Forgot iPhone code? 5 ways to open your phone anyway

Nothing is more annoying than forgetting a password, especially if it’s from your iPhone. Yet you do not have to worry that you will never be able to open your phone again. There is, however, a drawback.

The chance that you forget your iPhone code is of course very small. However, it is possible, especially in the beginning. In addition, it may also be the case that you have bought a second-hand phone, which still has a password on it. You do not have to call the former owner, because there are ways to solve this.

Opening an iPhone

If anything is well protected, it’s an iPhone. Even investigative services sometimes have great difficulty cracking a criminal’s phone. So opening an iPhone is not easy. However, there are ways in which it can be done. Handy if you have forgotten your password, but it does have consequences.

Let’s start our tips with what you really shouldn’t do. That is the arbitrary input of codes. The more wrong passwords, the longer Apple will block the phone.

It is good to report in advance that resetting the iPhone in these ways will delete all your files on it. It is therefore advisable to make regular backups via, for example, iCloud.

#1 Remove iPhone via wrong code

It is of course quite rigorous to delete your iPhone information. All files will be deleted, but after that you can use the phone again. After opening, you can of course choose to restore the backup as described above.

Deleting an iPhone only works on devices running iOS 15.2 and above. To start this process you have to enter a wrong code seven times. Then you will come to a screen that says that the iPhone has been blocked for 15 minutes.

At the bottom of the screen you will see Delete iPhone. Click on it and you will be asked to enter your Apple ID. After that, all information on the device will be removed and you can get started again.

#2 Delete via Find myapp

Just like the above method, all information on the phone will be deleted, only you do this with Find myapp, rather than on the phone itself.

To use this, you must first log in to your iCloud account. In the menu you choose Find my iPhone, after which you must then re-insert your Apple account. After this, click on all devices and find your iPhone. You can then delete it via that menu. You will be sent a verification code to a trusted device, which you then enter in the menu.

#3 Reset via iTunes Backup

Of course, you can also restore the phone from a backup you made through iTunes. Of course, iTunes must be installed on your Mac or PC for this. The advantage here is that not all information is deleted, but only that added since the last backup.

Connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac via a cable and open iTunes. Select from the menu Restore Backup. You will then see all your Backups. On your Mac, you will then need to enter your computer’s password.

When you have done that, your code will be deleted and you can enter a new one yourself. You may receive a warning that your iPhone is protected with a code.

#4 Restore via iTunes Recovery Mode

You will see the above message. Then there is another option through iTunes. That’s the so-called Recovery Mode. You can also connect your device to a PC or Mac with a USB cable. However, you must first turn off your iPhone.

After that, put your phone into recovery mode. On the iPhone 8 and later models, it’s the button on the right, on the 7 it’s the lower volume button, and on the SE (1st generation) and 6S and below, it’s the Home button.

Press and hold that button while connecting iPhone to computer. Don’t release it until you see the recovery screen on your iPhone. Then open iTunes and click Restore. You can confirm your choice in the pop-up that follows. After this installation period, your phone will reboot and you can reset your iPhone.

#5 Download an external program to remove your iPhone

The above options are all Apple own methods to make a blocked iPhone accessible again. However, you can also choose to remove your iPhone by an external program if you find it all too difficult.

You can download a program like Mobitrix on your computer and then connect your iPhone. In it you select Unlock Screen Passcode. This will also delete all information on your iPhone.