“iPhone Unavailable” is a daunting phrase many users have seen on their devices, leading to some confusion. It usually happens on the main screen and often doesn’t give users any option for what to do or any hint of where they can find help with this. So what does it mean?
“iPhone Unavailable” means a password has been entered incorrectly ten times, and the iPhone has locked itself. You can use third-party software to reset this, or you’ll have to restore the phone to a back-up or erase the phone to access the device again.
It’s one of Apple’s security features keeping your information safe. So now, let’s take a closer look at when users will see the “iPhone Unavailable” message, as well as what your options are when faced with this.
What Does “iPhone Unavailable” Mean?
If you see the message “iPhone Unavailable,” you have entered an incorrect passcode too many times, and the iPhone has locked to protect itself from a potential intruder. This is a safety measure introduced by Apple since too many passcode guesses indicate that someone who shouldn’t have access to your phone is trying to gain access.
This is what you can expect from entering your passcode wrong too many times:
- Five attempts: locked for one minute
- Six attempts: locked for five minutes
- Seven attempts: locked for fifteen minutes
- Eight or nine attempts: locked for an hour
- Ten attempts: permanently locked
If you enter the passcode ten times, you will see the message “iPhone Unavailable,” which means your phone has been locked.
In rare cases, the hone may have been phished or otherwise hacked, and you may have been locked out. But if you’re here because you or someone you know just tried to get into the iPhone a few times too many, there’s nothing to panic about yet!
What Should You Do When Your iPhone is Unavailable?
When you get the message that your iPhone is unavailable, you can do a few things; however, some methods will require resetting your phone to factory settings and wiping all the current data. So be careful with what you choose.
How to Unlock Your iPhone Using 3rd Party Software
Some third-party programs, such as iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer, can grant you access to your phone again. Make sure you look at the reviews and use safe and verified software before proceeding. iSumsoft is an example of one that should work well.
Connect your phone to your PC using the Apple lightning cable (on Amazon) and then:
- Choose Unlock Lock Screen.
- Click Start.
- Click Next.
- Click Download.
- Click Unlock.
Make sure you wait a few minutes for the process to complete before you disconnect your iPhone, or they won’t have a chance to finish it.
How to Directly Erase Your iPhone
If you don’t have access to a computer and are willing to erase your iPhone directly, it’s possible to do this. This only works if you had ‘Find My iPhone’ turned on, and if you do, you will see the option appear on the screen when the iPhone is permanently locked.
Tap this option and then enter your iCloud information for the iPhone to erase itself. If you have a back-up stored somewhere—either in the cloud or physically on your computer—you can restore everything after.
Otherwise, you’ll have to start from scratch and lose all your content and settings.
How to Restore Your iPhone via iTunes
You can also restore your iPhone via iTunes. The first thing you should do is ensure you have the latest version on your computer. You can do this by:
- Heading to the App Store, looking for iTunes, and seeing if there’s an update available. If there is, go ahead and update the app before you proceed.
- Then, you can connect your phone to your computer using the lightning cable.
- iTunes will automatically detect something happening with your phone and ask if you want to update or restore it. Choose Restore.
- You’ll then have the option to restore to a back-up or start the phone from scratch. Of course, you’ll have to start from scratch if you don’t have a back-up.
Tips on How To Prevent Disabling Your iPhone
Since no one wants to go through the hassle and potential content loss of seeing “iPhone Unavailable,” it’s best to follow these tips, so you don’t disable your iPhone.
Remember Your Passcode
The most obvious thing to do is set a passcode you know you’ll remember. You can also physically write it down somewhere in case you forget, though it’s best not to store it digitally—that leaves more chance of the information getting into the wrong hands.
Set Up Face and Touch ID
One of the best parts of Apple technology is the ability to use Face and Touch ID. Older phones with a Home button may have Touch ID, whereas newer phones are more likely to have Face ID.
ou can access these in your settings, and when you first purchase a phone, you’ll automatically have the option to set them up.
Touch ID requires capturing your thumbprint so you can press it on the Home button to quickly access the phone, bypassing the passcode entirely.
Face ID requires you to look at the phone, which will recognize you and unlock. It’s particularly innovative because it requires your attention, so no one can sneakily unlock your phone by pointing the screen at you.
Never Keep Trying to Guess
If you’re locked out of your phone and forgot the passcode, don’t make random guesses. The more guesses you make, the longer you’re going to be locked out, and this can become dire as the guesses approach ten. So instead, set the phone aside and take some time to think.
Other Precautionary Measures
As well as trying to make sure you’re being proactive about avoiding this situation, you should prepare for it if it happens using the following methods.
Turn Find my iPhone On
Since you’ll only get the ‘Erase’ option if your iPhone becomes unavailable if this setting is on, you should make sure to toggle it green. You can do this by following these steps:
- Head to Settings.
- Access your iCloud account.
- Choose Find My.
By turning on Find My iPhone, you’re allowing your other Apple devices to locate your iPhone, and they can even play a sound from it to help lure you to its exact location. In this case, most importantly, you can quickly erase your iPhone if you ever have to in a situation where the phone is unavailable.
Otherwise, you’ll have to take the time to plug it into a computer.
Back-Up Your Content
You should always make sure to perform frequent back-ups too. Doing this will ensure that most of your content and settings are saved, preventing you from starting from scratch—and losing things from handy notes to sentimental photos.
You can use the following steps to back up your phone to the cloud:
- Access Settings.
- Access your iCloud account.
- Tap iCloud.
- Choose Back Up.
If you don’t want to back up your phone to the cloud and would rather have a back-up saved on your computer, you can do that too. Simply connect your phone to your computer via your lightning cable, open iTunes, and follow the prompts to create a back-up.
It’s a good idea to do this once every few weeks or whenever you add new major content to your phone that you’d hate to lose.
To Conclude
Most people hope never to see the words “iPhone Unavailable,” as it can be a pain to fix and often involves losing data. However, you can avoid this by setting a passcode you’ll remember and using Apple’s Face and Touch ID to minimize the number of times you may accidentally type it in wrong.