Lost my passcode how do i open my iPhone 4S

[mukund]

Hi
I have a 4S which has not been used for some time, but it still works, but only if i can open it.
Unfortunately, Ive forgotten the passcode to open the phone.
Please suggest what I can do to get it going again.
Thanks
Mukund

 

[chscag]

You can try resetting the phone. That will erase everything but should get you back to where you can set a new passcode.

 

[mukund]

You can try resetting the phone. That will erase everything but should get you back to where you can set a new passcode.

i cant get into the phone at all, so how do I reset it.
As I understand one has to go to Settings> General> RESET> erase all content and settings. But for that I need to ENTER the phone, which I cannot do without the Passcode.
SO basically I need to know how to reset the Passcode without getting into the phone.
Can it be done by Apple Support??

 

[chscag]

Okay, sorry about that. Without the passcode, there's no way to reset the phone.

The only way you're going to get into that phone is if you have your original sales receipt and take it to Apple. However, a 4s is no longer supported by Apple so I'm not sure that Apple will even look at it.

 

[Rod]

No, Apple will not help you unless you can prove it belongs to you. The only way you can get into it now is to erase the iPhone using iTunes or the Finder if you are on the latest macOS operating system.
As I recall (and it is a while ago) if you turn the phone off, open iTunes, plug in a appropriate USB cable for the iPhone into the computer, then holding the Home button down (on the iPhone), plug the cable into the iPhone, you should hear a tone from your computer and the iPhone should come on, keep holding the Home button down until the phone displays a screen confirming it is connected to iTunes. At that point you can let go of the Home button and iTunes should say it is restoring the iPhone or give you the option to do so. You may need to confirm erase and restore in the iTunes window, I cant remember exactly. From there it should erase and reinstall the iOS version it came with and reset to factory settings. Now you just need to set it up and probably update it to the latest iOS it can run.
Do let us know if that works.

 

[mukund]

Thanks, Rod, for your reply. Much appreciated.

Well, a couple of hours back, I thought of trying apple support, so i went to https://getsupport.apple.com/
and after a few minutes wait i was given a call back, it was a Singapore number so obviously Apple has a support setup over there.
I was rather pleased with that.

I had a human being on the line, and he very patiently guided me through the entire process.

He checked my identity, asked for my apple ID, enquired if the 4S had been on that apple ID and i said i wasnt sure.
He put me through a few hoops and then asked me to open iTunes on my MBP and connect the 4S.
Just like you said in your reply, he asked me to hold down the HOME button while connecting the phone to iTunes.
Then he walked me through more hoops and finally he got me there.

He wanted for some reason access to my screen which I had no objection to, though wasnt sure why. But despite several attempts he could not succeed.

The call lasted 43 min, Phew! and then because we got disconnected he called back again for another 8 mins.

Happy to inform you that the phone is now unlocked and I have set a new passcode. so I am up and running on that as a spare phone for emergencies. Or I might give it to a poor student, who cant afford a smart phone, as in India online schooling has become the norm due to Covid.

Required a lot of patience, but in the end it was well worth it.

Thanks, to all those who tried to help me.

Finis !!

 

[Rod]

That's great news. Maybe the phone still appears in your record of "devices" so your Apple ID was sufficient proof of ownership.
Anyway I'm glad to hear I remembered the process correctly but that's only a part of the deal. The rest may be dependant on your computer and macOS version (assuming it is a Mac) on a PC it might actually be easier because they still use iTunes. In any case I am happy it worked and pleased you got such good service from Apple Support.

 

[chscag]

He was very fortunate that he was in touch with Apple Singapore. If he was here in the states, there is no way Apple would have unlocked that 4s for him without taking the device to Apple direct with proof of ownership.

Are you forgetting all the fuss over the iPhone 5c that was owned by the terrorists who killed all those people in San Bernardino, California a few years ago? The iPhone was locked with a passcode and Apple refused to unlock it for the FBI. An Israeli company wound up doing the unlock for the FBI.

I'm actually quite surprised that the method you stated worked in Singapore and Australia.

 

[Rod]

Yes Chas, me too. I really thought without verifiable proof of ownership it would be a DIY process. That aside though the example you mention was a case where the FBI wanted access to the data on the iPhone, in this case Mukund wished to erase the device.

 

[chscag]

Understand Rod. Actually, entering the wrong passcode 10 times automatically erases the phone I believe. In any event he has a working 4s for whatever it could be used for. One thing I liked about the 4s was its size.