Hey everyone, I'm reaching out for help in a really difficult situation. My sister recently passed away, and we were able to access her iCloud by guessing her Mac's password. However, all we found there were some really old pictures. The real issue is with her iPhone, which is locked by a 6-digit code, and we have some ideas of what the code might be based on significant dates, but we have had no luck so far.
We do have the receipt and box with the serial number, as well as her death and legacy certificate. We're really hoping to access her last memories stored on that device, including her pictures and any notes that might be there—maybe even a goodbye message.
I've spoken at length with Apple's support team, and while they were lovely, they mentioned the possibility of permanently locking the iPhone if too many incorrect attempts are made. I'm really hesitant to try again because resetting the device means everything would be erased, and we would lose any chance of recovering her memories.
Is there any way to recover the pictures and notes, or could we possibly disable the permanent locking feature so we can safely keep trying different codes? I don't mind if the device becomes unusable afterwards; I just want to hold onto these precious memories. Any help or advice would mean the world to me. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any insight you can offer!
3 Answers
Have you tried connecting the iPhone to a computer with a lightning cable? I’ve heard of people accessing photos that way without having to unlock the phone first.
Considering you have the death certificate, definitely reach out to Apple again about the device. They have policies for this kind of situation, but it seems they may only be able to help with the account access rather than unlocking the physical hardware. It’s really tough, but keeping on top of it with customer support might help you find another option.
Thanks for the advice, but it seems even with the certificate, unlocking the actual phone isn’t possible.
It looks like your best bet for getting access to the iPhone would be to consult data recovery specialists. Since iCloud didn’t have all the data, it sounds like it’s locally stored on the device. Unfortunately, there’s no way around the passcode without erasing all the data first. Just a heads up, these services can be pretty costly, but many do offer free diagnostics so you can see what might be recoverable before committing. Keep your hopes up—there might still be a chance!
Thank you for the suggestion!
I appreciate the tip, but it looks like the phone needs to be unlocked to access anything.