4 Perfect Ways to Restore A Disabled iPhone without Lossing Data
Last Updated on April 15, 2024 by Jack RobertsonWith an iPhone in hand, the world is never that close to you. By moving your fingers, you can access every funny content online, only when your iPhone is functional.
Your iPhone will turn to the disabled condition once it’s been entered with 6 wrong passcodes. This happens a lot when your Face ID is not working. Also, it can be your younger siblings, your child, or even your partner who is going to unlock your device for fun.
Trust me, the 6-time aborted unlock on your iPhone is nothing, since your iPhone will back to normal in just one minute. Once this iPhone is been through 11 incorrect passcodes, well, this iPhone will be disabled forever until you restore it with special methods.
If you’re one of those who have a disabled iPhone, well, this article here will teach you four applicable ways to restore it back to normal.
Undisable iPhone:
Resources: A Quick Introduction to A Disabled iPhone
Before we start, it’s pretty important for us to know more about this Disabled restriction of the iPhone. First, let’s see how your iPhone gets disabled.
How does iPhone Disabled Happen?
Apple has upgraded the security system on iPhone for years - once somebody enters different incorrect passcodes 6 times, this iPhone will be disabled for 1 minute.
- For 7 times, the iPhone will be disabled 5 minutes.
- For 8 times, it comes to 15 minutes.
- 30 minutes for 9 times
- And 1 hour for the 10th incorrect passcode.
What Comes After 1 Hour Disabled?
Once it reaches 11 times, well, this iPhone will be disabled completely and has this sign on the screen “iPhone is disabled, connect to iTunes”. If you see this, all you can do is restore your iPhone to factory settings.
How do I stop my iPhone from disabling time?
If you’re not in a hurry of using your iPhone and it isn’t completely disabled, you can wait till the disabled rectirction is gone.
If you need the iPhone now, reset it then. This is the only way that you can end the disable condition sooner than the prompted time on screen.
Will I Lose My Data When I Restore My Disabled iPhone?
Restoring your disabled iPhone is like resetting it. All the data inside will be erased. So, if you don’t have a backup, yes, you will lose your data. Still, there’re methods for you to back up your disabled iPhone.
1 How to Restore A Disabled iPhone with iOS System Recovery
We can use a system recovery tool to restore a disabled iPhone since the disabled condition is triggered by the system. Here, we will use the handy echoshare iPhone System Recovery.
echoshare will restore your disabled iPhone to factory settings without any troubles in minutes. All you need is to plug in the phone and make some clicks on the program. Then, boom! Your disabled iPhone is fixed, you can enjoy everything fun again.
The power of this program is awesome as it can handle most iPhone issues, including White Apple, frozen screen, a failed jailbreak, etc. So, a disabled iPhone is like a piece of cake. Now, download the program, and let’s get your disabled iPhone back to normal.
Steps to undisable an iPhone
Step 1
Launch the program on your computer, choose iOS System Recovery, and click Start.
Step 2
Connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable as prompted. Then, iOS System Recovery will scan the iPhone and display all the information found. Click Fix to proceed.
Step 3
Once connected, on its interface, you have two options: Standard Mode and Advanced Mode. To restore your disabled iPhone, choose Advanced Mode. Click Confirm.
Step 4
Next, clcik Next to download the firmware that's necessary to resotre your iPhone.
Step 5
Put your iPhone to Recovery Mode as prompted. You will find the guides on the interface. Next, on echoshare's interface, locate Update to Version option, and choose the IOS version you want for your iPhone when it’s fixed. And click Repair to proceed.
Step 6
Lastly, follow the on-screen instructions and finish the restore process. In minutes, your iPhone will back to normal. Enjoy it after that.
2 How to Restore A Disabled iPhone with iTunes/Finder
We can use the official methods that Apple provides, iTunes for PC and earlier macOS or Finder for Mac (Big Sur, Cataline, and Monterey).
Restore A Disabled iPhone with iTunes or Finder
Step 1
Take out a USB cable and connect it to your computer.
Step 2
Launch iTunes or Finder window (Press Option + Command + Space to open a new Finder window).
Step 3
Power off your iPhone and put it in Recovery mode.
- For iPhone 8 - iPhone 13, press and hold the Side button.
- For iPhone 7, long-press the Side and Volume Down button.
- On iPhone 6 and earlier models, press both the Side button and Home button.
Release the button(s), when you see the Recover Screen on your iPhone.
Step 4
Now, iTunes/Finder will prompt you whether you want to fix this iPhone with Update or Restore. Choose Restore.
Step 5
Then, it will start to download firmware and restore your iPhone automatically. Wait till everything is complete.
3 How to Restore A Disabled iPhone with iCloud
Apart from iTunes, iCloud is another official tool provided by Apple. As is well-known, iCloud is the cloud backup option for iPhone and iPad. We can use it to back up data on your iOS device. With iCloud, we can surely restore our disabled iPhone as well. Check this out:
Step 1:
On any device, launch a browser and go to iCloud.com. Sign in with your iCloud account.
If you’ve never signed in iCloud on this browser, iCloud will ask you to enter a verification code. Use an iPad, Mac, or another iPhone, simply get the code from the device.
Don't have another iOS device? Try to borrow someone's phone or tablet. Remove the Sim from your disabled iPhone and plug in to the borrowed device. Back to the iCloud.com login page, click Didn't get a verification code? and let it resend the code to your phone number.
Step 2:
Once signed in, choose Find iPhone from the listed option.
Step 3:
Choose your disabled iPhone from the floating box, click on the Erase iPhone option and enter your iCloud password to confirm.
Wait for the erase to complete and you can activate your iPhone again.
4 How to Restore A Disabled iPhone with Find My App
Do you have another iPhone or iPad? If you do, try using the Find My app on it to restore your disabled iPhone.
- On that device, launch the Find My app.
- Locate your disabled iPhone on the map, tap on it.
- Scroll down and find the Erase This Device option, tap on it and enter your iCloud password.
Note:
The Find My app can only be found on iOS 13 devices and iPadOS. It’s not available on macOS (Monterey) and iPod Touch yet.
FAQs
If you can still unlock the target phone, to reset it, simply go to Settings - General - Reset, there, choose Reset All Contents and Settings. You have to enter the iCloud password to confirm the reset.
While this iPhone is disabled or you can’t remember the screen lock passcode, try to launch iCloud.com on another device. Sign in with your iCloud account and password. Choose Find My iPhone and erase the target iPhone.