovery mode, open the iTunes app and select restore. You can restore the data using an iTunes backup, a backup on your computer, or an iCloud backup.
If you don’t have any backup, you’ll still have to restore or erase the iPhone to access it when you forget the password. You can then set up your iPhone using your Apple ID.
While you’ll lose most saved data, including videos, pictures, and contact data, you’ll still be able to access your previously installed app from your App Store account.
Tips to Prevent Disabling Your iPhone
If you’ve lost data because you had to reset your iPhone after forgetting the password, you’ll have to ensure you don’t disable it again. Here are some tips to prevent your phone from getting disabled if you forget your password:
- Choose a password that’s easy to remember. Don’t use anything too obvious for security reasons, but it should be easy enough for you to remember.
- Write the passcode somewhere or store it in a file on your computer. This is the best backup you’ll have for a forgotten passcode.
- Enable fingerprint and face access, allowing you more options for unlocking your iPhone. Your passcode should only be a backup option if the fingerprint or face scanning system doesn’t work.