iPhone 12 got unavailable? 4 quick ways to fix it without passcode
Got your iPhone 12 locked with an 'iPhone Unavailable' alert? Here's everything you need to know to erase the unavailable screen when you forget your iPhone passcode.
Jasmin Woods Updated on Feb 22, 2023 8:25 PM
What to know:
- After entering wrong passcode too many times on your iPhone 12, you'll be locked out from your device with an 'iPhone Unavailable' or 'Security Lockout' alert on the lock screen. If so, you will have to erase and reset your iPhone 12 to regain the access.
- With iOS 15.2 and later, the Erase iPhone option on unavailable screen makes it easy to reset the locked iPhone to factory settings using your Apple ID and the password.
- You can remove the unavailable screen remotely by choosing Find My option from iCloud web, or restore your iPhone 12 through iTunes / Finder on your computer.
- If none of the above satisfies you, then you can try the iPhone Unlocker, an efficient tool to bypass the passcode and wipe out the unavailable lock screen on iOS devices.
Fix Unavailable iPhone / Security Lockout screen in different ways when forgot iPhone passcode.
If your day starts with a message like 'iPhone Unavailable' or 'Security Lockout' on your iPhone 12, that's no fun especially if you're trying to unlock your phone for urgent use. Actually, entering a wrong passcode each time you want to access your iPhone 12 can quickly lock your device.
Maybe you forgot your screen passcode, or perhaps you've recently changed your passcode and can't remember the latest one. No matter what gets you locked out of your iPhone, you'll have to remove the iPhone Unavailable alert so that you can regain the access to your iOS device. So here, we've gathered a variety of ways that you can use to erase the iPhone Unavailable lock screen and get the access back:
What does iPhone Unavailable mean?
According to the Apple official, if you or someone else have entered wrong passcode on your iPhone Lock Screen too many times, the alert message will let you know that your iPhone is unavailable and you cannot get into it unless you use a correct passcode when you try again.
So when you forgot your iPhone passcode and entered a wrong passcode six times, you'll be told that your iPhone is unavailable and you can only try again in 1 minute. If you input another wrong passcode one minute later, then you'll have to wait for 5 minutes before the next try. After that your iPhone will be blocked for 15 minutes if you failed at the eighth attempt.
The more you try, the longer you'll have to wait. If you keep using wrong passcode to unlock your iPhone, you may be locked out of your iPhone permanently. In that case, you'll want to erase and reset it so the iPhone Unavailable screen can be removed and you can regain the access.
How to fix iPhone Unavailable screen on iPhone 12?
If you're experiencing the issue that your iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro or 12 mini is having an iPhone Unavailable or Security Lockout message on the lock screen, then resetting your iOS device to its factory settings will solve the problem and let you get the access back.
Before anything, notice that the factory resetting will take your iPhone back to the Hello screen that it came with. In other words, the process will erase all the content and settings you've added since the day you bought your iPhone. And once reset, you can restore your data from a previous backup or download whatever data you have in your iCloud storage.
1. Reset unavailable iPhone 12 with Erase iPhone
If you have iOS 15.2 or later installed on your iPhone 12, you'll see an Erase iPhone option on the unavailable screen when it tells you to try again in 15 minutes. You can use this Erase iPhone option to reset your iPhone to factory settings so you can get into your locked iPhone again.
But, when your iPhone 12 is running iOS 15.1 or the earlier, the Erase iPhone option won't appear on the lock screen. If that's the issue, you'll want to scroll down to the second method and use the iPhone Unlocker to make the resetting process happen.
Note: This process will wipe out all your current content and settings on the unavailable iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 mini. You can restore your data from a recent backup after the reset.
1. When your iPhone says 'iPhone Unavailable / Security Lockout, try again in 15 minutes', you can use the Erase iPhone option to reset it. Tap Erase iPhone from the bottom on the lock screen.
2. Your iPhone will tell you this will erase all content and settings on your iPhone. You can either try again several minutes later or choose to erase and reset this locked iPhone now. If you cannot recall the correct passcode, selecting Erase iPhone from here would be a better option for you.
3. Once selected, you'll be asked to enter the password to your Apple ID so that you can log out of your Apple account and erase this iPhone. So input your Apple ID password in the box, and let your iPhone 12 wipe out all current data on it.
Erase iPhone option lets you get into an unavailable iPhone by resetting it to factory settings.
When the resetting process is finished, the iPhone Unavailable / Security Lockout screen will be removed from your iPhone 12. After that, you can set up your phone from the startup screen and choose to restore your data from a previous backup.
2. Fix iPhone Unavailable via iPhone Unlocker
For the iPhone with iOS 15.1 and the earlier, resetting the unavailable iPhone 12 can be a little bit tricky without the Erase iPhone option on the unavailable lock screen. But fortunately, a variety of apps can help to fix that. And of all the unlocking tools, the iPhone Unlocker is probably the easiest and most efficient one. It basically works for any iPhone with any iOS version.
With iPhone Unlocker, you're able to reset your iPhone and get the access back with just a few clicks. Whether you're going to wipe out the iPhone Unavailable, Security Lockout or the Disabled lock screen, it enables you to unlock and reset your iPhone without passcode in three steps only. And no need to use your Apple ID or the password. Anyone with the iPhone Unlocker will have no trouble erasing and resetting their locked iPhone. Try it now.
Step 1: Open iPhone Unlocker and select Wipe Passcode.
From the main interface, there're several options for you. The Wipe Passcode is to erase and reset your iPhone when it is locked and cannot be used. So here, select Wipe Passcode to fix the Unavailable iPhone screen. And on the next page, click Start to begin.
Choose Wipe Passcode to erase iPhone without passcode.
Step 2: Connect the unavailable iPhone and confirm the device information.
Connect your locked iOS device with your computer. Then put your iPhone into Recovery Mode so your computer can recognize it successfully. To enter the Recovery Mode on your iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 mini, do as following:
- Connect your iPhone. Press the Volume down and Side button, then drag the power off slider to turn off it.
- Press the Volume up, press the Volume down, and hold the Side button for seconds until you see the cable-to-computer logo appear on your iPhone screen.
Confirm the device information to fix iPhone Unavailable black screen.
When it detects your iPhone, confirm the device information from the drop-down menu and click Start button to go ahead. The iPhone Unlocker will start downloading the firmware package to wipe out the Unavailable iPhone / Security Lockout screen.
It is to bypass the iPhone Unavailable screen and get access back.
Step 3: Enter '0000' and click Unlock to start the unlocking process.
After the firmware is downloaded, you should see a pop-up box here asking you to make the unlock confirmation. Before that, make sure you're aware that this will erase all your current data on your iPhone while removing the Unavailable iPhone screen. And when you're ready to commit, enter '0000' and click the Unlock button to continue.
To fix the iPhone Unavailable lock screen, enter '0000' and start unlocking.
Then the unlocking process will begin immediately. Give it a few minutes to erase everything on your iPhone. Do not unplug your iPhone 12 till the loading bar finishes.
It is bypassing the screen passcode and resetting the unavailable iPhone.
Once done, the iPhone Unavailable screen will be erased and your iPhone will be reset to the original settings. You can go through the setup and restore your data from a latest backup.
3. Erase iPhone Unavailable screen remotely by iCloud Find My
Ideally, if you've enabled Find My option on your iPhone before it got unavailable, then it will be possible to reset your device by logging in to your iCloud account on your other Apple devices.
Built into iOS and macOS, the Find My feature is actually designed to locate your Apple devices or mark the missing one as lost. But since your iPhone is on your hand, we are not to look for your device but to erase and reset it remotely. To proceed with that, you'll need the same Apple ID and password that you used to set up your unavailable iPhone 12.
Firstly, on your iPad or Mac, open a browser and go to iCloud.
Log in to your iCloud account with your Apple ID and the password.
The Find My is optional from the menu once you got in. Select it and a map will gradually show up in front of you, with every Find My enabled device marked on it.
Choose All Devices / My Devices from here, and select the unavailable iPhone you want to unlock. We're not actually looking for your iPhone since you've got it on your hand right now. This is just to lead us to the Erase iPhone option. So once you select the unavailable device, choose the Erase iPhone option.
Here, you may be asked to enter your Apple ID and the password again to make the verification. If so, follow the onscreen tips to input what it's asking for, and confirm the erase option.
Locate and erase an unavailable iPhone remotely in Find My.
After that, the unavailable iPhone will erase all your files on it. If your locked iPhone is offline, it will start the resetting process once it's connected to the network. When the startup screen flashes on your iPhone again, congratulation, the unavailable screen has been removed successfully and you can get the access back. Once you go through the setup, you can also restore your personal data from a recent backup from iCloud or external storage.
4. How to restore unavailable iPhone 12 using Recovery Mode
The last method on the list is to get your iPhone into Recovery Mode, which allows you to restore your unavailable iPhone while giving you access to set it up again. All you need to do is to plug your iPhone into computer and use iTunes / Finder to restore it.
Step 1. Run iTunes (for Windows or macOS 10.14 and earlier) or Finder (for macOS 10.15 and later) on your computer.
Step 2. Turn off your iPhone 12, 12 Pro, or 12 mini. Hold the Volume down and the Side button till you see the power off slider. Slide it to shut down your iOS device.
Step 3. Place your iPhone in Recovery Mode while connecting it to computer:
- Keep pressing the Side button while plugging it into computer. Don't let the button go until the cable and computer logo appear on your iPhone screen. Then release the button.
Step 4. You'll be given two options once iTunes / Finder detects your iPhone: Update or Restore. Select Restore so it will download the firmware and start the restore process.
Step 5. Wait until the restore is complete. Then disconnect your iPhone and set it up again. You'll have the option to restore your current data from where you've backed up your device before.
Restore your iOS device to remove the 'Security Lockout' or 'iPhone Unavailable' black screen.
What to do after resetting the unavailable iPhone?
1. Set up your iPhone 12 / 12 Pro / 12 mini and create a new passcode.
After resetting your iPhone, all your data will be erased and the startup screen will flash out when it's all done. To get into your iPhone, you'll need to go through the setup process again and create a new screen passcode. Make sure that you pick a passcode that is easy to remember.
2. Restore data from backup and back up your iPhone regularly.
While setting up your iPhone 12, you'll have the option to restore data from your recent iCloud Backup or from your Mac or PC. And to avoid the unexpected data loss in the future, it would be a good option to back up your iOS device from time to time.
