I'm dealing with a bit of a situation here. I switched from an iPhone 11 to a 13 about two years ago, and I completely forgot the password for my old iPhone 11. It's now disabled and locked for 8 hours because I tried too many times. I actually want to factory reset the 11 to use it solely for taking pictures, videos, and notes, but I don't care about any data on it. However, I'm worried about not messing up my current iPhone 13's data or anything on my Macbook.
The problem is, I don't have a home button and didn't set up Face ID, so I can't put it into 'recovery mode' as Apple suggests. I've seen options in Finder on my Mac that ask about syncing, but I really don't want to risk syncing old data or losing anything on my new phone. Is there a safe way to reset the iPhone 11? Any help would be appreciated since the phone is in great condition, and I think it's a waste to just let it sit there!
2 Answers
You can definitely reset your iPhone 11 without accidentally syncing anything on your iPhone 13 or messing with data on your Mac. If you want to enter DFU mode (Device Firmware Update), it involves a different button combination since there’s no home button on the iPhone 11. You can try pressing and quickly releasing the Volume Up button, then the Volume Down button, and finally press and hold the Side button until the screen goes black. Then immediately press and hold the Volume Down button while still holding the Side button for about 5 seconds, then release the Side button while continuing to hold the Volume Down button for about 10 seconds. If your screen stays black, you're in DFU mode! From there, you can connect it to your Mac and reset it through Finder without affecting your iPhone 13.
Thanks for this! I’ll give it a try.
If you're still stuck, another option is using iTunes. Connect your iPhone 11 to your computer, then force it into DFU mode as described above. Once in DFU mode, your Mac should detect that there’s a device in recovery, and it'll give you the option to restore it. Just make sure you don’t select any option that says 'sync'—only the restore option should be selected. And don’t worry; your iPhone 13 data will remain intact!
Great, that eases my worries about affecting my new phone! Thank you!
Yes! Just focus on restoring. It's a safe approach.
Huh, I didn't know about that button method! Thanks for breaking it down.