Locked out of old iPhone SE and iPhone 7

I have a couple of older iphones that I have been meaning to pass on or possibly sell-they have been gathering dust in my drawer for some time. I recently restored them to default settings for future use and possibly to use as an emergency phone.


I was hoping to pass on one of the phones to my younger son, but when I went to set them up it appears both have been locked out with a passcode "try again in 8hrs" with timestamps in the early hours.


Turns out my teenage daughter (who has an iphone and screentime/restrictions through family settings) had snuck in to our bedroom and attempted to use them in the middle of the night, hoping to gain unrestricted access to apps/web content (a warning to all parents of tweens/teens out there-hide/get rid of old phones!). When confronted, she admitted her attempts but did not really know what she was doing-and now I have two locked out phones as she cannot remember the passcodes she set up.


Any tips to resolve at home or is it a genius bar job?


Thanks,


Jeff


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Locked out of old iphones (iphone SE/iphone 7)

Posted on Sep 9, 2025 7:38 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 9, 2025 7:42 AM

Follow the instructions in this article to restore iOS using your computer (ignore the video on how to use Face ID to reset it).


If you forgot your iPhone passcode or your iPhone is disabled - Apple Support


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Locked out of old iPhone SE and iPhone 7

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