How To Connect To iTunes When iPhone Is Disabled in Easy Steps
What if you pick up your iPhone and see the iPhone is disabled, connect it to iTunes. Well, this can be very annoying for any user. But, luckily there are few quick fixes you can try.
The first and most easiest method you can try is connecting your iPhone to iTunes via recovery mode using your mac or laptop. You can also use third party software like BuhoUnlocker.
So, if your iPhone is stuck in disabled mode, keep on reading our guide to learn how to fix it easily.
What Does iPhone Disabled Mean?
At first we need to understand what exactly the iPhone is disabled means. iPhones come with an extra layer of security to prevent any unauthorized access to your phone. So, when someone tries to unlock your iPhone with too many wrong password attempts the phone gets disabled.
As a result, after the number of inaccurate passwords entered in a row hits the maximum limit set by Apple which is usually 10, your iPhone will show “iPhone is disabled, connect to iTunes”.
So, when this happens your phone will get locked down preventing any access whatsoever. your iPhone will remain in the lock screen until you unlock it by connecting it to iTunes.
Why Is My iPhone Disabled?
iPhone disabling is a common issue in your iPhone but if you know how to fix it, then it isn’t any serious problem. Iphones getting disabled can occur due to a few different reasons.
Your iPhone gets rubbed inside pocket
When the phone is in your pocket, the screen can get activated and due to movement passwords can randomly get entered which can disable the phone.
You forgot your password
Sometimes you can forget the password and you keep entering the wrong passwords which can also disable the iPhone.
Someone tried to unlock your phone
If someone tried to unlock your iPhone with a wrong passcode and tried doing it several times, your phone can also get disabled.
You got a second hand iPhone that is locked
If you purchased a used iPhone, it is possible that the previous owner installed a password lock. So, if you input an incorrect passcode 10 times, your phone will be disabled and will display connect to iTunes.
How to Connect to iTunes When an iPhone Is Disabled?
So, if you end up having your iPhone disabled and it shows connect to itunes; well no need to worry as you can fix this issue quite easily which we will discuss below.
Method 1: Connect to iTunes in your Mac or Laptop
The easiest method to fix a disabled iPhone is by using the recovery mode and connecting your iPhone to iTunes using laptop or a mac. So at first you will need to enter recovery mode. The process varies depending on your iPhone model.
iPhone 8 to 14 Pro max
Press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons to show the power off slider on a disabled iPhone to initiate recovery mode. After turning off the iPhone, press the Side button and connect it to a computer. Keep pressing Side until iTunes finds Recovery mode.
Iphone 7 and & plus
Just like with iPhone 8 or newer models, at first turn off your iPhone and keep holding the volume down button while connecting it to your computer using USB cable. Keep holding it until you see the recovery mode logo appearing on the screen.
iPhone 6/6S plus and all older models
The recovery mode in iPhone 6s plus and older models are a bit different than the above two procedures. Keep pressing the side button until the turn off slider appears; turn off your iPhone.
Now keep on pressing the home button while connecting your iPhone to your computer and keep holding the button until the recovery mode logo shows up.
Open ITunes or Finder for MAC
If you are using a windows laptop, you will need to use iTunes. However, if you are using Mac then if it is running macOS Mojave or earlier go to finder and locate your iPhone. But for Macs using the updated version of Mojave you will need to use finder.
Restore your Iphone
After opening Finder or ITunes, it will automatically detect your iPhone. Click on your phone, and you will see these options coming up; select restore. Now your iPhone will go through a restore process where all updates will be downloaded.
Wait for the process to finish up and your iPhone will restart. Now you can reset your iPhone and put in a new password.
Method 2: Using Third Party Software BuhoUnlocker
Sometimes you may not be able to fix your disabled iPhone using iTunes or Finder, that is third party software like BuhoUnlocker comes into play. This is a very easy to use software which just requires a few steps to unlock your disabled iPhone
Download and install the software on your computer and select unlock screen passcode. Now connect your iPhone to the computer using USB cable and follow our first method to put your phone into recovery mode.
Now, you will see an option for firmware download so you will need to download the latest version of the software and install it. After this your iPhone will start and set up your iPhone like a new one.
How to unlock it if the iPhone is disabled and won’t connect to iTunes
Sometimes your iPhone may not get connected to iTunes when it is disabled or you might not have any access to Mac or Laptop. But, luckily there is an easy solution for this also. However, for it you will need to have “Find My iPhone” turned on in your phone.
Simply go to the www.icloud.com website, sign into your account using username and password and select Find iPhone from the list.
If you already enabled Find my iPhone, you’ll see a map displaying the precise position of your iPhone. To choose the iPhone you wish to restore, choose All Devices.
Select your disabled iPhone on the iCloud Find Devices screen and press Erase iPhone. The password will be removed from your iPhone and you can use it normally again.
Tips to Prevent iPhone from being disabled
When your iPhone gets disabled, it can be quite irritating but luckily by following a few simple tips you can avoid this.
- Set up an easy password that’s easy to remember
- If your iPhone model supports touch id or face id use that
- Turn the screen timeout to be 30 seconds, so the lock screen doesn’t get popped out of the pocket.
- Avoid giving your iPhone to children.
FAQs
You may think you need to take your iPhone to a service center when it gets disabled. But, you can easily unlock it by yourself. Keep on reading to know more.
Will I lose all my data when I connect my disabled iPhone to iTunes?
When you connect your disabled iPhone to iTunes, you will need to reset your IPhone which will erase all its previous data including passwords. But, if you always backup your phone you can easily restore the apps and data again.
What happens when my iPhone gets disabled?
If your iPhone gets disabled due to wrong password attempts up to 10 times, the system automatically locks out your phone which is a security measure. This is done to protect your private information from getting misused.
Can I keep my data when my iPhone gets disabled?
There is no way to keep your data when your iPhone is disabled. That’s why it is recommended to backup your phone and data regularly so you can easily restore the data back into your iPhone after resetting it for any reason.
Final Words
iPhone is renowned for its security features so when your iPhone gets disabled it can be helpful to protect your data from strangers. But it can also be annoying as you cannot access your own phone.
Luckily you can enable it quite easily however if you don’t have a backup of the data, you will lose them forever. So, always backup your iPhone regularly to save your precious data.
