iPhone 6+: PLEASE help. Forgot passcode, 1 shot left, not backed up :(

[cambookpro]

Post was long so didn't quote, but I don't understand this part:

"Haha not a bad idea, but no the phone won't respond to touch i.d. I wish it would. I don't know why it won't, but it won't. I think cause I lock it each time I put it down so I don't accidentally call someone. That I think makes the phone ask for the passcode before it'll let you use fingerprints from there. People are upset that I can't remember for sure but oh well - I *think* that's the case but just can't remember (and can't test it out now, for obvious reasons)!"

Serious question just so we're on the same page - you do know what TouchID is don't you? (Sorry if that sounds condescending, but can't quite work out what you think it does.)

TouchID is an alternative to a passcode (however, a passcode must be set to use it). If you locked it each time and it made you use a passcode before your fingerprint, of what point would it be?

By now, I presume you've already tried, but unless you've restarted your phone the fingerprint unlock (presuming it's been set up) should work. I don't quite see what problem you've had with it?


Good luck with getting your photos back.

 

[Greenone]

Post was long so didn't quote, but I don't understand this part:

"Haha not a bad idea, but no the phone won't respond to touch i.d. I wish it would. I don't know why it won't, but it won't. I think cause I lock it each time I put it down so I don't accidentally call someone. That I think makes the phone ask for the passcode before it'll let you use fingerprints from there. People are upset that I can't remember for sure but oh well - I *think* that's the case but just can't remember (and can't test it out now, for obvious reasons)!"

Serious question just so we're on the same page - you do know what TouchID is don't you? (Sorry if that sounds condescending, but can't quite work out what you think it does.)

TouchID is an alternative to a passcode (however, a passcode must be set to use it). If you locked it each time and it made you use a passcode before your fingerprint, of what point would it be?

By now, I presume you've already tried, but unless you've restarted your phone the fingerprint unlock (presuming it's been set up) should work. I don't quite see what problem you've had with it?


Good luck with getting your photos back.

Thanks. Yes I understand the meaning of touch i.d. It seems there were at least a few times that it required my passcode even if I hadn't turned off/reset the phone. But it's possible that - as someone on here suggested - I assumed touching the phone (with fingerprint) wouldn't work when in fact it would have. I might have been confused between the difference between turning phone off then on again (resetting), and simply locking it temporarily, the latter of which I do constantly so as to avoid butt-dialing (or just calling someone by accident if moving the phone out of the way to set something down near it). I don't turn my phone all the way off often but on occasion I turn it off to go to bed when I don't have the charger near by and am tired and know I'll want juice in the morning. So it may be that I made the assumption - when seeing the message about touch i.d. "not working when the phone's been reset" - that I had to type in the passcode each time I merely locked it, when in fact I didn't. However if this were the case, why wouldn't my phone let me in now? When I changed the passcode that night (and forgot it soon after), I had NOT turned my phone off / reset it. I had at most typed in the new password then locked it and set it aside as I always do, laughing at my kid for foiling his plan (he obviously had the last laugh!). I only turn it off - on occasion - when going to bed. So yes it's all pretty confusing but really the touch i.d. piece of it seems neither here nor there at this point as I can't get it with touch i.d. Just futilely tried it again now, lol.

Thanks for inquiring.

 

[Natzoo]

There must be someway, like call apple or go to them and bring your receipt. Next time make sure you write down your password.

 

[Greenone]

There must be someway, like call apple or go to them and bring your receipt. Next time make sure you write down your password.

Thanks. I've talked to two apple senior advisors at length and also spent about an hour at a local certified Mac Store/service center where they (in the end, it turns out), knew more about this than any of the official Apple folks interestingly enough! I want to believe there must be some way, as you say, but it may be that my only option is to wait a very long time for Apple to change its policy (enough complaints?!) and then let me back into my phone?! That's seriously wishful thinking of course, and I'd have to get a new phone in the meantime. Yes, next time I'll write down my password, lol.

 

[eelw]

Well here's hoping you're able to find a fix in the future. But in the short term, when you get your new phone, set up a complex passcode instead of a 4 digit one. So you won't have this issue where you need to change it on your son. In regards to why Touch ID isn't working. As you're aware, if you turn off the phone, it will prompt you for passcode. Also if you haven't used Touch ID in more than 48 hours, it will ask for passcode. And most important lesson, set up iCloud and Photo Stream.

 

[Greenone]

Well here's hoping you're able to find a fix in the future. But in the short term, when you get your new phone, set up a complex passcode instead of a 4 digit one. So you won't have this issue where you need to change it on your son. In regards to why Touch ID isn't working. As you're aware, if you turn off the phone, it will prompt you for passcode. Also if you haven't used Touch ID in more than 48 hours, it will ask for passcode. And most important lesson, set up iCloud and Photo Stream.

Oh THAT'S why touch i.d. rarely works for me in the way I thought it was supposed to. Kind of funny - what came first chicken or egg... I don't use it all that often due to it not seeming consistent and then when I do, it's probably been over 48 hours. Good to know, thanks.

 

[tremlock]

Can you plug in to the computer and download pictures to iPhoto or image capture?

 

[p3ntyne]

Well here's hoping you're able to find a fix in the future. But in the short term, when you get your new phone, set up a complex passcode instead of a 4 digit one. So you won't have this issue where you need to change it on your son. In regards to why Touch ID isn't working. As you're aware, if you turn off the phone, it will prompt you for passcode. Also if you haven't used Touch ID in more than 48 hours, it will ask for passcode. And most important lesson, set up iCloud and Photo Stream.

While it would be harder for someone else to guess, if a situation where the OP forgets their password occurs again, there would be 100000+ possible passwords rather than 10000.

 

[Pez555]

Here is a thought, and I haven't read the op in depth by the way.

Is photo stream turned on by default? If so, I'd buy an ipad or another idevice and then it would sync all your photos from your phone to your ipad, then you could back it up and save the photos.

 

[Brian Y]

I feel like Apple should be giving a MAJOR warning to ALL customers when they first get their phones (not all of us are as tech savvy as most of you here) about what can go wrong and to what extent, if you should happen to forget your passcode and not back up regularly. I feel misled by having been fully aware of the option to set the phone to wipe clean if X amount of failed password attempts BUT KNOWING ABOUT THAT OPTION, I knew not to do that to myself for exactly this reason. It wasn't made obvious to me that it'll happen ANYWAY! I didn't expect to have so many problems with iCloud or duplicate photos filling up my devices!! Instead I was super careful not to lose or damage the phone, believing that was the only thing that could go wrong (how I'd potentially lose my valuable photos). I simply didn't know this is how Apple does things re. the passcode, the other night, when I was typing in possible codes to get into my phone. If I'd known, I would have taken it all much more seriously, gone slower and wrote each possible one down, noting which ones I've already tried, etc. If I'd known I could lose everything by forgetting my own password, I would NEVER have put in a new one without writing it down. And no, I have no clue what i haven't tried - what it might be.

I've gone as high up as I can go at Apple without hiding in the cars of their engineers and pouncing on them. I get their need to protect their customers but if their customers can prove we're who we say we are, down to tiny details about our lives, we should be able to get past this nonsense. This is awful. I feel like my only choice is to just stop using the phone and get a new phone (!) cause I can't be the one to pull the plug on these photos! DAMMMMIT! Maybe in 5 years they will have pulled their heads out of their arses and come up with a way to bypass the passcode thing, for their customers' sakes!!! And then I won't have given in and given up all those valuable photos - especially my grandma.

Sorry I had to comment after the above post.

I feel like people should start to take responsibility for their own actions instead of blaming a company.

First of all, you set a passcode, you specifically enabled the erase iPhone after 10 attempts button (it's quite clear what this is) and you forgot your password. More importantly - you didn't back up the phone. None of this is Apple's fault.

Do you expect to be told that "you might die if you crash" when you buy a car too?

Nobody can remove the passcode because of the fundamental way iOS encrypts data - it protects the hardware encryption keys with your passcode, meaning that there is no way to decrypt your data, even if you were to manually gain access to the NAND chips.

Things you need to take from this experience:

- Learn to remember a 4 digit number. If you can't remember a 4 digit number, stick a piece of paper to the back of your wardrobe with "iPhone Passcode: xxxx" written on it. After all, if someone has broken into your house, they aren't there to steal passwords.

- Learn to back up your stuff. If your photos are that precious to you - you would have backed them up. I have my photos on my phone, which is backed up weekly to my computer and daily to iCloud. The photos are imported to lightroom which is stored on my computer, then on my server. The data on my server is then mirrored to an off-site backup provider. Unless there are simultaneous fires around the world, my photos aren't going anywhere.

- Learn to take responsibility. Blaming Apple because they can't get you out of a hole just makes you look irresponsible. It's not Apple's fault you forgot your passcode - and saying that Apple should warn everyone not to forget your passcode because you'll lose your photos if you haven't backed up is kind of ridiculous.

Thanks. I've talked to two apple senior advisors at length and also spent about an hour at a local certified Mac Store/service center where they (in the end, it turns out), knew more about this than any of the official Apple folks interestingly enough! I want to believe there must be some way, as you say, but it may be that my only option is to wait a very long time for Apple to change its policy (enough complaints?!) and then let me back into my phone?! That's seriously wishful thinking of course, and I'd have to get a new phone in the meantime. Yes, next time I'll write down my password, lol.

Apple don't need to change their policy. What you're asking them is technically impossible. They cannot break the encryption on your phone, nobody can.

 

[JulesJam]

The photos are imported to lightroom which is stored on my computer, then on my server. The data on my server is then mirrored to an off-site backup provider.

Um, most people don't own their own server or pay for an off-site backup provider to mirror their server to. Most people don't even know what that means.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Um, most people don't own their own server or pay for an off-site backup provider to mirror their server to. Most people don't even know what that means.

True. Time Machine is good enough for this purpose, and everyone who owns a Mac knows what it is.

 

[swordfish5736]

Have you tried connecting the phone to the mac you've previously used and opening image capture?

Click spotlight(the magnifying glass in the top right corner) and type image capture, you should be able to open the app and import photos

 

[26139]

So what?

Um, most people don't own their own server or pay for an off-site backup provider to mirror their server to. Most people don't even know what that means.

So what? Go read about it on the internet like all the rest of us did.

Digital networking is not some voodoo magic and most every instruction site out there is free.

 

[Brian Y]

Um, most people don't own their own server or pay for an off-site backup provider to mirror their server to. Most people don't even know what that means.

But iCloud backup is presented to you during the iPhone setup process, and Time Machine is presented to you during the OS X setup process.

 

[JulesJam]

But iCloud backup is presented to you during the iPhone setup process, and Time Machine is presented to you during the OS X setup process.

I know, I was commenting on the anal retentiveness of having a server and then mirroring it to boot.

 

[Greenone]

Can you plug in to the computer and download pictures to iPhoto or image capture?

No. It says "loading" but then never loads and it also says "0 photos" to import. Nothing we've tried in there works either - not without unlocking the passcode I assume.

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While it would be harder for someone else to guess, if a situation where the OP forgets their password occurs again, there would be 100000+ possible passwords rather than 10000.

The OP won't be forgetting her passcode again. Although the OP won't be ever using a gdamned password again, assuming she ever resolves this issue. And the OP's child will lose a hand if he ever tries to steal the OP's phone again...

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Here is a thought, and I haven't read the op in depth by the way.

Is photo stream turned on by default? If so, I'd buy an ipad or another idevice and then it would sync all your photos from your phone to your ipad, then you could back it up and save the photos.

Thanks, though nothing can be synced from the phone due to the passcode issue. Not even a non-Mac computer. It's locked tight. Yay apple.

 

[JulesJam]

While it would be harder for someone else to guess, if a situation where the OP forgets their password occurs again, there would be 100000+ possible passwords rather than 10000.

10x10x10x10 = 10,000.

 

[Greenone]

Sorry I had to comment after the above post.

I feel like people should start to take responsibility for their own actions instead of blaming a company.

First of all, you set a passcode, you specifically enabled the erase iPhone after 10 attempts button (it's quite clear what this is) and you forgot your password. More importantly - you didn't back up the phone. None of this is Apple's fault.

Do you expect to be told that "you might die if you crash" when you buy a car too?

Nobody can remove the passcode because of the fundamental way iOS encrypts data - it protects the hardware encryption keys with your passcode, meaning that there is no way to decrypt your data, even if you were to manually gain access to the NAND chips.

Things you need to take from this experience:

- Learn to remember a 4 digit number. If you can't remember a 4 digit number, stick a piece of paper to the back of your wardrobe with "iPhone Passcode: xxxx" written on it. After all, if someone has broken into your house, they aren't there to steal passwords.

- Learn to back up your stuff. If your photos are that precious to you - you would have backed them up. I have my photos on my phone, which is backed up weekly to my computer and daily to iCloud. The photos are imported to lightroom which is stored on my computer, then on my server. The data on my server is then mirrored to an off-site backup provider. Unless there are simultaneous fires around the world, my photos aren't going anywhere.

- Learn to take responsibility. Blaming Apple because they can't get you out of a hole just makes you look irresponsible. It's not Apple's fault you forgot your passcode - and saying that Apple should warn everyone not to forget your passcode because you'll lose your photos if you haven't backed up is kind of ridiculous.



Apple don't need to change their policy. What you're asking them is technically impossible. They cannot break the encryption on your phone, nobody can.

Jesus Christ. I DID NOT SET MY PHONE TO ERASE AFTER 10 FAILED PASSCODE ATTEMPTS. THAT'S the ENTIRE reason I feel mislead. Because - knowing I hadn't set it to erase - I assumed that meant I had numerous attempts to try. And by the way as I said earlier, I didn't try 30 attempts. It was actually remarkably few more than 10. It was probably 15. It's nuts. If you'd read the details - which I'm not saying you're obligated to do and yet that would certainly earn you the right to comment - you'd see that there were some bizarre circumstances which lead me not to back things up. You don't know me enough to determine whether I'm a person who hates and blames corporations for everything and lacks accountability. Such a ***** blanket statement. As you would see if you decided to read before commenting, I've owned my part in this from the get go. And if you didn't feel like reading all of it, why bother commenting? Is this really that important to you that you had to repeat what so many others have already said ad nauseam or are you just trying to score brownie points from the other angry Urkels that frequent the forum? You sound angry and defensive, which is silly. Don't worry, I promise that Apple's feelings won't be hurt. You can sleep well tonight.

Oh and thanks for saying sorry (?).

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Have you tried connecting the phone to the mac you've previously used and opening image capture?

Click spotlight(the magnifying glass in the top right corner) and type image capture, you should be able to open the app and import photos

I have, but thank you for suggesting it. It says to please put in my passcode.

 

[JulesJam]

As you would see if you decided to read before commenting,

Wait, what? You expect people to read the thread before commenting? But this is an internet forum. (sarcasm intended)

 

[Greenone]

So what? Go read about it on the internet like all the rest of us did.

Digital networking is not some voodoo magic and most every instruction site out there is free.

Why so rude? I think JulesJam understood that I'm a busy mom who isn't particularly computer (or phone) savvy, clearly.

 

[tdale]

No, sadly, this article isn't accurate. It may be that it's older and this has to do with new software security 'improvements.' This is the message I click on backup:

"iTunes could not back up the iPhone “__________'s iPhone” because it is locked with a passcode. You must enter your passcode on the iPhone before it can be backed up."

Thank you for trying and sharing the link though!

No doubt you have tried the passcodes you may have thought it was, with no success. 1234 4321 9876 etc have you tried some passcodes on the off chance. The three I quoted are quick ones we might use to get going in a hurry. Do you have an old 4 digit pin you used to use for something else? Is there a 4 digit number that is in your head from something recent and unrelated? Its unlikely you thought of 4 random digits, or did you? If you did, think hard, if you can recall, say the first one, you are down to 999 left, and not too silly an idea to try those over a few sessions over coming days

 

[Globug]

2 suggestions..

1. your grandma is still alive by the sounds of it. GO TAKE MORE PICTURES OF HER. GET YOUR FAMILY THERE AND STOP STRESSING. Recreate the birthday party again, it will give you and your grandma a chance to see everyone again in case youre right and she doesn't have long left.
'I know its a pain for what happened but its not the end of the world.

Be more careful with your new phone.

2. Get drunk and try to put in the password. You might be in the same frame of mind and actually remember it.

Good Luck!

 

[Greenone]

But iCloud backup is presented to you during the iPhone setup process, and Time Machine is presented to you during the OS X setup process.

Due to numerous iphone 6+ issues when I first got the phone - which Apple agreed was an issue many people were having - someone was with me on the phone walking me through steps at the time I set up the phone (again). During that process the guy said to ignore the iCloud setup - he said we'd deal with that later and we never did. Not blaming him - I didn't understand what all iCloud really was so didn't have any desire to use it yet. I was too busy trying to understand everything else. At one point I think I turned it on but it was sorta by accident (no password ever got put in for it) and at another point I ended up disabling it when I thought, mistakenly, that icloud was sending my iPhone photos to my laptop, which was already at max. capacity (due to a different issue involving lots of mysterious duplicates). I've already said all this but what the hell - there you are again, for your records..... As for time machine, I use that with my mirrored ext. HD but I have to plug it in to do so, and thought I'd done so about a month ago but was wrong - it was about 2 or 3 months ago (time flies when you get old).

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Wait, what? You expect people to read the thread before commenting? But this is an internet forum. (sarcasm intended)

Ha. No, I don't, but when people are going to be unnecessarily rude, condescending, presumptuous and generally insulting, they have to earn that right. I don't mind helpful suggestions by those admitting to not having read the whole thread...it is MIGHTY long after all...

 

[Greenone]

No doubt you have tried the passcodes you may have thought it was, with no success. 1234 4321 9876 etc have you tried some passcodes on the off chance. The three I quoted are quick ones we might use to get going in a hurry. Do you have an old 4 digit pin you used to use for something else? Is there a 4 digit number that is in your head from something recent and unrelated? Its unlikely you thought of 4 random digits, or did you? If you did, think hard, if you can recall, say the first one, you are down to 999 left, and not too silly an idea to try those over a few sessions over coming days

I would, but I only have one chance left (even though I didn't do it all that many times!). After you get a 60-minute shut down, you get 1 chance as ins O-N-E - not multiple chances like 5. Then you get O-N-E more chance after that 60-minute wait is over. After THAT, you have ONE more chance and then if that's wrong, your phone forces you to ...whatever that word is... reset (?). Basically you lose everything. Well I've used 2 of those 3 chances (60 minutes) up. Apple's confirmed that I only have one possible chance left. I have two ideas of what it *might* be but there's no guaranteeing I didn't already try them earlier during the failed attempts. What I did when I created this damned passcode (beyond drinking wine and allowing myself to be distracted) is I made a square-shaped pattern on the keypad of numbers, starting or ending with 9. That should only be so many things, right? Wrong! The pattern I may not have tried yet would be a Z-shape. So either 9,7,3,1 or else 1,3,7,9. What kills me is I have one chance left and I don't know which it is and I'm not willing to take chances with those photos.

I'd like to say something that I think is pretty valid: I was super careful not to lose or hurt my phone or hurt my laptop, until I got the issue resolved that made it hard to back up my photos. I knew there was the small chance something could happen anyway (in terms of something suddenly breaking on its own and losing everything) but I was very careful and was just about to get that issue resolved and back everything up. I'd even made the appointment. The reality of the situation is that Apple made me feel safe about putting in many passcode attempts BECAUSE the phone asked me whether I wanted to set it to erase everything after 10 failed attempts. Knowing I'd never do that, I felt safe to guess to my heart's content as to what the passcode might be. If the phone (Apple) had never asked me which way I wanted to go re. that option, I'd have been more instinctively cautious. But even then, I didn't put all that many in! It was somewhere between 15 or 20. I would have put more in, admittedly, but after the first 2 or 3 times of getting about 5 tries per wait, they give you only 1 at a time between 60-minute waits. So what I'm saying is that the photos didn't get lost due to some fluke or it getting dropped in a puddle or the phone was stolen etc. I lost the photos (well technically not yet but for all intents and purposes I've lost them, seeing as I don't remember the code) because Apple didn't make it even remotely obvious that this could happen, if you didn't choose to set it to erase. I know many here don't agree with me but I believe it's on Apple since the photos weren't lost due to any of these other reasons but rather simply because they mislead me to feel safe and secure about putting in several passcode attempts! I wouldn't be mad at them AT ALL had I lost the photos due to ANY. OTHER. REASON.

Sorry I'm still ranting, and giving everyone too much to read lol.

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2 suggestions..

1. your grandma is still alive by the sounds of it. GO TAKE MORE PICTURES OF HER. GET YOUR FAMILY THERE AND STOP STRESSING. Recreate the birthday party again, it will give you and your grandma a chance to see everyone again in case youre right and she doesn't have long left.
'I know its a pain for what happened but its not the end of the world.

Be more careful with your new phone.

2. Get drunk and try to put in the password. You might be in the same frame of mind and actually remember it.

Good Luck!

Thanks for the sound advice. I am going to visit her again but our finances go up and down and right now they're down (TMI) but still, I guess I'd rather have debt than not see her again and take the opportunity you wisely suggest. I certainly can't afford to take the fam with me though (flying) but I can at least go alone. It was no nice seeing her with the kids though. Damn damn damn. I don't know if if was you or someone else who suggested getting buzzed again but it's not a bad idea! However I'm still so mad at myself that everytime I see the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter (same bottle still sitting there) I get more mad. I'd rather bash it over my head and see if that helps!!! Thank you - I really appreciate it.