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Accessing an iPhone

My brother is recently deceased, and our family is trying to access his phone. Without knowing the passcode, is there a way to do this, without erasing the phone and it's contents?

iPhone XR

Posted on Jun 1, 2021 8:26 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jun 1, 2021 8:43 AM

Sorry about your loss.


See this paragraph:

Please note that devices locked with a passcode are protected by passcode encryption, and unless the next of kin knows the device passcode, Apple will not be able to remove the passcode lock on the device without erasing it. 

Extracted from:--> How to request access to a deceased family member's Apple accounts - Apple Support

(if possible, check if your brother had a recent backup on a computer or on iCloud. Should be this case, you can restore data from that backup, after erasing the device to remove the passcode)


On the contrary, if the iPhone has "activation lock" you can use the above instructions to have it removed.

Regards

Giulio

2 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jun 1, 2021 8:43 AM in response to dbarnes78

Sorry about your loss.


See this paragraph:

Please note that devices locked with a passcode are protected by passcode encryption, and unless the next of kin knows the device passcode, Apple will not be able to remove the passcode lock on the device without erasing it. 

Extracted from:--> How to request access to a deceased family member's Apple accounts - Apple Support

(if possible, check if your brother had a recent backup on a computer or on iCloud. Should be this case, you can restore data from that backup, after erasing the device to remove the passcode)


On the contrary, if the iPhone has "activation lock" you can use the above instructions to have it removed.

Regards

Giulio

Accessing an iPhone

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