iPhone Passcode Not Working? Here’s a Fix!

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iPhone passcode

We usually store a lot of useful information on our phones and a passcode is one way of securing all the information that is valuable to you. Passwords are supposed to restrict unauthorized users from accessing your phone and the information within it but sometimes your iPhone won’t accept the password and you are not able to use it.

This can be quite frustrating as you will not be able to use your iPhone to make calls, send messages and even log into your social media accounts and this makes your iPhone practically useless.

The reasons for your iPhone not recognizing its password even when you have not changed it include iOS upgrades and faulty operation and this article highlights some of the things that you can do to deal with the problem of the pass code not working on your iPhone.

Practical Solutions for Unlocking Your Passcode

The only way you can gain access to your phone when the iPhone passcode is not working is by erasing the old passcode and setting up a new. We found three methods that are helpful in this regard and we have explained them in detail below. Read on and chose the solution that best solves your passcode screen is not working problem.

Use iTunes Restore when your iPhone won’t recognize its password

You can easily erase the passcode that was saved on your iPhone and replace it with a new one if you had synced your iPhone with iTunes. To do this, you will need to;

  • Connect your iPhone to the computer that had synced it with.
  • Launch iTunes and if by any chance you are asked for a password, then you need to try another computer until you get the one that you had synced your iPhone with.
  • Wait as iTunes links to your device and creates a backup.
  • A screen will pop up after the sync and backup actions. Click the “Restore iPhone” button to initiate the restoration process.
  • Choose the device from the setup screen and select the relevant backup option from the list which in this case is the “Restore from iTunes Backup”.
  • From the settings page, create a new and strong password that you will use to secure your phone from that point onwards.

Use Recovery Mode When Your iPhone Won’t Accept the Passcode

If you had not synced your iPhone with iTunes, then you will need to forcefully restart it to be able to erase the passcode and add a new one. To do this, you will have to;

  • Connect your iPhone to a computer using its USB cable and then launch iTunes.
  • Once iTunes recognizes your iPhone, you will have to force restart it. The procedure for doing so vary with the iPhone model that you are using and here is a brief description of how to force restart the different iPhone models.

iPhone 8, 8 plus and iPhone X

Quickly press the volume up button and release it. Do the same for the volume down button and then press the side/power button until the iPhone gets into recovery mode.

iPhone 7 and 7 plus

Press and hold the volume down and side button at the same time. Keep holding the two buttons simultaneously until the phone gets into recovery mode.

iPhone 6 and earlier versions

Press and hold the power and home buttons at the same time. Keep holding onto the two buttons until the recovery mode screen appears.

  • You will see a message on iTunes with the options of either updating or restoring your device. Click on “Restore” and iTunes will begin downloading the software for your phone. The process will not take more than 15 minutes and if it does, the device will exit recovery mode and you will have to repeat the process all over again.
  • When you successfully restore your phone, you can go ahead and set up your iPhone.

 Use iCloud Restore when Unlocking the Passcode

If you had enabled the ‘Find My Phone’ feature on iCloud, then you can easily erase your iPhone and set up a new passcode. To do this, you will have to;

Visit http://icloud.com/find using another device or computer.

You will be required to sign in and you will use the Apple ID that you registered on your iPhone to do so.

  • After signing into your iCloud account, navigate to the top of the browser and select “All Devices”.
  • From the drop-down menu, choose the target device that you want to erase.
  • Tap on the “Erase iPhone” button to wipe everything on your iPhone including the device’s passcode.
  • Now you can set up the iPhone a fresh or restore its content from a backup.
NOTE: This process is only possible if your phone is connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network as you will need an active internet connection to connect to your iCloud account to reset your passcode. This method will also wipe away all your data and files and as such, you should think twice before using this method when the passcode is not working on your iPhone.

In Conclusion

Not being able to access your iPhone as a result of the passcode screen not working can be quite frustrating. Your iPhone is definitely an important communication tool and when you’re locked out you won’t be able to perform you daily functions easily.

Hopefully, the methods above have helped you regain access to your iPhone. Let us know in the comment section below if you’ve successfully managed to unlock your iPhone.