If you have set up any sort of security feature on your phone, it is going to have a passcode requirement when you power it on. If you are not able to properly type in the correct four-digit code, the iPhone is automatically locked. Once the iPhone is disabled, you have one minute to wait until you can try again. However, if you fail again to enter in the correct passcode the entire phone becomes disabled. When this is the case it essentially turns your expensive iPhone into a paperweight. If you have recently run into this problem and now you are unable to answer phone calls or text messages, so the next day you tell people, “my iPhone is disabled,” you need to know how to correct the situation. Thankfully, there is a fix. This works with disabled iPhone 4 or iPhone 5 devices. Essentially, any model of iPhone is going to work with this particular correction.
My iPhone Is Disabled? Never Synced to iTunes
There are two methods available for correcting this sort of problem. Back in the early days of the iPhone, in order to obtain any sort of update for your iPhone or even download applications, you first needed to connect the iPhone to your computer system through the provided USB data cable. You would then download the content onto the computer and upload it to your iPhone. Of course, you no longer need to do this and Internet speeds allow you to download just about anything directly to your mobile device. However, it also means you might not ever sync your phone with iTunes until you are in this situation. If you have never synced your iPhone with iTunes before, this is the recovery and unlock process for you.
Take the USB power cable you use to charge the phone with and connect it with the phone and your computer system. If you have a Mac computer you already have iTunes installed. However, if you are running a Windows based computer, you need to first download and install iTunes before performing this step. When you connect the iPhone with your computer, iTunes automatically launches and creates a backup of all the information on your phone. Initially, you are going to receive a prompt message on the desktop stating iTunes is not able to connect to your phone due to the locked passcode. It also instructs you to enter the passcode to correct the problem. Instead of clicking “Cancel” or “Try Again,” reboot your iPhone. To do this you need to hold down the power button and the home button at the same time. Eventually, the Apple logo is going to appear. Once this does, release the power button while you continue pushing down on the home button. After a few moments, an icon appears on the iPhone screen informing you to connect the device to iTunes. Shortly after, a message is going to load on your computer and state a phone is currently in recovery mode and is connected. You now need to choose if you want to restore the iPhone to factory settings or restore it from a backup. Select to restore the device from a backup.
When the iPhone is backed up and the information removed from the iPhone and then placed back on through iTunes, the passcode is removed, yet all of your data is going to be restored from the backup you created when first connecting the iPhone to the computer system. This restore process can take some time, as it needs to wipe the hard drive clean on your iPhone and then upload all of the material back onto it. The more information and material you have uploading back onto the device, the longer it is going to take. However, once everything is set, you can begin using your iPhone again and this time, hopefully, set up a passcode you are able to remember.
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My iPhone Is Disabled? Previously Connected to iTunes
If you have previously connected your device to iTunes, there is not going to be much of a problem performing this fix. After all, the computer system already has your information. Connect the provided USB data cable with the computer and the iPhone, then launch iTunes. Once the programming is on the screen, it is going to detect the iPhone and sync up the information. Depending on which iPhone operating system version you are running and a few other specifications, you might receive the prompt stating whether you need to enter the passcode or not. However, this does not matter as you simply need to hold down the power button and the home button until the screen goes black and the Apple log appears. Once this happens, release the power button but leave your finger down on the home button.
Eventually, after holding onto the home button for long enough, an image appears on the screen that has a USB cable pointing to the iTunes logo. This means it wants you to connect to iTunes. Of course, you already have and a prompt window appears on your screen, asking if you want to restore the iPhone back to factory settings or if you want to install backed up information onto the device. While you are always able to select the factory reset button, should you find you just want to start over with your phone or that it is running incredibly slow, you probably would rather avoid the requirement of adding in all of your old phone numbers. So, select the “Restore from Backup” option and allow the information to install back onto your iPhone. Again, this might take well over an hour, depending on how much information you have backed up. The more music, pictures and applications you have installed on the device the longer it is going to take to restore the phone. Just make sure to not disconnect the phone from your computer or turn it off during this process. If you do disconnect the phone or it turns off during the time, you have to start the backup and restore fix all over again, regardless of how far you might have progressed during the previous restore.
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My iPhone Is Disabled? Other iOS Devices
The best part regarding your iPhone 4 disabled device or other Apple based products is that the fixed required is exactly the same. This way, if you are having problems with the passcode on your iPad or your iPod, you do not need to do anything special or different with the equipment. In fact, you are going to perform the exact same process when restoring the devices. Of course, there are much older versions of the iPod out there, so the restore procedure can change slightly after connecting the device, and many of these older devices do not have any sort of passcode option even available. However, regardless of this, you are always able to perform the restore fix on your Apple equipment. The only downside to this particular fix is you need to have a computer system on hand with iTunes in order to correct the problem. If you have previously synced your iOS device to a specific computer, you are going to be better off returning to that specific computer. Chances are, you do not want to connect the equipment to your work computer, as your boss might not like you uploading and downloading all of your personal information directly onto the company’s computer system (you also might not want all of your mobile information uploaded as well, as this does not only include your images but text messages and anything else that is saved on the mobile device, including voice mails).
The next time you run into a problem with the passcode on your device and have found that your iPhone, iPad or other Apple equipment is disabled because you are not able to properly type in the passcode, you do not need to worry. All you need is a computer system with iTunes installed on it and the USB power cable that came with your device. It might take a few hours to restore all of the information back onto the mobile equipment, but eventually, you are going to have all of the information placed back on your equipment and you are then going to be good to go. All of this is going to make it that much easier and give you peace of mind. So, should your child start to mess around with your device and accidentally place a password on your mobile phone without you knowing it, you don’t have to lose your mind and have the device reset to the factory settings. It is going to be a bit of time out of your day, but rest assured, all of your information is going to be right back on your device, ranging from all of the music you have purchased from iTunes mobile throughout the years to the text messages and voice mail records you have wanted to save.
If you find your iPhone disabled, it is not trying to be mean. You need to understand the reasons why your iPhone is disabled and figure out ways to fix a disabled iPhone correctly without losing your information or downloads. Learning how to unlock a disabled iPhone and finding out the latest “iPhone disabled fix” doesn’t make you a hacker, it makes you a concerned aware user. Spread the word about this guide on what to do if your iPhone is disabled.