I was given an older phone before and successfully fixed a similar problem using an app on my laptop. I recently bought what I think is an iPhone X, replaced the battery and screen, and now it is asking for a numeric lock-screen passcode that I don't know. I'm worried because the phone only seems to charge intermittently, and my laptop never detects it. Is there a way to reset it, or have I wasted the money I put into repairing it?
3 Answers
The connection problem may be separate from the passcode. Try a known-good Lightning data cable, another USB port or computer, and check whether the charging port is clogged or damaged. A cable that only supports charging won’t let the computer communicate with the iPhone. If recovery mode still isn’t detected, the port or another internal component may need repair.
If it’s asking for the phone’s numeric lock-screen passcode, the normal solution is recovery mode. Connect the iPhone to a computer, enter recovery mode, and choose Restore. This erases everything on the phone and reinstalls iOS, so any data still on it will be lost.
Make sure the screen is really asking for a numeric device passcode and not Activation Lock. Recovery mode can remove the passcode, but it cannot remove the previous owner’s Apple Account lock. If Activation Lock appears after restoring, the previous owner must remove the phone from their account; otherwise the device can’t be set up for someone else.
That sounds like the screen I’m seeing. My main problem is that the computer doesn’t detect the phone reliably, even though it sometimes charges.