How to unlock iPhone if you forgot your passcode

iPhone hacks: Apple’s iPhones are known for their security and privacy features. Infact, iPhone are one of the most secure devices in the market right now, which makes it difficult for any hacker or thief to unlock it and gain access to a user’s data. While this is extremely useful for the users in most cases, but sometimes it can also make it difficult for them to unlock their devices.

Picture this, you recently changed your iPhone’s passcode and now you don’t remember the new passcode to unlock the device. The same security feature now acts as a barrier for you to unlock your iPhone. Thankfully, there is way for you to unlock your iPhone without losing all your data. Enter: iOS 17.

Apple rolled out iOS 17 last year. With iOS 17, it rolled out a feature called ‘Passcode Reset’. This feature lets users use their old passcodes within a specific timeframe to unlock their iPhones and reset the passcode.

As Apple explains it, “when you change your passcode in iOS 17 or later, Passcode Reset gives you 72 hours when your old iPhone passcode can be used to access your device. When you access your iPhone this way, you must change your passcode again immediately.”

Essentially, iPhone users can use their old passcodes to unlock their iPhones within 72 hours. What’s great about this trick is that users don’t have to worry about losing all their data for unlocking their iPhones.

How to unlock iPhone if you forgot your passcode?

Step 1: Enter whatever passcode you remember five times to try to unlock the iPhone until the ‘iPhone Unavailable’ screen appears.

Step 2: Tap the Forgot Passcode? option in the bottom corner of the iPhone’s screen.

Step 3: Tap the Enter Previous Passcode option.

Step 4: Now enter your old passcode.

Step 5: Next, follow the onscreen instructions to set a new passcode.

How to set an old passcode to expire in under 72 hours

Once users have unlocked their iPhones, they must set the old password to expire to address the privacy concerns. Here’s what they need to do next:

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap the Face ID & Passcode menu.

Step 3: Enter your passcode.

Step 4: Tap Expire Previous Passcode Now option.