Iphone 15 pro max passcode forgotten. Cannot Restore Iphone. Do not want to lose the data on the phone.

Question

Iphone 15 pro max passcode forgotten. Cannot Restore Iphone. Do not want to lose the data on the phone.

To whom it may concern,

I have forgotten my Iphone 15 Pro Max passcode. I have tried a couple attempts but none of them worked. I tried to send my phone to a data recovery place, but they are also unable to do anything. Every time I call apple, they are no help whatsoever. The reason I am asking for help is because it has not been backed up for two years.

First I am trying to figure out how many attempts I have left. I cant seem to get a straight answer from Apple. Some say 10 attempts, some say after 24 hour lockout. I dont know the exact # of attempts I have taken. The last lockout was an 8 hour disable time. Can anyone please tell me what the next hour disables are and how many attempts until it locks out. I had 1 hour, 3 hour, 8 hour, so that is at least three attempts that I remember.

Next, I do have Face-ID, but it wont work without a passcode. Does anyone know if there is a way that I can re-enable Face-ID in order to get in the phone to change the passcode? I tried some tricks by pulling up the quick menu and trying to open different things, turn on airplane mode, etc.

I really appreciate any help on how to figure this out. Apple is no help whatsoever, I get different answers from them and its really disappointing how unhelpful they are. Nobody you speak to even knows about the security of the phone. Therefore I am afraid to even try any more attempts in case it locks out forever or erases my data. Any help is appreciated.

Thank you.

Posted on Feb 2, 2026 5:30 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,528 points

Feb 2, 2026 5:48 PM in response to Apple_User_55

You have 10 attempts to enter the correct passcode. After that, the phone locks and will not even allow any more passcode attempts.

If your last message was an 8 hour lockout, you are very close to running out of attempts.

Unfortunately, there is no way to re-enable Face ID without using the correct passcode.

When you do run out of attempts, an "Unavailable" message will appear on the phone. At that point, your only option is to erase the phone and set it up again from scratch. Here are the instructions from Apple:

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

Sorry that this is not the kind of "help" that you were looking for, but it is the only thing that you can do at this point.

Once you get the phone set up again, you will have to manually download and install apps, set up email, etc.

Once you are up and running again, it might be a good idea to set up automatic daily backups to iCloud....so worst case.....you can restore the data back to your phone, and it will look like it did the day before a disaster strikes.

It is also a good idea to write down important passwords and passcodes and keep them in a safe place.....even if you are sure that you will never forget them.

Good luck.

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Answer 2

Kurtosis12

Level 9

76,744 points

Feb 2, 2026 5:40 PM in response to Apple_User_55

Sorry, without the password you will need to reset your phone and loose your data, there is no other way around it. Hopefully you made backups that you can restore from.

If you forgot the passcode on your iPhone, or your iPhone is disabled or unavailable -

Click on the link for instructions on how to reset your passcode without a computer if you have iOS 15.2 or higher.

If you see an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro unavailable message or Security Lockout screen - Apple Support

Click on the link for instructions on how to reset your passcode using a computer.

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

Restore your IPhone from a backup -

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Feb 6, 2026 6:09 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Thank you for getting back to me. Sorry for the late reply. So I found a loophole that even Apple does not know about.

If you hit forget Apple Id password and then reset it, I have it call my locked device to get that verbal passcode. Then it asks for me to put in the password of the Iphone 15 I cant get into. I have been testing it that way and it works. I put in the password and I was able to change the Apple ID.

However, when I called Apple Support, I did tell them I tried that password and it did not work. Have you ever seen this before? I am thinking I changed the password after I set up this phone on my apple account, and this work around requires the original passcode from when the phone was setup.

I also have been working with a data backup company. Their engineers know wayyyy more then apple engineers do about the Iphone 15. Surprising to be honest. They said after the 5th attempt even the correct passcode will not work because the encryption table will then lock up thus denying even the correct passcode.

One thing I am very confused by, when I got the phone back from them it was disabled yet again. And they said they did not brute force it. Apparently when you turn the phone off and back on it could magically have the disabled timer on even though no passcode was entered. Is this true? I find it very hard to believe this, but again they know much more about the security then anyone else here.

Thanks.

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Answer 4

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,528 points

Feb 6, 2026 6:55 PM in response to Apple_User_55

They said after the 5th attempt even the correct passcode will not work because the encryption table will then lock up thus denying even the correct passcode.

Maybe they can explain why when I have tested with a spare phone here.....that I often use to try to recreate issues to answer questions on this site......that I can enter the correct Passcode after 8 attempts and everything is fine. Same with entering the Passcode after 9 attempts.

One thing I am very confused by, when I got the phone back from them it was disabled yet again.

Not that impressive for engineers that you say know more than the Apple engineers.

but again they know much more about the security then anyone else here.

Yeah, sure they do.

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