My partner died recently, and her iPad contains art that means a lot to her family and me. After several wrong passcode attempts, we may be one attempt away from an erase.
Is there any legitimate way to get more attempts or recover the art? Can Apple or a data recovery service help? We have checked her account and don't think the art is in the cloud.
I'm so sorry. Stop trying passcodes for now, including likely dates or other guesses. If the erase setting is enabled and you're close to its limit, another wrong attempt could destroy the local data.
There isn't a known way to disable that setting or get more attempts without unlocking the iPad. Apple generally can't bypass the device passcode to retrieve locally stored files either.
Even if the account looks empty, it may be worth carefully checking for an iCloud backup as well as synced files and photos. A backup could potentially be restored to another device, though whether the art is included depends on the app and how it stored the work.
For account access, Apple has a process for a deceased person's family. The documentation required can vary, and may include a death certificate and court order. That is separate from unlocking the iPad itself.
Be careful with anyone promising a guaranteed unlock or asking you to reset the iPad as a first step. A reset erases the device, and removing Activation Lock is not the same thing as recovering its contents.
If you consult a professional recovery service, explain the remaining-attempt risk before handing over the device. Ask what they would actually do, whether any step could erase data, and get the family's authorization sorted out first.
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mostly_about_vowels:
We were hoping there might be a way to keep trying without risking the art. We'll stop guessing for now.