Face ID is a convenient way to unlock an iPhone without passcode. However, this doesn’t mean you don’t need the passcode any more. When Face ID doesn’t work on your iPhone, you need to enter the passcode to access your device. So, what if Face ID is unavailable and you forgot the passcode unfortunately? Take it easy, you are still able to get into your locked iPhone and this post has summed up 9 ways for you to bypass Face ID and passcode on your iPhone 17/16/15/14/13/12/11.
If you just want to temporarily bypass Face ID when unlocking your iPhone, simply enter your screen passcode. After several failed Face ID attempts, your device will automatically require the passcode. You can also permanently turn off Face ID by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Reset Face ID.
If you’ve forgotten your iPhone passcode, using Face ID can serve as a temporary workaround. However, you’ll still be asked for the passcode in certain situations. For example:
– Your iPhone has just been powered on or restarted.
– You want to make changes in the Settings app.
– Your iPhone hasn’t been unlocked for more than 48 hours.
– You haven’t used the passcode to unlock your iPhone in the past 6.5 days and haven’t used Face ID to open your iPhone within the last 4 hours.
– Your iPhone is locked remotely via Find My feature.
– You failed to unlock your iPhone with Face ID after 5 attempts.
– You activate Emergency SOS or view Medical ID.
Overview of 9 Ways to Bypass Face ID and Passcode on iPhone
Before diving into each method, you can take a quick look at the table below to find the one that works best for you.
| Way | Supported OS | Require Computer or Not | Require Apple ID or Not During Unlock | Data Loss | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use Passixer iPhone Unlocker Tool | Any iOS | Yes(Windows PC or Mac) | No | Yes | Want an easy way to unlock iPhone with the highest success rate. |
| Use Apple Watch | iOS 14.5 or later | No and only iPhone and Apple Watch are required. | No | No | Want a temporary way to access your locked iPhone without data loss. |
| Use Old Passcode | iOS 17 or later | No, work directly on locked iPhone | No | No | Forgot the passcode you changed in the last 72 hours. |
| Use Apple Devices App | Any iOS | Yes(A computer running Windows 10 or later.) | No | Yes | Familiar with putting iPhone into recovery mode and not afraid of restoration failure. |
| Use Erase iPhone Option | iOS 15.2 or later | No, work directly on locked iPhone | Yes, require the Apple ID used on the locked iPhone. | Yes | Don’t have a computer on hand and your iPhone is network connected. |
| Through iCloud.com | Any iOS | Not necessarily, phone or computer or tablet are available. | Yes, the Apple ID signed in on the iPhone is needed. | Yes | Can access another device with network available. |
| Use iTunes | Any iOS | Yes(Windows) | No | Yes | Familiar with iTunes and not afraid of waiting a long time for restoration. |
| Use Find My App | Any iOS | Not necessarily, iPhone, iPad or Mac are available. | Yes, you need the Apple ID currently signed in on the unavailable iPhone. | Yes | Have another workable Apple device that can be connected to the internet. |
| Use Siri | iOS 8 – 10.1 | No, only locked iPhone is required. | No | No | Have an older model of iPhone and don’t want to lose data. |
You can also learn about each way fast via this video tutorial:
Way 1. Bypass Face ID and Passcode with Passixer iPhone Unlocker [Highest Success Rate]
As previously indicated, you cannot unlock your iPhone 11/12/13/14/15/16/17 as usual if the Face ID sensor is not functioning properly and you have forgotten your password. However, all issues can be resolved quickly using Passixer iPhone Unlocker.
Passixer iPhone Unlocker is made for unlocking any password restrictions on iOS devices, including screen lock, Apple ID, Screen Time, iCloud activation lock and MDM. Its screen lock removal is extremely outstanding, which can remove the forgotten passcode and unavailable Face/Touch ID from your workable/broken/unresponsive iPhone/iPad screen.
Steps to Unlock iPhone without Passcode or Face ID via Passixer:
Launch Passixer and Click Wipe Passcode
Open Passixer iPhone Unlocker on your computer and select Wipe Passcode. Next, select Start.
Download Required Files in Passixer for iPhone Unlock
Connect your iPhone your computer via a USB cable. When the app automatically recognizes your iPhone’s details, download the firmware after checking the device info.
Start Unlocking iPhone with Passixer
Confirm the unlock action by entering 0000 and hitting Unlock.
Successfully Reset and Unlock Your iPhone
Wait a moment and the passcode for the iPhone screen will be eliminated.
Way 2. Unlock Face ID and Passcode Using Apple Watch
Apple Watch is an often-overlooked option when you can’t unlock your iPhone with Face ID or passcode. It enables you to access your iPhone and back up it, so you can factory reset your iPhone later to remove the screen lock without data loss. If you have allowed your Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone before, follow the steps to get into your locked iPhone without passcode.
Step 1: Wear the Apple Watch on your wrist. Then, put on a mask, sunglasses or ski goggles.
Step 2: Unlock your Apple Watch.
Step 3: Wake your iPhone and look at it. Finally, swipe up on the phone screen and you will see the Home screen.
Way 3. Unlock Face ID and Passcode via Old Passcode
This is the only way to permanently unlock a locked iPhone without losing data. However, it is not widely used due to its specific requirements:
- You must have changed your screen passcode within the past 72 hours.
- Your iPhone is installed with iOS 17 or later.
- You must not have enabled “Expire Old Passcode” in the Settings app after resetting the passcode.
If your situation meets all these conditions, congratulations! Simply follow the steps below.
Step 1: Enter the wrong passcode 5 times continuously to reach the iPhone Unavailable screen. Then, tap Forgot Passcode.
Step 2: Tap Enter Previous Passcode, followed by Try Passcode Reset.
Step 3: Input the old passcode and enter a new one. Lastly, you can open your iPhone as usual.
Way 4. Bypass Face ID and Passcode Through Apple Devices App
The Apple Devices app was released in 2024. It allows you to manage your iDevices, such as backing up and restoring your phone, in Windows 10 or higher and works similarly to iTunes. You can use the Apple Devices app to factory reset your iPhone, and thus the Face ID and screen passcode are wiped from your device.
Step 1: Download and install Apple Devices app from Microsoft Store on your Windows device.
Step 2: Turn off your iPhone.
Step 3: Connect your iPhone to the computer while holding the side button (iPhone 8 or later). Release the button when you see the recovery mode icon on your iPhone. If you’re using an iPhone 7(Plus), press and hold the volume down button instead. For iPhone 6s and earlier, hold the home button.
Step 4: Run Apple Devices app and choose General in the sidebar.
Step 5: Select Restore iPhone and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the restoration. Finally, it’s time to set up your iPhone as new.
Way 5. Bypass Face ID and Passcode in Lock Screen [iOS 15.2 or Later]
This way makes it possible to reset and unlock iPhone without passcode or computer. From the iPhone lock screen, you can erase all content and settings on your iPhone, including the screen passcode. Check if the following conditions are met first before following this way.
- iOS 15.2 or later is installed on your iPhone.
- Your iPhone is still connected to a stable network and signed in with an Apple ID whose password you know.
- Find My iPhone is enabled.
The steps differ slightly between iOS 15.2–16 and iOS 17 or later. Here are the details.
Step 1: Enter an inaccurate passcode until you see "iPhone Unavailable" or "Security Lockout" message.
Step 2: Tap the corresponding options based on your iOS version.
- For iOS 15.2-16: Hit Erase iPhone at the lower right bottom and tap the same option in the next screen.
- For iOS 17 or later: Hit Forgot Passcode at the bottom right screen, choose iPhone Reset and select Start iPhone Reset.
Step 3: Enter the Apple ID password and confirm your option with the Erase button.
Way 6. Unlock iPhone without Face ID and Passcode via iCloud
iCloud site provides a Find My option for you to track and erase your iPhone. To use this feature, you need to enable Find My iPhone and login to iCloud with the same Apple ID used on the iPhone. If Find My feature is enabled before your phone is locked. You can try this way to remotely reset your iPhone, so you can unlock your iPhone without Face ID or passcode.
Step 1: Open a browser on your computer or other accessible device, and log in to iCloud.com using your Apple ID that’s used to sign in to your locked iPhone.
Step 2: To reach the iCloud Find My iPhone page after logging in to iCloud.com, scroll down and click the Find My icon.
Step 3: Pick the locked iPhone. Click Erase This Device on the action prompt when it displays. All data and settings on the iPhone, including the passcode and face ID will be deleted if you do this.
Your iPhone is now unlocked and accessible without a passcode or face ID after the wipe is finished. Of course, your iPhone is now like a brand-new device, and you have to reset it.
Way 7. Unlock iPhone without Face ID and Passcode Using iTunes
iTunes, a media player and media library application developed by Apple, serves a multifaceted role, one of which is assisting with device recovery and data management. This method is particularly useful when you find yourself locked out of your iPhone, whether due to a forgotten passcode, a malfunctioning Face ID system, or other unforeseen circumstances.
Follow these steps in order to unlock iPhone without face ID and Passcode using iTunes:
Step 1: Power off your iPhone and then use a USB cord to connect your iPhone to your computer.
Step 2: Put your iPhone into Recovery Mode by pressing the corresponding button. Release the button until you see the recovery mode screen.
- iPhone 8 or later: Press the Side button.
- iPhone 7 (Plus): Use the Volume down button.
- iPhone SE (1st generation), and iPhone 6s and earlier: Press the Home button.
Step 3: Launch Finder on a Mac or iTunes if you’re using a PC. The connected iPhone will be instantly recognized by iTunes or Finder, and a dialog box will appear giving you the option to upgrade or restore it.
Step 4: To restore the iPhone to its factory settings, choose Restore, then Restore and Update, and then adhere to the on-screen directions.
After the restore process is complete, your iPhone will restart. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the iPhone as a new device.
If you are using a Mac, you can use Finder instead and the steps are similar to those of iTunes.
Way 8. Unlock iPhone without Passcode and Face ID via Find My App
This method only works if you have another available Apple device, such as an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Also, the Find My feature of your locked Apple device is on. To try this way, here is how.
Step 1: Open Find My app on your Apple device, here we use a Mac as an example.
Step 2: Switch to Devices in the top left corner of Find My interface and select your locked iPhone.
Step 3: Click "i" icon next to the iPhone on the map and hit Erase This Device. Confirm your action and wait for the erasing process to complete, which will restore and unlock your iPhone without any credentials.
Way 9. Bypass Face ID on iPhone without Passcode Through Siri
Have you heard that the iPhone screen locking issue may be resolved with voice control? That is correct. Siri may be used to unlock an iPhone without a passcode.
However, you must verify that iOS 8–iOS 10.3 is installed on your iOS device. Then, you can do the following actions to utilize voice control to unlock your iPhone without a passcode without having to reset it (this could take up to 15 minutes).
Step 1: Turn on Siri and ask it, “What time is it now?”
Step 2: Once the time has been shown, tap the clock icon.
Step 3: To add a new clock, click +. Then enter some informal text in the box.
Step 4: Hold down the key while selecting every word. Next, choose Share > Messages.
Step 5: Enter a few characters in the “To:” field.
Step 6: Press + to add this address as a new contact by tapping the “To:” box.
Step 7: Click Create New Contact.
Step 8: Tap Add Photo > Choose Photo to go to the Photos Library screen.
Step 9: To return to the home screen, simply hit the Home button while you are in the Photos Library screen. Wow! You’ve just successfully bypassed the lock screen on your iPhone!
FAQs
Yes, but there are some situations requirng your screen passcode, such as after rebooting your iPhone and after several unsuccessful Face ID attempts.
Yes, depending on whether Require Attention For Face ID is on. For more details, please refer to this post: Unlock Face ID While Sleeping.
A user from Apple Community shared that they disabled Stolen Device Protection by tapping Try Again several times in the required Face ID message and then they could turn off the feature with passcode. They also mentioned that removing the iPhone from the device list via iCloud Find My can help achieve the same result.
Conclusion
Bypassing Face ID and passcode on 17/16/15/14/13/12/11 iPhone can be a daunting task, but Passixer iPhone Unlocker offers a dependable and effective solution. This tool’s exceptional success rate, coupled with its user-friendly interface, makes it the go-to choice for unlocking iPhone when conventional methods fail.