iPad is disabled. Cannot unlock. Help!
How to unlock the IPad?
iPad 2, iOS 9
2 replies
If your iPad is disabled, or you have forgotten your iPad passcode, you’ll need to follow this process:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT211078
You’ll need access to either a PC (with iTunes installed) or a Mac (with iTunes or Finder - as appropriate for the installed version of MacOS).
You’ll also need your AppleID and associated password. If these have also been forgotten, they can be recovered here:
To recover your credentials, you’ll need access to one of the following:
- Your primary email address mailbox that corresponds with your AppleID
- Any of the secondary/recovery email addresses that should be configured for your AppleID account
- Any of the trusted telephone numbers (fixed line or Cellular/Mobile) that are associated with your AppleID
Unless you AppleID account has not been fully/correctly configured, or has been seriously neglected, recovery of the AppleID and password should not be difficult.
More information about recovery of your AppleID:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201354
More information about recovery of your AppleID password:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201487
When you recover access to your credentials, you would be well advised to log-in to your AppleID account from a web browser - and verify/update any email addresses and trusted telephone numbers:
Be advised that we are seeing a nigh incidence of issues activating 9 year old iPad2 devices - often requiring assistance from Apple Support. Should it be necessary to seek assistance directly from the Support Team, the quickest route to engaging with them is via the Contact Support link at top-right of this page.
You also need to know that Apple ended update support for iPad2 in September 2016. iPad2 cannot be updated to iOS 10 or later versions as the internal hardware does not meet the minimum technical requirements for new versions of iOS/iPadOS.
Many App Developers have also dropped support for older devices and iOS versions preceding iOS11/12/13 - and have withdrawn older versions of their Apps from the Apple App Store, now limiting utility and usefulness of older devices. Once withdrawn, these Apps cannot be (re)downloaded or (re)installed. As you will need to reload any third-party Apps, this may present a further issue for you.
If Apps that you need to use now have higher minimum iOS-version requirements, your only option is to replace your iPad with newer model. Of current models, even the budget priced iPad7 supports current iPadOS13.x (and the soon to be released iPadOS14) and has hardware specifications and capabilities that will vastly outperform your old iPad.
I hope this information and guidance is helpful in both resolving the problem - and in clearly outlining the limitations of your current iPad and available options.
iPad is disabled. Cannot unlock. Help!