How can I help restore my mother’s disabled iPhone? Verifications go to her messages and the requested phone call doesn’t happen.

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How can I help restore my mother’s disabled iPhone? Verifications go to her messages and the requested phone call doesn’t happen.

Edited to add: I think I picked the wrong topic for this question but I don’t know how to change it to a different one…so I guess it now belongs in this topic after all…sorry…

How can I help restore my mother’s disabled iPhone 7? All log in verifications go to the phone, but it can’t be opened because, well, the phone is disabled. I tried to update her 2010 laptop to restore from iTunes, but again…I need a verification number. I can’t log in with her account for support for the same reason. The email address on her account doesn’t exist anymore, so that’s out. I don’t want to ditch the whole thing because and switch to a different phone; she’s 81, and teaching her to use a different brand would be challenging, plus her contacts are on the iPhone. What are my options? The nearest Apple Store is an hour away, in a really busy mall, and she can’t handle that kind of activity, so if I can do this on the phone, I would really appreciate it. Thanks for any guidance.

Posted on Dec 18, 2021 6:52 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 19, 2021 11:42 AM in response to claire504

Thank you. I actually gave up on it and reset the phone without an ID. She can make calls and I added in her contacts myself. That’s all she needs. I’ll bookmark this reply for future reference since we are all getting old!

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Answer 2

claire504

Community Specialist

Dec 19, 2021 9:52 AM in response to Deanne Devine

Hi Deanne Devine,

It appears that your mother's iPhone is disabled from too many passcode attempts. This article shows the only way to resolve a disabled device: If you forgot your iPhone passcode - Apple Support If there was a recent backup, that could be restored to the iPhone.

Please note, that if Find My was enabled on your mother's iPhone, after restoring the iPhone, you'll see an Activation Lock screen asking for her Apple ID and password before being able to continue setting up the iPhone again. If the email cannot be accessed anymore, then you may need to request to remove Activation Lock: How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support If you'd like, you can read more about Activation Lock here: Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

You mentioned talking on the phone, if you prefer that, you can contact Apple Support for further assistance here: Contact Apple Support

Best wishes to you.

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How can I help restore my mother’s disabled iPhone? Verifications go to her messages and the requested phone call doesn’t happen.

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