IPhone in lost mode, if a person guesses the 4 digit passcode can they see/send messages and contacts etc?

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Level 1

8 points

IPhone in lost mode, if a person guesses the 4 digit passcode can they see/send messages and contacts etc?

I have lost my iPhone. Someone has found it. I got an email message when they turned it on and called it immediately. Unfortunately they turned it off, after the first call and now it goes straight to answerphone. It has been in lost mode for three days. My question is simple, if the person guesses the four digit passcode, can they send/see text messages and emails, can they see contacts etc. Do they need my apple id and password to access and use the phone or simply the four digit code?
Thanks in advance,

Regards.

iPhone 4S, iOS 8.1

Posted on Apr 14, 2015 4:23 PM

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Answer 1

Vulpez Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 14, 2015 4:48 PM in response to Michael Black

Yes, i appreciate that. I do hope they don't, however the passcode is VERY simple... If they guess or if it was actually taken by someone that knows me or saw me enter the code, then can they use the phone normally once it's entered, will i get an email or will the phone come out of lostmode on the app? Sorry for the repeated question. I will shortly hit the 'this solved my question' button 😉
Thanks again

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Answer 2

Apr 14, 2015 5:02 PM in response to Vulpez

If they power it up again and it connects to the Internet it would send a location fix to your iCloud account. They cannot deactivate find my iPhone without your iCloud account password, but yes they could use the device.

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Answer 3

Vulpez Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 14, 2015 4:38 PM in response to Edward Hargreaves

Thank you Edward Hargeaves. I'm still a bit confused. If someone guesses my four digit passcode then the phone is unlocked and they can continue to use it normally? They can send SMS and see my messages etc? If so i will need to erase my phone instead of waiting in hope that the tracker will find enough internet access to give me a location before the person guesses the passcode.. Thanks again! 🙂

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Answer 4

Apr 14, 2015 4:43 PM in response to Vulpez

They only get six tries to guess the passcode before being permanently locked out. Once locked put, the only way to reset the passcode is to erase and restore the device. If you have find my iPhone active, then they could not activate it to use it even if they erased it as Activation Lock would prevent them.

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Answer 5

Apr 14, 2015 4:31 PM in response to Vulpez

Find My iPhone: Lost Mode

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Answer 6

Apr 14, 2015 5:02 PM in response to Vulpez

If you're concerned that someone could guess the passcode within six tries, I would recommend erasing your iPhone:
Find My iPhone: Erase your device

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Answer 7

Apr 14, 2015 4:42 PM in response to Vulpez

There are 10,000 possible passcode combinations. If you enter the wrong passcode six times in a row, it will disable the phone from allowing any more guesses.

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