Here’s What You Can Do with a Locked iPhone

If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you can’t use your iPhone. It won’t unlock or let you download apps, send messages or make calls. You might think that means your phone is broken and there’s nothing you can do about it.

But that isn’t necessarily the case! We understand how frustrating locked iPhones can be, but don’t worry—we have some great tips for what to do if your iPhone is locked.

Here are some troubleshooting steps on what to do when an iPhone won’t unlock or let you download apps, send messages or make calls. Don’t panic; these solutions will almost definitely help.

iTunes Options

If you’ve never synced your device with iTunes or set up Find My iPhone in iCloud, you’ll need to use the recovery mode to restore your iPhone. Please be aware that this action will completely erase your iPhone and passcode.

If you’ve synced your device iTunes or set up Find My iPhone in iCloud, you can use one of those services to erase your iPhone.

Recovery Mode

If you can’t remember your passcode, or if you’ve been locked out of your device because of too many failed attempts, you’ll need to put it into recovery mode to restore it. Just be aware that doing so will erase your iPhone and passcode.

If you see a message that says “iPhone is disabled,” it means your device has been disabled because of too many failed passcode attempts. To enable the device, you’ll need to connect it to iTunes or iCloud and follow the instructions on the screen.

If you see a message that says “iPhone is disabled connect to iTunes,” it means your device has been disabled, and you need to connect it to iTunes to enable it.

You can also use the recovery mode to restore your iPhone if it’s stuck in a loop or won’t turn on. This action will erase your iPhone and passcode.

Contact Apple Customer Service

If you’ve tried everything and nothing is working, it could be that your iPhone’s operating system is corrupted. In this case, you’ll need to contact Apple customer service or head into an Apple store, they'll be able to reset the device for you and help you set it up again. 

This may delete all your data, so make sure you’ve backed up your iPhone first. Once you’ve done this, you can connect your iPhone to iTunes and download the latest version of iOS. This should fix any issues.