If you enter your passcode too many times, your iPhone will be disabled and you will be unable to access it – this is Apple’s security mechanism in case someone tries to hack into your phone. However, most of us experience this when we forget our passcode or leave it lying around with our children. So, what do you do if the dreadful ‘iPhone is disabled’ notice appears? We’re here to walk you through a few easy steps to get your iPhone back up and running without having to take it to an Apple store.
What does it mean when it says “iPhone is disabled”?
In the same manner that Apple allows you to generate a passcode when you obtain your iPhone, your iPhone is made to safeguard unwelcome users into your phone for security reasons. However, typing your passcode too many times will disable your iPhone for a period of time; however, if you input your passcode incorrectly up to 10 times, you risk losing all of your data. If you’ve entered an incorrect passcode up to 8 times, we recommend avoiding trying again since you risk losing all of your photographs, videos, texts, and other data on your iPhone if it’s not backed up.
Failed passcode unlock attempt penalty
- Enter an incorrect passcode 9 times – Your iPhone is disabled and you can try again in 1 hour
- Enter an incorrect passcode 10 times – The system will lock you out of your phone completely or erase your data depending on your settings
- Enter an incorrect passcode 5 times – Your iPhone is disabled and you can try again in 1 minute
- Enter an incorrect passcode 7 times – Your iPhone is disabled and you can try again in 5 minutes
- Enter an incorrect passcode 8 times – Your iPhone is disabled and you can try again in 15 minutes
It’s recommended not to try to unlock your phone with an erroneous passcode more than 9 times, because as you can see above, typing your passcode 10 times risks destroying all of your phone’s data, and if you haven’t backed up your iPhone in a while, your data will be destroyed with no means of recovering it.
My iPhone is locked, but I haven’t attempted to unlock it
If you’ve had the misfortune of seeing the ‘iPhone is disabled’ screen on your phone without entering your passcode, it’s possible that you did so by accident when your phone was in your pocket. Your iPhone screen may have detected your hands and mistook it for inputting your passcode, especially if you had your hands in your pocket.
Another method your iPhone has been disabled is if you leave it around the house where children may get a hold of it, and if they touch the screen or the home button, your iPhone will think you’re trying to enter your passcode, disabling your iPhone by entering the incorrect passcode too many times.
How to manually repair ‘iPhone is disabled’
If you’ve picked up your iPhone and noticed that it’s now disabled, but you know your passcode, we recommend that you wait until the locked-out time has passed before entering your proper passcode. If you’ve detected that your iPhone has deactivated itself and you’re confident that you can unlock it by just entering the correct passcode, this is the choice for you. If your erroneous passcode has been entered incorrectly 8 times, don’t try this method.
Related: How to Make your Smartphone More Secure and Protected
If your iPhone has been completely locked and you know you can’t unlock it with your passcode, try the next steps. “iPhone is disabled,” your iPhone will say. “Connect to iTunes.”
What you’ll need:
To connect your iPhone to a PC or laptop, you’ll need a USB cord.
Take your iPhone to an Apple Store if you don’t already have it.
iPhone X or later, iPhone SE (2nd Gen), iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus
- Don’t connect your iPhone to the computer yet.
- Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until the power off slider appears – drag this to turn off your iPhone.
- Now connect your iPhone to your computer using the USB cable.
- If you have backed up your iPhone you will have the option to restore your data and settings to your last backup.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
- Don’t connect your iPhone to the computer yet.
- Press and hold the side button until the power off slide appears – drag the slider to turn off your iPhone.
- Now connect your iPhone to your computer while you hold down the volume button – keep holding this down until you see the recovery mode screen appear.
- If you have backed up your iPhone you will have the option to restore your data and settings to your last backup.
iPhone SE (1st Gen) and iPhone 2s and earlier
- Don’t connect your iPhone to the computer yet.
- Press and hold the side (or top) button until you see the option to turn off your phone using the slider – then turn off your iPhone.
- Now connect your iPhone to your computer or laptop using the USB cable while you hold down the Home button – keep holding this down until you see the recovery-mode screen.
- If you have backed up your iPhone you will have the option to restore your data and settings to your last backup.
On your PC, restore your iPhone.
You now have the option of restoring your iPhone from your computer. To begin, go to your computer and locate your iPhone. To do so, look in your ‘Finder’ or in iTunes for your iPhone.
Click on your iPhone in Finder after you’ve located it on your computer. ‘There is a problem with the iPhone that requires it to be updated or restored,’ you’ll get a prompt notice. After that, you can choose to ‘Restore’ or ‘Update’ your iPhone.
If you’re looking for your iPhone in iTunes, you may see it there and restore it to the most recent iCloud backup you made.
Restore your iPhone on your computer.
You may now restore your iPhone directly from your PC. To begin, locate your iPhone on your computer. To do so, look for your iPhone in your ‘Finder’ or iTunes.
After you’ve found your iPhone on your computer, go to Finder and click on it. ‘There is a problem with the iPhone that necessitates an update or restoration,’ you’ll be notified right away. You may then choose whether to ‘Restore’ or ‘Update’ your iPhone.
If you’re looking for your iPhone in iTunes, you might be able to find it and restore it from your most recent iCloud backup.
We hope our instructions on how to recover your ‘iPhone is disabled mode’ were helpful; to avoid similar errors, maintain a copy of your passcode somewhere safe. We also recommend backing up your phone as often as possible so that if your iPhone is locked, you can at least restore your data if you need to factory reset it.
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