One good thing about owning an iPhone is that you can be sure that your data is very secure, as long as you have a passcode in place. If someone gets ahold of your phone, they can theoretically make use of it, but only after all the data has been deleted—which means the photos of you doing that silly pose in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa will never be seen by the public eye (it’s better that way, really).
There’s absolutely no way of preserving your data if you forget your code, so if you are not currently locked out of your iPhone, we encourage you to follow our steps for backing up your data – pronto.
The second caveat is that if you want to know how to reset an iPhone without a passcode and computer, you’ll need to have the Find My iPhone feature enabled. But, in case you don’t, we’ll show you how to reset an iPhone without a passcode through iTunes via a computer, as well.
Read on to find out how.
Why You’ll Have to Reset Your iPhone if You Lose Your Passcode
Back in 2016, even the FBI wasn’t able to hack into a locked iPhone, and asked Apple to create a special iOS that would enable law enforcement to circumvent the phone’s tight security. Apple resisted, and emerged with a victory for defenders of data security everywhere.
The reason why the FBI couldn’t get into the suspect’s phone is that Apple instituted a pretty brilliant security measure, which is that if you try and fail to enter the correct passcode on an iPhone, the device will automatically disable itself for anywhere between one minute and roughly a million years. This prevents outsiders from trying infinite combinations until they crack it. It also means that if you lose or forget your code, you are out of luck.
Unless, that is, you know how to reset an iPhone without a passcode.
How to Reset an iPhone Without a Passcode Via Find My iPhone
Resetting an iPhone though the Find My iPhone feature is both quick and simple, but entails erasing all the data from your phone. If you have your data backed up on iCloud, or even on a computer, it’s not too difficult to restore it to your phone once you have access again. If you do not have your data backed up, it will unfortunately be impossible to access your phone without deleting it.
Just follow these steps:
- Log into the Find My iPhone site via iCloud
- Enter your Apple ID and password – you do not need your iPhone passcode, but you will need access to your Apple account
- Select your iPhone from the drop-down list of devices
- Click “Erase iPhone” and then confirm your decision
- You can now access your iPhone, create a new passcode, and restore your data
How to Reset an iPhone Without a Passcode Through iTunes
If you don’t have the Find My iPhone feature enabled, you can still reset your iPhone through a computer and iTunes. As with the Find My iPhone method, this will delete all the data from your phone.
- If you have an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or later: Press and hold the side button as well as either one of the volume buttons until you see the Power Off slider. Slide it to power off the phone, and then, while holding the side button, connect the phone to the computer. Keep the side button pressed until the recovery mode screen pops up
- If you have an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus: Press and hold the side button until you see the Power Off slider. Slide it to power off the phone, and then, while holding the volume down button, connect the phone to the computer. Keep the volume down button pressed until the recovery mode screen pops up
- If you have an iPhone 6S or earlier: Press and hold the side button until you see the Power Off slider. Slide it to power off the phone, and then, while holding the Home button, connect the phone to the computer. Keep the Home button pressed until the recovery mode screen pops up
- When it gives you the option to update or restore, select restore
- You can now access your phone and reinstall your data if you have it backed up
Phone Issue? Puls Can Fix It
No matter what your phone issue is, a certified Puls technician likely has the solution. From a cracked screen to a phone that just won’t turn on, we’ve got you covered.
With our upfront pricing plan, you can see our fair and competitive prices for yourself – there are no hidden fees and all repairs include our free guarantee on parts and service (and a one-year guarantee on batteries).
Just go online, book a time slot that suits your needs, and one of our top-notch techs will come to your desired location—be it the gym, office, or your home—as soon as same-day.
