There is a way to unlock an iPhone when the passcode has been forgotten. Even though this should be a rare occurrence, it does happen sometimes and, while there is a solution, it might involve having to lose data from the user's Apple smartphone. When faced with this dilemma, those with Touch ID, Face ID, or a paired Apple Watch will have additional options. However, knowing the passcode is necessary when Face ID doesn’t work or when restarting an iPhone, so it’s important to resolve this problem.
The iPhone defaults to a six-digit passcode, but there are actually three other options, the least secure being a four-digit passcode. Each additional digit makes a code with ten times as many possible combinations, so a six-digit code is one-hundred times harder to guess than a four-digit code. To increase the difficulty of guessing the passcode, some may want to switch to a longer, custom numeric code. There may be a maximum length, but Apple doesn’t share what that is and testing indicates that at least fifty are accepted. Few will have the patience or the memory for numbers to enter more than ten, which is the length of a US phone number. Another option is an alphanumeric code, which allows the use of numbers, letters, and symbols. The maximum length is again at least fifty characters and this is potentially the most secure passcode possible.
The pandemic conditions mean that wearing a face mask is now commonplace and this prevents Face ID from working. Apple shortened the time it takes to automatically switch to the passcode entry screen, but this is only helpful if that code is remembered. If it isn’t, Apple explains that there is a solution to the problem, but before moving to that step it might be possible to unlock the iPhone without the passcode. This is helpful if the code is written down or stored somewhere, but not currently accessible. If the iPhone has Touch ID, touching the fingerprint sensor should unlock the device. Likewise, an iPhone with Face ID enabled can be unlocked by going somewhere that the mask can be removed and then unlocking with a glance. A paired Apple Watch should be able to unlock an iPhone if it is within range. However, eventually, the passcode will be needed, such as after restarting or when powering on the phone. Changing the authentication method also requires a passcode, so if it can’t be remembered and that information isn’t stored somewhere, it will need to be removed, which requires wiping the iPhone.
How To Remove iPhone Passcode
To remove the passcode from an iPhone, the device needs to be plugged into a computer or laptop via a USB to Lightning cable. A cable that works for charging an iPhone may not work for restoring an iPhone, so if it doesn’t work, try using the original cable that came with the device or an official Apple one. Either a Mac computer or a Windows PC with iTunes installed will work. If the wrong passcode was entered ten times, the iPhone may have already been erased, depending on whether erasing was enabled in the passcode options of the Settings app. If it hasn’t been erased, there may be another opportunity to unlock the iPhone with the correct passcode after plugging it into a computer. If that option doesn’t appear or if the passcode is not known, the iPhone will have to be erased and reset to factory settings.
The first step is to find the connected iPhone on the computer. For Mac computers, the iPhone will appear in the sidebar of a Finder window. On Windows PCs, iTunes should be opened and the iPhone will appear near the top of the window as an icon that looks like a tiny black iPhone. Look for the Restore iPhone button and click it to begin the process. If the iPhone has been backed up to this computer, it will be possible to restore that backup. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete restoration if possible or a factory reset if a backup isn’t available. If the iPhone was backed up to iCloud, it can be restored after removing the passcode with a computer. After removing the old passcode a new one will need to be set up and picking something more memorable, or keeping a copy somewhere safe, will help to prevent forgetting it and possibly losing data in the future.
Source: Apple