What should you do if you forgot your iPhone passcode? A typical solution is to restore your iPhone to factory settings using iTunes or Finder, as Apple recommends. But what if this approach doesn’t appeal to you or doesn’t work for you? Fortunately, there are more options besides restoring. This article will show you how to unlock your iPhone without having to restore it if you forgot your passcode.
What happens if you forgot iPhone passcode?
If you forgot your iPhone passcode, you will eventually be locked out of your iPhone. Even if you can still unlock your iPhone with Touch ID or Face ID, it will ask for a digital passcode after a restart. You can’t change your passcode without the old one, and there’s simply no universal, secret, or default iPhone password. If you repeatedly enter the wrong passcode, your iPhone will be disabled or say iPhone Unavailable, depending on the iOS version.
Is it possible to fix ‘forgot iPhone passcode’ without restore?
Restoring an iPhone usually refers to using iTunes or Finder to restore it to factory settings. This process erases all content and settings on the iPhone and installs the latest version of iOS, which is the most common solution if you forgot your iPhone passcode. So, is it possible to remove a forgotten iPhone passcode without restoring? The answer is Yes. You can just erase your iPhone.
There are some distinctions between Erase and Restore. The former only deletes the content and settings without updating the iOS, whereas the latter not only deletes the data but also installs the most recent version of iOS. Next, let’s learn how to unlock your iPhone without restoring it using iTunes.
Method 1: Unlock iPhone with iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer
iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer is one of the most vehemently recommended methods that let you unlock an iPhone whose passcode you forgot without having to restore it using iTunes. This is a specialized iPhone unlocker for PC that lets you remove a forgotten iPhone passcode in a few clicks.
Step 1: Launch iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer, and to get rid of your forgotten iPhone passcode, select the Unlock Lock Screen option
Step 2: The next page shows when this option will help, including when you forgot your iPhone passcode, when your iPhone is locked, and when your iPhone is disabled. Click Start to confirm that you want to proceed with this option.
Step 3: Now, make sure your iPhone is plugged into your PC via a USB or USB-C cable, then click Next on the software page and the software will detect and connect to your iPhone immediately.
Step 4: You will then need to click the Download button to download the Apple firmware needed to unlock your iPhone. When you click Download, the download will begin automatically, and you just need to wait a few minutes for it to finish.
Step 5: When the firmware is ready, the software page will display the Unlock button. Click the Unlock button and the software will start unlocking your iPhone without you having to restore it with iTunes. The process will also erase other data on your iPhone.
Step 6: When the software page shows “Unlocked iPhone successfully”, you have gained access to your iPhone.
If your iPhone is running iOS 15.2 or later and the Find My iPhone feature is enabled, you can unlock it from its lock screen without having to restore it using iTunes.
Method 2: Unlock iPhone natively from its lock screen
Step 1: Keep entering the wrong passcode on your iPhone lock screen. Typically, when you have entered the wrong passcode 7 times in a row, an Erase iPhone option should appear in the bottom right corner of the iPhone screen.
Step 2: Tap the Erase iPhone option, tap Erase iPhone again, and then enter the password of the Apple ID logged in on the iPhone, and the iPhone will erase and unlock itself.
Method 3: Unlock iPhone remotely from iCloud.com
Finally, you can also unlock your iPhone remotely by visiting icloud.com without having to restore it using iTunes. This method works when Find My iPhone is enabled on your iPhone. You need to make sure your iPhone is on and connected to the network, and then follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open a browser on any available device, such as a PC, phone, or iPad, and go to icloud.com.
Step 2: Sign in to icloud.com with the Apple ID and password you used on the iPhone you forgot your passcode on.
Step 3: Click the Find iPhone app after you are signed in. If you are unable to sign in while on the Two-Factor Authentication page, click Find Devices
Step 4: iCloud Find Devices will immediately locate your iPhone on the map. When you select your iPhone, a menu will appear containing your iPhone icon and three options. Select the Erase iPhone option and follow the on-screen instructions, and iCloud Find Devices will erase and unlock your iPhone remotely.
Wrapping Up
If you forgot your iPhone passcode and can’t recall it, you can restore your iPhone to unlock it. If you dislike Restore or find that it doesn’t for you, the methods described above allow you to unlock your iPhone by erasing its data, without having to restore it using iTunes. Either way, you will lose your data, including photos, contacts, and more, if you don’t have a backup of your iPhone. The short answer is no if you are wondering whether you can unlock your iPhone without erasing your data.
