We’re all human, and it’s not so unusual to forget your iPhone’s passcode every now and then. Unlocking your iPhone with your computer is the easiest solution, but that’s not always an option. So, can you unlock your iPhone without a computer?
The easiest way to unlock your iPhone is through an iTunes backup, but you can also unlock your iPhone without a computer using the Find My iPhone app or a Siri software bug. You can also restore the iPhone’s data from an iCloud backup.
Let’s look at the various options you have to unlock your iPhone without a computer so that you can find a method that’ll work for you.
Can You Unlock Your iPhone Without a Computer?
While it’s much easier to use a computer to unlock your iPhone, you can unlock it without one. To unlock your iPhone without a computer, you’ll need another iPhone to use Find My iPhone or you can use Siri if you have an iPhone running iOS 8 to 10.1.
If your iPhone is running a later iOS version and you don’t have another iPhone, you can use another device’s browser to access Find My iPhone through the iCloud website. This will allow you to restore the iPhone to its factory settings, and then you’ll be able to unlock it.
However, the only way to actually unlock your iPhone without another device is through Siri, and that will only work if your iPhone is running a certain iOS.
How to Unlock Your iPhone With Find My iPhone
The easiest way to unlock your smartphone without a computer is to use Find My iPhone on another Apple device. You can use another smartphone or even an iPad for this, although it’s best to use a device already associated with your Apple ID.
This method will also work on all iPhones, and your device doesn’t need to be running a specific iOS.
Follow these steps to unlock your iPhone through Find My iPhone:
- Download the Find My iPhone App on another iPhone or iPad. You’ll have to log out from the existing account if it’s not associated with your Apple ID.
- Log in with the same Apple ID and password used for your iPhone.
- Select your iPhone from the list of devices.
- Click on ‘Erase Phone.’ This will delete your iPhone’s data and restore it to factory settings. Your iPhone will also restart, and you won’t have to enter the passcode.
- Follow the on-screen steps to set up your iPhone. Under ‘Set Up Your iPhone,’ select ‘Restore From iCloud Backup.’
- Enter your iCloud email and password and select the most recent backup to restore the data.
Once you’ve accessed your phone, you can change the passcode to something you can easily remember or set up a different method for unlocking your iPhone.
How to Unlock Your iPhone Using Siri
If your iPhone is running any iOS between 8 and 10.1, you can use a Siri bug to unlock it if you forget the passcode. This method requires nothing other than your iPhone, and it won’t wipe away your phone’s data.
Here’s how to use Siri to unlock your iPhone if you’re running the correct iOS:
- Say “Hi Siri” or activate Siri by holding the home button.
- Ask Siri what time it is or ask for the world time.
- Siri will show you the time with a clock feature. Click on the world clock to see a list of cities and their time zones.
- Click on the ‘+‘ sign on the top right-hand corner of the screen. This will create a new time feature on your phone.
- Once a new time feature is created, you’ll have the option to share it by message, mail, or other social media sites.
- Click on the message option. Click on ‘To‘ and then the ‘+‘ icon to create a new contact. You don’t have to write anything in the message yet.
- Next to the First Name and Last Name sections, you’ll see an ‘Add Photo‘ option. Click on this to access your phone’s gallery.
- Once you’re in the gallery library, you can press the back or home button to return to the home screen without entering the passcode. Your phone will now be unlocked.
While this method is the easiest way to access a locked iPhone, it’s only available on iPhones running specific iOS versions, so it may not work on your device. In fact, this security bug shows why it’s important to update your iPhone’s iOS to the latest version.
Erasing Your iPhone
If you can’t get your hands on another iPhone and the Siri loophole doesn’t work on your phone, you’ll have to erase your iPhone and restore it with an iCloud or iTunes backup.
You could also erase your iPhone from the device and restore it through the iCloud backup, much like when using the Find My iPhone App.
To use the ‘Erase iPhone‘ option, you’ll have to enter the wrong passcode several times. After 6 wrong attempts, the iPhone will be disabled for a minute.
Carry on trying until the iPhone is disabled for 15 minutes. When this happens, you’ll see an ‘Erase iPhone‘ option on your phone’s screen.
Select this option and wait for the iPhone to reset to factory settings. When the phone restarts, you’ll be able to use the ‘Restore from iCloud‘ option.
Using iTunes or iCloud
Regardless of whether you choose to reset the iPhone with or without a computer, you’ll still have to restore the data from an iCloud or iTunes backup.
The recommended method for restoring your iPhone when you forget your passcode is through iTunes. It’s also the easiest way to unlock your phone.
While you’ll need a computer (Mac or PC) to use iTunes or iCloud to unlock your iPhone, it’s much easier than using the Find My Phone app or hoping that your iOS is compatible with the Siri bug.
Follow these steps to unlock your iPhone with iTunes:
- Press and hold power and home buttons on your iPhone simultaneously. For iPhones without a home button, press the power button and the volume up/down button. Hold these buttons until you see the recovery mode screen.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer through a USB cable.
- Open iTunes on your computer. If you have a non-Mac device, you’ll have to download the iTunes app.
- You’ll see an error screen showing that there’s a problem with your iPhone. Choose the ‘Restore‘ option.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to restore your phone.
When using this method, make sure your phone and computer have enough charge. Also, don’t disconnect the phone until the iPhone’s data is fully restored.
It could take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on how much data is stored on the backup.
If you don’t have an iTunes backup, you can restore your phone through iCloud. Restoring your phone through iCloud is almost the same as using the Find My iPhone app, but you’ll need to access Find My iPhone on the iCloud website.
Simply go onto icloud.com/find and enter your Apple ID and password. Follow the same steps as discussed in the Find My iPhone section to erase your iPhone and restore it with the iCloud backup.