Beware: this Tip & Trick can be dangerous for your smartphone. Follow the instructions carefully, because tapping something by mistake can have negative consequences.
Forgotten your phone's password? That is too bad! For security reasons, it is not possible to change your code without unlocking the phone first. The only way to get your phone back in service is to do a hard reset, which will delete the PIN or access pattern and get your phone back in service. Follow the steps below to do a hard reset.
Please note that a hard reset deletes all data and files on the phone.
Resetting your iPhone or iPad on the device itself
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Tap 'Settings'.
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Tap 'General'.
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Scroll down and tap 'Reset'.
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Tap 'Delete all contents and settings'.
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Tap 'Delete iPhone'.
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Tap 'Delete iPhone' once more.
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All your data will now be deleted, this usually takes a few minutes.
Resetting your iPhone or iPad using iTunes
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Open iTunes on your PC.
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Connect your iPhone to your PC.
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In iTunes, click on the iPhone icon.
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Tap 'Recover iPhone...'
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If necessary, deactivate Find My iPhone first. In the menu on the left we explain how to do this.
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Tap 'Ok' and then tap 'Recover iPhone...' again.
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Tap 'Create backup' and tap 'Recover'.
Resetting your iPhone or iPad through the iCloud
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Go to iCloud.com on for example, your computer, and sign in with your AppleID.
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Tap 'Search iPhone'.
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At the top, tap 'All devices' and select your device.
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Tap 'Delete iPhone'.
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Tap 'Delete'.
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Log in with your AppleID.
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Fill in your details and tap 'Continue'.
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Fill in a phone number and a message if necessary.
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Tap 'Done'.
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Tap 'OK'.
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Tap 'Delete from account'.
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Tap 'Delete'.