If you can’t unlock your iPhone because you forgot your passcode, Apple will advise you to restore it using iTunes. This erases all content and settings on the iPhone, including the passcode, so you can regain access. But what if iTunes fails to restore your iPhone, or you are uncomfortable using iTunes? Fortunately, restoring your iPhone using iTunes isn’t the only way to unlock it without a passcode. This article will explain you how to unlock your iPhone without using iTunes to restore it if you forgot your passcode.
- Method 1: Unlock iPhone by restoring it using iTunes
- Method 2: Unlock iPhone without iTunes via iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer
- Method 3: Unlock iPhone without restore using Find My
Method 1: Unlock iPhone by restoring it using iTunes
Whether you like it or not, restoring your iPhone through iTunes is without a doubt an effective way to unlock it if you forgot your iPhone passcode. This is also the method that Apple recommends. The proper procedure is as follows.
Step 1: Log in to your computer and make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed on it. An older version of iTunes may occasionally fail to restore an iPhone. Close iTunes if it is already open.
Step 2: Connect your iPhone to your computer with a Lightning-to-USB cable, and put your iPhone in recovery mode.
Tip 1: How to put iPhone in recovery mode?
- iPhone 8 and later: Press the Volume up button, then quickly let go. Press the Volume down button, then quickly let go. Finally, hold down the Side button until the recovery mode screen appears.
- iPhone 7: Press and hold the Volume down and Side buttons simultaneously. Keep holding them until the recovery mode screen appears.
- iPhone 6s and earlier: Press and hold the Home and Side buttons simultaneously. Keep holding them until the recovery mode screen appears.
Tip 2: Why put iPhone in recovery mode?
Because of iOS’s privacy settings and USB Accessories mode, your locked iPhone may not be connected to your computer if you can’t unlock it. On the other hand, even if your locked iPhone is connected to your computer, iTunes won’t restore it if it has Find My iPhone enabled. Putting your iPhone in recovery mode can bypass these restrictions, allowing iTunes to connect to your locked iPhone and restore it without hindrance.
Step 3: Open iTunes on your computer. It will immediately detect your iPhone and pop up a small dialog box with Update and Restore options. To unlock your iPhone without a passcode, select the Restore option.
Step 4: Select Update and Restore in the second dialog box that pops up, then follow the on-screen instructions, and iTunes will automatically restore your iPhone. The process can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.
Step 5: When you see a message about a successful restore, your iPhone is unlocked. At this time, your iPhone is like a brand-new gadget without a password, and all you need to do is re-set it up to get in.
Method 2: Unlock iPhone without iTunes via iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer
If for some reason iTunes doesn’t restore your iPhone, iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer allows you to unlock your iPhone easily without having to restore it using iTunes. This tool removes all kinds of iPhone passcodes, including 4-digit passcode, 6-digit passcode, Face ID, and Touch ID, allowing you to regain access to your iPhone. It also allows you to remove forgotten Screen Time passcodes and Apple IDs from your iPhone.
Here is how iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer helps you unlock your iPhone quickly if you forgot your passcode, without having to use iTunes to restore it.
Step 1: Get iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer installed on your PC, then start the software when the installation is complete.
Step 2: On the software’s home page, click to select the tile that says Unlock Lock Screen.
Step 3: On the next page, simply click Start to continue. Clicking Start doesn’t immediately start unlocking your iPhone. You have a few more steps to complete.
Step 4: Make sure you have connected your iPhone to your computer and click Next on the software page. The software will automatically detect your iPhone and load its device information. In case your iPhone can not be detected, putting it in recovery mode will work.
Step 5: The software will prompt you to download the firmware file required to unlock your iPhone once it has identified your device. Simply click Download, and the software will automatically download the firmware for your iPhone. Then, you need to wait a short while for the download to finish.
Step 6: When the firmware is ready, click the Unlock button, and the software will immediately start unlocking your iPhone without you having to restore it using iTunes.
Step 7: When you receive the message that the unlock was successful, your iPhone will restart and you regain access.
Method 3: Unlock iPhone without restore using Find My
If you hope to unlock your iPhone without using iTunes to restore it and don’t want to use any third-party tools, Find My iPhone is the way to go. It’s worth noting that this method works only if Find My iPhone is enabled on your locked iPhone and you can still log in to your Find My iPhone account (iCloud Apple ID). Depending on the iOS version, you have two alternatives.
If your iPhone runs iOS 15.2 or later:
Keep entering the wrong passcode on your iPhone. When you enter the wrong passcode 7 times in a row, the iPhone says iPhone Unavailable on the Lock screen, with an Erase iPhone option in the bottom right corner. So, you just tap Erase iPhone, tap Erase iPhone again, and enter the passcode for the Apple ID used on the iPhone, and the iPhone will immediately start erasing itself. Once the iPhone is erased and restarted, it is unlocked.
This is a great way to unlock your iPhone without having to restore it or use iTunes. It doesn’t even require you to connect your iPhone to a computer or use any other device. It’s worth noting that this option only works with iOS 15.2 and later.
If your iPhone runs iOS 15.1 or earlier:
Step 1: On any accessible device or computer, open https://www.icloud.com/find/ through a browser and log in with the Apple ID that is used on your locked iPhone.
Step 2: After you’re logged in to the iCloud Find My iPhone page, select your iPhone, and then tap Erase iPhone.
Step 3: Simply follow the on-screen prompts, and the Find My iPhone app will remotely erase and unlock your iPhone without you having to restore it using iTunes.
Conclusion:
If you forgot your iPhone passcode, restoring your iPhone using iTunes is without a doubt an effective way to unlock it. In case you don’t like using iTunes or it doesn’t work for you, it is a good choice to use iSumsoft iPhone Passcode Refixer or Find My iPhone app. Either allows you to unlock your iPhone without using iTunes to restore it. Just choose what works best for you.
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