Remember, if you’ve forgotten your iPhone passcode, it’s definitely not your fault and instead the computer causing the issue… Never your fault…
Enough of that! You’ve forgotten your iPhone passcode and need to know how to unlock iPhone passcode without computer. Most people will tell you to just erase your iPhone or take it to an Apple store for help, but follow my guide below before resorting to those ‘final-option’ methods.
I’ve also written this blog post on Medium and on LinkedIn, depending on where you prefer reading!
Table Of Contents
Limitations
It’s worth noting that you will run into different scenarios depending on the version of iOS installed on the iPhone.
Most of the methods also rely on WiFi and a SIM card also being present in the phone. You’ll need to be on a familiar WiFi connection and use the same SIM card as you normally do.
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How To Unlock iPhone Passcode Without Computer
Security Lockout/iPhone Unavailable
This method will require a complete wipe of your iPhone unfortunately. To get started, you can use the following instructions:
Enter a PIN 5 times to be locked out
Keep doing this until you see an ‘Erase iPhone’ option in the bottom right corner
Tap ‘Erase iPhone’
Confirm by tapping ‘Erase iPhone’ again
Enter your Apple ID password
Follow the on screen instructions to reset your iPhone
As I mentioned above, this method requires you to reset your iPhone. Potentially removing important data if it isn’t backed up and should be used as a last resort really.
Also, if you don’t know your Apple ID password, you might need to reset this on a separate device. This adds another step and could take ages depending on how much verification Apple wants to do with the ID reset.
Find My
Similar to the option above, this will wipe your iPhone but it’s a good option if for some reason you are unable to use the screen or buttons on the actual phone. For example, I’ve used this method in the past for lost phones or phones that have severely damaged screens.
You can perform this action by following the steps below:
Log in to Find My on a separate device (Same Apple ID as the iPhone to reset)
Tap ‘Devices’ at the bottom
Tap the iPhone
Tap ‘Erase This Device’
Tap ‘Continue’
Follow the on-screen prompts and setup the iPhone again once the erase process is complete
Siri Hacking (iOS 8.0->10.1)
This method could obviously be used on any iPhone using iOS 8.0 to 10.1, so I must urge you now to not perform this on any devices that you don’t have the owner’s permissions for.
Now that the disclaimer is out the way, lets hop in! Follow the steps below:
Activate Siri (Say ‘Hey Siri’ or Tap the Home button)
Ask Siri ‘What time is it?’
Open the Clock widget
Tap ‘World Clock’
Tap the ‘Plus’ button
Type ‘ANYTHING’ into the search bar
Select the text -> Tap ‘Share…’
Tap Messages
Type ‘ANYTHING’ into the ‘To’ field
Click the ‘Plus’ button to create a new contact
Tap ‘Add Photo’ -> Choose Photo
Tap on any album on the iPhone
Once the album opens, press the home button
The iPhone should now be unlocked and you can enter the Settings menu to reset the iPhone passcode
So that’s the slightly dodgy method finished with. Again, only do this on your own personal devices!
Apple Support
Last and still slightly least, is contacting Apple support. You can visit the Apple support website for this or by visiting an Apple store close to you. Just be aware, that they will ask for verifying information before they can actually unlock or erase your iPhone.
I can’t offer too much more at this time on contacting Apple, every single interaction I’ve had has been wildly different. In person visits are usually useless to be honest, but let me know if you’ve had better luck.
Conclusion
It’s important to know, that whilst getting locked out of your iPhone is frustrating no matter the situation. Knowing, the methods above can certainly make the whole process a little less painful.
I do personally prefer the methods that don’t include travel to a physical Apple store. Travelling to fix a software issue is such a 2002 thing, definitely no place for it anymore in 2024!
Enjoy! 🎉
