iPhone how to restore phone that is locked

[mk313]

We converted my dad over from his flip phone to an iPhone SE, and he has somehow locked the phone to the point where it says iPhone is Disabled, connected to iTunes. I've done that multiple times now, and when I connect, I get the option to update or restore. If I choose update, it says that it can't update & needs to be restored. Then I go through the restore route, and it updates the phones software, then restarts, but then it comes back to the same message. It's like it's stuck & I can't get past this part. Any ideas on what I might be able to do differently?

I have no idea what version of iOS the phone is running, but when it updates, it's updating to 13.6. I'm doing this from my Mac running 10.15.6

Thanks in advance

 

[TiggrToo]

We converted my dad over from his flip phone to an iPhone SE, and he has somehow locked the phone to the point where it says iPhone is Disabled, connected to iTunes. I've done that multiple times now, and when I connect, I get the option to update or restore. If I choose update, it says that it can't update & needs to be restored. Then I go through the restore route, and it updates the phones software, then restarts, but then it comes back to the same message. It's like it's stuck & I can't get past this part. Any ideas on what I might be able to do differently?

I have no idea what version of iOS the phone is running, but when it updates, it's updating to 13.6. I'm doing this from my Mac running 10.15.6

Thanks in advance

At any point during the restore process were you asked to enter the pass code to the phone?

If not, that may be the issue.

Have you tried the steps here:https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/what-to-do-when-your-iphone-is-disabled ?

 

[mk313]

At any point during the restore process were you asked to enter the pass code to the phone?

If not, that may be the issue.

Have you tried the steps here:https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/what-to-do-when-your-iphone-is-disabled ?

Thanks. We haven't been asked for the password. Possibly that's it. I'll try running the restore again & see if that pops up

Thanks for the link. I have tried all of the steps in that document, but thanks for posting it. If I can ever get this restored, I'm going to use the iCloud method posted in there to make sure he's backed up all the time. Looks like that would be an easier method for recovery should this happen again.

 

[0128672]

It's worth a little note to point out too that passcode and password are different in Apple's language. Passcode is typically a 4 or 6 number code (although can be customized to be alphanumeric) to unlock the device. A password is associated with the Apple ID account.

 

[960design]

....and he has somehow locked the phone to the point where it says iPhone is Disabled, connected to iTunes.

1. Download Apple Configurator from App Store
2. Restore device via Apple Configurator ( this prevents any chance of device 'syncing' with your Mac )

Depending how angry your dad's device is, you may need to DFU restore.

 

[mk313]

It's worth a little note to point out too that passcode and password are different in Apple's language. Passcode is typically a 4 or 6 number code (although can be customized to be alphanumeric) to unlock the device. A password is associated with the Apple ID account.

Thanks for pointing that out. I was thinking of the passcode after it was mentioned, not password.

I appreciate both of your guys help.

In the end, I got it to work although I'm not sure what I did differently. I just kept going through the loop of plugging it into my Mac, hitting 'restore' on the Mac, updating the software, watching the phone restart, getting to the 'iPhone is locked & Must be restored using iTunes' screen, then starting over with hitting the restore button on my Mac. Eventually it worked. I know this isn't what happened, but it almost felt like it was restoring incremental updates to the phone, and then the version installed needed to be upgraded.

If anyone happens to stumble across this post in the future with the same problem, it took a lot of restarts for it to work on my end. I lost count, but I estimate it to be around 7.

 

[mk313]

1. Download Apple Configurator from App Store
2. Restore device via Apple Configurator ( this prevents any chance of device 'syncing' with your Mac )

Depending how angry your dad's device is, you may need to DFU restore.

Thanks for the tip. I'll download the app now in case we need it for next time. I ultimately got it to work, though I'm not sure what was different. I appreciate your advice, especially about that software. I hadn't heard of it before.

 

[0128672]

Thanks for pointing that out. I was thinking of the passcode after it was mentioned, not password.

I appreciate both of your guys help.

In the end, I got it to work although I'm not sure what I did differently. I just kept going through the loop of plugging it into my Mac, hitting 'restore' on the Mac, updating the software, watching the phone restart, getting to the 'iPhone is locked & Must be restored using iTunes' screen, then starting over with hitting the restore button on my Mac. Eventually it worked. I know this isn't what happened, but it almost felt like it was restoring incremental updates to the phone, and then the version installed needed to be upgraded.

If anyone happens to stumble across this post in the future with the same problem, it took a lot of restarts for it to work on my end. I lost count, but I estimate it to be around 7.

Congrats on getting it restored, but sorry to hear it took so many attempts.