By Hally | Last Updated
Q: "I upgraded my iPhone 13 last night, and this morning the iPhone passcode suddenly stopped working (100% correct passcode), it keeps displaying an incorrect passcode message. This is all so weird, how do I get into my iPhone now?"
The iPhone passcode prevents others from accessing your phone without your permission and is an important feature to protect your privacy and data security. However, sometimes, you may encounter the error that your iPhone passcode (Face/Touch ID) suddenly expires, and you can't even unlock your phone even though you made sure that the passcode you entered is correct.
Why is your iPhone passcode suddenly not working? This article will introduce possible reasons and fixes to help you re-access your device.
iPhone passcode not working is not a rare iOS bug, every year you can browse through different users' help posts on various forums, and it is usually caused by the following reasons.
1. Software malfunction. Some random software bugs or conflicts on the iPhone may cause the device to fail to recognize the unlock code.
2. Hardware malfunction. If your iPhone has been damaged by water, dust, drops, or other damages that cause the device's internal components to malfunction so that its screen or buttons don't work properly, you'll probably be unable to enter the correct passcode.
3. Human error. You may have forgotten the correct iPhone passcode or have had the unlock code changed by a prankster.
4. Accidental errors. If your iPhone has accidentally entered the wrong passcode multiple times (touched by mistake in your backpack), it will be locked or disabled.
If the iPhone does not recognize the correct passcode, it will remain locked to prevent others from accessing the device. It is worth noting that after entering the wrong passcode ten times, your iPhone will be completely disabled, so you should stop entering the passcode when the warning message "iPhone unavailable, try again in 1 minute", and try to find some way around the iPhone passcode failure.
Software malfunction is one of the reasons why iPhone passcode doesn't work. Force restarting your device can fix some minor system malfunctions, thus restoring your iPhone's normal functionality. Here are the steps to force reboot for some major iPhone models.
iPhone 8 or Newer: Quickly press and release the Volume Up button, and quickly press and release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Side button and release it after the Apple logo appears.
iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press and hold the Volume Down button and Power button at the same time until the Apple logo appears, then release it.
iPhone 6s/6s Plus or earlier: Press and hold the Home and Power buttons simultaneously and release the buttons when the Apple logo appears.
Older versions of iOS can easily cause some compatibility or stability issues with your iPhone, so your iPhone passcode not working could be a known iOS bug and you can update your iOS to get the latest features and fixes.
Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your computer and put it in recovery mode, then run iTunes which has been installed on your computer.
Step 2: iTunes will pop up a window to ask you whether you need to "Update" or "Restore" your iPhone, select "Update" option.
Step 3: Wait patiently for iTunes to download and install the latest iOS on your device, and do not disconnect your device from your PC in the meantime.
After updating iOS, try entering your passcode to check if you can unlock your phone. If it still doesn't unlock, you can use iTunes to restore your iPhone to factory reset to remove the passcode protection, but it will also delete all of your iPhone's data and settings.
IIf none of the above methods recover the iPhone's feature to recognize passcodes, then maybe it's because you forgot your passcode or your passcode has been changed. iSunshare iPhone Passcode Genius is a powerful and easy-to-use software that removes your iPhone passcode in minutes, no matter whether it's a four-digit, six-digit, face ID, or fingerprint ID.
The software is also capable of removing other passcode locks on your iOS or iPadOS device even if you forgot your password, including iTunes backup encryption, Screen Time restriction, MDM, etc.
Step 1: On your Windows computer, download and install iSunshare iPhone Passcode Genius, then launch it.
Step 2: Select "Unlock Lock Screen" mode and click "Start" on the next page to get started.
Step 3: Connect your iPhone to your PC with a USB cable and click "Next" button, the software will automatically recognize your iPhone and load its information.
Choose a suitable location to save the firmware package, click "Download" and wait patiently for the download process to complete.
Note: If your iPhone is not recognized by the software, please follow the on-screen instructions to put iPhone into recovery mode or DFU mode.
Step 4: Click "Unlock" button, the software will start the password removal process immediately, and after a few minutes, it will remind you that you have successfully unlocked the screen.
How to remove passcode from iPhone when locked without software? If you have enabled the "Find My" feature on your iPhone before it was locked, then you can erase the device via iCloud to bypass iPhone Passcode.
Step 1: Open a browser and visit iCloud.com on your computer or other device.
Step 2: Sign in to your iCloud account with the Apple ID and password you signed in on your iPhone, and then select the "Find iPhone" icon.
Step 3: Select the iPhone with an invalid unlock code in the "All Devices" list, and then click the "Erase This Device" button.
You should be aware that this operation will erase the data content on your iPhone, enter your Apple ID and password to confirm your operation. After the erasing process is completed, the iPhone will reboot and now you can access it without entering any numbers.
The iPhone passcode is the only key to verify the user's access rights, if your iOS can't recognize the correct passcode or you forgot the iPhone passcode, then you will be denied access. This article shared four methods to fix the iPhone Passcode not working issue, I hope one of them works for you.
