I'm trying to unlock my grandma's 9th generation iPad because it unexpectedly prompted for a passcode after an update. Previously, she had been using it without one. She thinks she might have accidentally set the passcode, but I'm not sure if that's what happened. Now, the iPad is stuck on the 'Press home to recover' screen, and after a few wrong attempts, it tells me to wait 8 hours before trying again. I've tried putting it into recovery mode, but I'm having trouble updating it on my MacBook; however, I managed to do it on my PC. Unfortunately, it's still locked. The main concern is retrieving her photos, as I suspect iCloud backups aren't enabled. Is there a way to unlock it without erasing the data? Would contacting Apple support or visiting an Apple store help? Also, I'm curious about how the passcode appeared out of nowhere.
4 Answers
Is this the only Apple device she owns? If she has other devices, like an iPhone, you might want to explore those options. It looks like you'll have to restore the iPad instead of just attempting to update. Unfortunately, there's no way for Apple to bypass the passcode, even with proof of purchase.
Sounds like another sad iPad story involving someone elderly! 🤔 Many people might connect the dots here. 😂 But honestly, without being able to unlock it, erasing it seems to be the only solution.
Unfortunately, if the iPad is running iPadOS 18 or 26, it's currently not crackable. That 8-hour lockout means you have only a few attempts left. If it shows as 'Unavailable' or in 'Security Lockout,' you will need to erase it. Apple doesn't provide a backdoor for these devices, so there's no workaround for the passcode issue.
You're going to need to erase the iPad; there’s no way around it. Even if you approach Apple support or go to an Apple Store, they can't change that. You might want to check iCloud.com, though, to see if any data is syncing there.
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