You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Accessing ipad

My Daughter, recently passed away. My wife and I just this passed weekend cleaned out her apartment. One of the things we did not give away was her apple ipad. we figured there would be pictand memories on it. But how do I get passed the 4 digitpin?

Posted on May 1, 2023 4:44 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 1, 2023 4:49 PM

A close Family member or Executor, with the required supporting paperwork, can make application to Apple to be granted access to the Apple accounts of the deceased:

How to request access to a deceased family member's Apple accounts - Apple Support


You should note that if successful, this process will grant access to some information stored in iCloud - but will not, of itself, resolve access to the iPad.


Quite often, close family also have sufficient knowledge - and access to likely recovery paths - that access to the AppleID account of the deceased family member can be recovered. Having done so, it is then possible to release the Activation Lock that prevents reuse of an iPad/iPhone.


The following guidance is written from the perspective of the owner - but a family member will get the idea as they run through the process.



If your device is Activation Locked, this help page will provide most of the information that you’ll need:

Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support


If you have forgotten your AppleID or associated password, these can be recovered here:

https://iforgot.apple.com/


To recover your credentials, you’ll need access to any 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:

If you forgot your Apple ID - Apple Support


More information about recovery of your AppleID password:

If you forgot your Apple ID password - Apple Support


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:

https://appleid.apple.com/


Having recovered access to the AppleID account (and therefore the AppleID username and associated Password), Activation Locks can be removed. There are several routes to this, but for brevity, I’ll refer you to this support page:

Turn off Activation Lock – Apple Support


If the passcodes of any devices are unknown, the data stored on the device itself will be beyond reach. The iPad uses an encrypted filesystem, the Passcode being required to unlock the Secure Enclave (this iPad security chip) within which the only copy of the encryption keys are stored. Without the Passcode, the encryption keys cannot be accessed - and neither can the data that the keys protect. That said, if the device(s) have an associated iCloud backup, you can restore the backup data to the device. To do so, you would need to follow this procedure:

If you’ve forgotten the passcode on your iPad, or your iPad is disabled – Apple Support


You’ll need access to either a Windows PC (with iTunes for Windows installed) or a Mac (with iTunes or Finder - as appropriate for the installed version of macOS). At the end of the process, you’ll have the option to restore data from the backup.


I hope to have covered all the likely scenarios - and similarly hope that this guidance is helpful in fully resolving your current difficulties.


1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 1, 2023 4:49 PM in response to W00dsW0rld

A close Family member or Executor, with the required supporting paperwork, can make application to Apple to be granted access to the Apple accounts of the deceased:

How to request access to a deceased family member's Apple accounts - Apple Support


You should note that if successful, this process will grant access to some information stored in iCloud - but will not, of itself, resolve access to the iPad.


Quite often, close family also have sufficient knowledge - and access to likely recovery paths - that access to the AppleID account of the deceased family member can be recovered. Having done so, it is then possible to release the Activation Lock that prevents reuse of an iPad/iPhone.


The following guidance is written from the perspective of the owner - but a family member will get the idea as they run through the process.



If your device is Activation Locked, this help page will provide most of the information that you’ll need:

Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support


If you have forgotten your AppleID or associated password, these can be recovered here:

https://iforgot.apple.com/


To recover your credentials, you’ll need access to any 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:

If you forgot your Apple ID - Apple Support


More information about recovery of your AppleID password:

If you forgot your Apple ID password - Apple Support


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:

https://appleid.apple.com/


Having recovered access to the AppleID account (and therefore the AppleID username and associated Password), Activation Locks can be removed. There are several routes to this, but for brevity, I’ll refer you to this support page:

Turn off Activation Lock – Apple Support


If the passcodes of any devices are unknown, the data stored on the device itself will be beyond reach. The iPad uses an encrypted filesystem, the Passcode being required to unlock the Secure Enclave (this iPad security chip) within which the only copy of the encryption keys are stored. Without the Passcode, the encryption keys cannot be accessed - and neither can the data that the keys protect. That said, if the device(s) have an associated iCloud backup, you can restore the backup data to the device. To do so, you would need to follow this procedure:

If you’ve forgotten the passcode on your iPad, or your iPad is disabled – Apple Support


You’ll need access to either a Windows PC (with iTunes for Windows installed) or a Mac (with iTunes or Finder - as appropriate for the installed version of macOS). At the end of the process, you’ll have the option to restore data from the backup.


I hope to have covered all the likely scenarios - and similarly hope that this guidance is helpful in fully resolving your current difficulties.


Accessing ipad

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.