If you forget your iPhone passcode and enter it multiple times, you will see the message "iPhone is disabled" on the screen. Your situation may be stressful, but it's best not to panic.
Before you consider contacting Apple Support, a few fixes can get your iPhone back to normal. This guide will show you how to fix a broken iPhone. At the end, I will also give some tips to avoid getting into this situation again.
What causes iPhone to turn off?
The only way your iPhone can be disabled is by entering the wrong passcode multiple times.
Usually, when you enter the wrong passcode five times in a row, you will see the message "iPhone is not available" on the screen and it will be disabled for one minute. If you wait a minute and enter the wrong password two more times, it will be disabled for five minutes.
The best solution is to wait for the indicated time and enter the correct password.
After ten failed attempts, your iPhone will turn off completely. Also, if you enabled the Erase Data option in Settings → Face ID & Passcode before, your iPhone will erase all data on your iPhone.
Now that you have understood how your iPhone turns off, here is a guide on how to fix a malfunctioning iPhone.
1. Fix disabled iPhone with Finder on Mac.
If you've backed up your Mac before, you can use the Finder to unlock a disabled iPhone. Follow the instructions to find out how.
- Connect your iPhone to Mac with a Lightning cable.
- Click "Trust this computer" on your iPhone and enter your passcode when prompted.
- Open Finder on your Mac.
- Select the name of your iPhone from the Places tab in the left pane.
- Click "Trust" if you receive an invitation. Wait for your iPhone to finish syncing data with Mac.
- Select the General tab and select the Restore iPhone option.
Keep your device connected to your Mac until it finishes restoring the backup.
2. Fix a disabled iPhone via iTunes (Windows and macOS Mojave or older)
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC with a Lightning cable.
- When you are prompted, select "Trust this computer" on your iPhone and enter your passcode.
- iTunes will automatically open on your Mac; if not, open it manually. The same applies to Windows.
- Click on the iPhone icon in the iTunes window in the upper left corner of the screen.
- Select the "Summary" section in the left pane.
- Click the "Restore iPhone" button next to the "Check for Updates" button.
- Follow the on-screen instructions and wait while your iPhone is restored from a backup.
If you see the error message "Locator must be disabled" after clicking the "Restore iPhone" button, you should use the repair method or the "Find" method to get your iPhone back to normal.
3. Try recovery mode or DFU mode to restore iPhone.
When nothing works, the best way to fix a faulty iPhone is to restore it using recovery mode or DFU. There is a slight difference between these methods; you can choose any.
DFU methods will allow you to bypass your iPhone's bootloader, while recovery mode restores your iPhone with the latest iOS and firmware.
Restore iPhone Using Recovery Mode
To restore your iPhone using the recovery method, follow the instructions below.
- Put your iPhone into recovery mode. If you don't know how to do this, read this article.
- Find and open your device in Finder or iTunes respectively.
- Select "Restore" when you see the prompt: "There is an issue with your iPhone that requires it to be updated or restored."
Your iPhone will download the latest version of iOS and install it. The time it takes may depend on your internet connection. After that, set up your iPhone as a new device.
Things to remember:
- There won't be any data on your iPhone unless you've backed up your data to iTunes, Finder, or iCloud.
- If you turned off Find My before your iPhone was turned off, you'll need to enter your Apple ID password during initial setup.
Use DFU Mode to Restore iPhone
Under certain circumstances, you may not be able to restore your iPhone in recovery mode. In this case, all you have to do is put your iPhone into DFU mode and follow the same steps as above: Restore iPhone and set it up as new.
4. Erase your iPhone with Find My
If you don't have access to iTunes or Finder to restore your iPhone, you can use Find My to wipe your device. Follow the steps below to fix disabled iPhone with Find My.
Note: You must know your iPhone's Apple ID and password to bypass Activation Lock.
Using iCloud
You can access iCloud from any device by logging into iCloud.com from any browser. This allows you to erase your disabled iPhone.
- Open iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID (connected to your disabled iPhone).
- Select Find My iPhone from the listed options. Enter your Apple ID password if prompted.
- Click "All Devices" located at the top middle of the website.
- Select iPhone from the list of your Apple devices.
- Click "Erase iPhone" to erase iPhone.
- Select "Erase" again when prompted for confirmation.
- Enter your Apple ID password and follow the on-screen instructions to start erasing your iPhone.
Your iPhone will take some time to erase itself. Once completed, set up your iPhone. You can set up your device as new or restore an old backup if you wish.
Using Other Apple Devices
If you have access to another Apple device, such as an iPad or Mac, you can use the Find function on that device to wipe your iPhone.
- Open the Find My app on your secondary Apple device.
- Go to the "Devices" tab.
- Select the disabled iPhone from the list of Apple devices.
- If you're using an iPhone, scroll down and select Erase This Device. If you are using an iPad or Mac, press the "i" button and click "Erase this device".
- Follow the prompts and instructions on the screen and select the Erase option. Also, enter your Apple ID password if prompted.
It will take some time to erase information from your disabled iPhone. You can set up your iPhone as new or restore an old backup once it has finished deleting it.
5. Restore an old backup
If you have backed up your iPhone to any computer, you can restore it so you don't lose a lot of data. Follow this guide to learn how to restore iPhone from a backup.
Data loss will depend on how recently you backed up. For example, if your iPhone was backed up a week ago, you won't lose much data; but if the backup had been made three months ago, you would probably have lost a lot of data.
Tips to keep your iPhone from turning off
If you're worried that you might turn your iPhone off again, follow these tips to avoid it:
- Use a 4-digit passcode that you can easily remember. We are human and we tend to forget things. It is best to write your password somewhere and keep it in a safe place.
- Set up Face ID or Touch ID if you haven't already to avoid these situations.
- Reduce the auto-lock time. Go to iPhone Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock to allow your iPhone to lock at shorter intervals. This will force you to enter the password again, so there is less chance of forgetting it.
Completion...
I believe you were able to fix your disabled iPhone, making it ready to use. However, if these methods fail to fix your faulty iPhone, then you should contact Apple Support for further assistance. Most likely, they will use recovery or DFU processes and warn you about deleting data.
Read more:
- How to downgrade or cancel your iCloud+ plan on iPhone, iPad, or Mac
- How to use the Find My app to find a lost or stolen iPhone or iPad
- 11 Ways to Protect Your Apple ID on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
