disabled iPhone

[cinek]

Hi there,

Considering variety of knowledge on this forum, I was hoping that someone might know the way...

Yesterday on the way back from holidays my phone got locked. When tried to input the password, it wouldnt recognise it. The phone was used earlier in the morning and the password was not changed, yet the device did not want to accept it.

Anyway, after several tries (same password, over and over again) the phone got disabled. It currently displays 'iPhone is disabled, connect to iTunes'.

And this is where the real issue starts, that phone was never backed up and was not syncing with the iCloud. I mean I did once back in April (iTunes) and never since.

I am not particularly fussed about anything else on that phone, but the photos that are on it. Well, quite desperate to be fair to recover them.

I have purchased two different bits of third party software iPhone Data Recovery and Leowo Recovery, only to realise they both dont work unless you can assess the phone which of course can be done free of charge via iTunes

I simply cannot believe there isnt a way to access that data and download it. Like I said, once I got the photos the phone can be wiped and started a'fresh.

I would greatly appreciate any help, and tips or name of somebody (or a company) who / which could do this for me (of course for a fee).



PS. Yes, I have contacted apple already and was told that its a complete wipe and photos cant be saved.

 

[brucemillar]

From my understanding (warning I am not an expert)

What Apple have told you is correct. You can get around the password by doing a complete restore/rebuild as a new phone on itunes. But that would wipe the phone and your photos.

I am unsure how the password could have changed? but that is the key (excuse the pun) without that info I see no way out of this. You could try and Google this but beware there are many people who advertise password hacks but most will will simply be a restore on itunes and that is not what you want.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I went through this not so long ago and lost about 6 months worth of photos (some very important work related!) because I'd been too lazy to back them up.

After much huffing and puffing, I ended up simply having to restore to the last back up which was very frustrating.

 

[cinek]

Thanks chaps, but I am not giving up yet.
I simply dont believe that there isnt a way to get into these files.
Or, is apple better protected than FBI files?? (I hope not)

 

[MancMike]

iOS (8 onwards) uses an encrypted filesystem. It's no longer possible to recover any data without the passcode, which is a good thing.

Your only option if it's not connected to icloud, and not backed up to icloud or itunes, is to wipe the phone and start again.

Next time, have it linked and backing up to icloud and be chuffed in the knowledge that if your phone got stolen, your data is totally safe and inaccessible.

A (not so) quick primer on iOS encryption

http://gizmodo.com/5934234/ios-encryption-is-so-good-not-even-the-nsa-can-hack-it

So sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you bought a secure phone. There's nothing anyone, company or software can do to help you. So come to terms with it, don't waste any more time giving yourself false hope and write it off as a lesson learned.

EDIT: Apple couldn't unlock it even if the FBI demanded so, unlike Google which stores the key for Android devices. Encryption is encryption, it doesn't care about government authorities. Basically to break the AES-256 encryption by brute force (which isn't even possible), it'd take more energy to power enough computers to break the key in a reasonable amount of time (years) than it'd take to boil all the water in all the oceans on earth.

My advice: It's encrypted, give up.

 

[amiller81]

If its already been connected to iTunes on the se computer you should be able to recover everything without unlocking it. Are you using a windows or Mac computer?

 

[spinaltap]

https://imazing.com - £22 - Mac or PC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntp-rmHsqRM

 

[c63chris]

The answer is pretty much as others have said. Just think if your phone is stolen, how would someone get the data? Would you want them to? That's why it's made secure. It's worth hooking it up to iTunes and seeing what happens but I think the others are right and it will need restoring.

 

[clk208]

Your phone should sync to iCloud every time you plug it in for a full charge at the mains and there is wifi. You havent needed to go via iTunes on a computer for years.

Unless you actively disabled the iCloud backup on the phone?

I had an iPhone stolen a couple of years ago and was super worried about my photos. When I went into a shop to pick up a replacement iPhone it started downloading all my stuff onto the phone as soon as I input my iOS ID.

 

[cinek]

The answer is pretty much as others have said. Just think if your phone is stolen, how would someone get the data? Would you want them to? That's why it's made secure. It's worth hooking it up to iTunes and seeing what happens but I think the others are right and it will need restoring.

I get that, but...

Surely there should be a way, where as a legitimate owner of the device, after proving it is yours, and after paying a small fee, Apple geeks can decrypt the phone and unlock it.

 

[Howard]

I think iconica explained it pretty well in post 5

Encryption is encryption. It wouldn't be very good encryption if the guys at the Genius Bar could break it.

It's made that way so it is secure, apple can't break it even if asked to by law enforcement. If there was a 'back door' it would make a mockery of the security aspect as you can bet that some spotty teenager will crack it in his bedroom and then post it all over the web.

Apple would be a laughing stock.

 

[markjay]

Not directly related, but keep in mind that even if you do finally accept that the phone needs to be wiped, you will still need to know the Apple ID and password that this phone was originally registered to, in order to reinstall it and use it.

The logic behind it is that even if someones finds or steals your phone they will not be able to simply wipe it and reuse it.

 

[Deleted96908]

-
I mean I did once back in April (iTunes) and never since.

Have you tried backing it up again in iTunes? And then restoring from the new backup?

Apple seems to suggest that's possible, assuming you've backed up at least once previously, unless I've misunderstood what they've said here:

Restore using iTunes

If you've synced your device with iTunes, you can restore your device.

Connect your device to the computer you synced with.

Open iTunes. If asked for a passcode, try another computer you've synced with, or use recovery mode.

Wait for iTunes to sync your device and make a backup.

Once the sync and backup have finished,click Restore [your device].

Here's the link to the instructions - sorry if it's a waste of time.

If you forgot the passcode for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or your device is disabled

 

[219]

It would have to have been connected to iTunes in the first place to have activated it .

 

[HughJarse]

itools or pphelper may work

iTools -???????????-iTools????

 

[MancMike]

ffs. It's not possible. It really is not possible.

 

[Druk]

ffs. It's not possible. It really is not possible.

Are you certain? There must be some way to do it....surely?











.

 

[HughJarse]

ffs. It's not possible. It really is not possible.

Not strictly true.
Depends on what model of iphone you have.

Basically you need to install afc2d
Jailbreak it with redsn0w, it will install afc automatically giving you access to the filesystem regardless of password or not. use itools or iphone browser goto /var/mobile/Media/DCIM copy folder 100APPLE these are all your photo's in the camera roll.

That'll only work on a iphone 4 (not s)

By jailbreaking you use an exploit that allows you root access.
Newer the phone -harder the process

 

[HughJarse]

There is also another way and I have just done it for my son's ipad - who coincidently did the same as you. ( He constantly changes his number to stop his brother getting in!)

You need to pretend youre going to restore it with itunes. Literally as it starts updatong/restoring, cancel it - i pulled the cable out after about 10 seconds.

It then goes back to asking you for the unlock code.

Basically - the update/restore process unlocks the the ipad so it can do its job and you unplug it after it undoes the disable.

Dont blame me if it doesn't work for you though!

 

[BTB 500]

We had some fun with my son's old iphone 3 today. One of his brothers had set a PIN on it and forgotten what he used

Didn't get anywhere with iTunes really - that just kept asking for the phone's passcode. Luckily we guessed it in the end but would have been stuck otherwise. Passcode now disabled