There are many benefits of owning an iPhone. Data security and impeccable privacy protection are undoubtedly some of the biggest benefits of these devices out there. Because as long as you set a passcode for your device, you can be at peace knowing your data is secure. Even if someone gets their hands on your iPhone, without the correct passcode, they can’t view or recover its data. Further, if they somehow get access to your phone, that would only happen after all this data has been deleted.
The unauthorized users can never recover an iPhone without a passcode. But what if you forget your iPhone’s passcode and become unable to access your device? Is there no way to recover your iPhone anymore? Of course, there is. In this article, we will show you two sure-fire methods to recover an iPhone without a passcode. Without hesitating a moment more, let’s dive in.
Why Reset is the Only Option When You Forget Your iPhone’s Passcode
Back in 2016, the FBI tried to hack into a suspect’s locked iPhone but failed miserably. As a result, the FBI asked Apple to develop a special iOS that would allow the law enforcement of the US government to bypass the iPhone’s tight security. However, Apple resisted this, defended the importance of privacy and data security, and they ultimately emerged victorious. But what is the brilliant security measure that even the FBI failed to hack?
That’s none other than your iPhone’s passcode. As you probably already know if you fail to enter the right passcode 5 (five) times in a row on an iPhone, the phone will be disabled for 1 minute, which will gradually increase with every failed attempt. Enter it incorrectly too many times and your iPhone access will be forbidden for close to a million years. This feature prevents unauthorized users from trying infinite combinations of passcodes.
That means that if you forget your passcode, you’re pretty much stuck. But of course, if you’re a genuine user of the iPhone and you know how to recover it, the device will start working again. However, all methods to recover an iPhone without a passcode require you to reset your phone. Consequently, in the next sections, we will show exactly how you can restart and restore your iPhone.
1. Recover an iPhone Without a Passcode via Find My iPhone
Recovering your iPhone via Find My iPhone is a fast and straightforward method. However, please remember that it will reset your iPhone and revert it to its original settings. But don’t worry. As long as you regularly back up your phone’s data in iCloud or on any other storage media, you can always restore the information after unlocking your phone. Unfortunately, if you didn’t back up your iPhone’s data before forgetting the passcode, you have to sacrifice all your phone’s data to get your phone back safely. Here’s how you can do it:
- Sign in to your iCloud account using your Apple ID and go to the Find My iPhone page.
- Once you get into the “Find My iPhone” page, click on the “All Devices” option to open a drop-down list of all available devices.
- Click on your “iPhone Model.”
- Next, click on the “Erase iPhone” option and then confirm it once again.
With this, your iPhone’s data will be deleted, and your device will go back to its default settings. Now, you can access your iPhone and create new passcodes. Additionally, if you have a backup of your iPhone’s data, you can transfer it to your Apple smartphone too.
Precautionary Measure: Enabling Find My iPhone on Your iOS Device
Most iPhones come with the “Find My iPhone” option already enabled out of the box. However, if your iPhone still doesn’t have it turned on, it would be wise to do so manually by following these steps:
- Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
- Now, find the “Apple ID” and tap on it.
- After that, tap on the “Find My” option. If you have a relatively older version of iOS and see no “Find My” option, tap on “iCloud” instead.
- Next, tap on the “Find My iPhone” option and turn it on.
That’s it. Find My iPhone has been enabled on your iOS device now.
2. Use Recovery Mode to Restore an iPhone Without a Passcode
Don’t have the “Find My iPhone” feature enabled on your iOS device? That’s not a cause for concern. You can still use the Recovery mode to reset and recover your iPhone even without a passcode. Follow these instructions to enable the “Recovery mode” on your iPhone. Different iPhone models have distinct ways to turn the recovery mode on. Therefore, choose a suitable method depending on the model:
- iPhone 8 and later (Including iPhone SE, 2nd generation):
- Press and quickly release the “volume up” button.
- Press and again, promptly release the “volume down” button.
- Finally, press and keep holding the “side button” until you see the “Recovery mode” screen on your iPhone.
- iPhone 7 and 7 plus:
- Press and hold the “volume down” button and the “side button” at the same time.
- Keep holding them until you see the “Recovery mode” menu on your iPhone screen.
- iPhone 6S or earlier (including iPhone SE, 1st generation):
- Press the “top” or “side” button and the “Home” button at the same time.
- Continue holding them and release them only after the “Recovery mode” appears on your iPhone screen.
Once the “Recovery mode” screen shows up, it will give you an option to either update or restore your iPhone. Now, click on the “Restore” option. Your iPhone will now go through the reset process that clears your phone’s data and reverts it to factory settings. With this, you have successfully recovered your iPhone. Now, you can set a new passcode. Like above, if you possess a backup of your phone’s data, retrieve it and send it to your iPhone.
