My daughter passed away and I have her iPad. Ater an update, the iPad is now requiring her password. I have tried several passwords which I thought she may have used, but have been unsuccessful. I want to download all the pictures she had. If I continue trying to guess her password, do I run the risk of the iPad wiping itself? I
iPad, iOS 9
First, my condolences for such a devastating loss for you....
It depends on what lock you are running into, and how the device was set up to start with. Is the lock you are trying to get past the one where you type in the numbers (4 or 6 numbers)? If so, that is the Lock Screen lock, and if the device has been set up to erase after 10 failed tries, then it will wipe it. Even if it isn't set up to erase after 10 tries, eventually the device will become disabled permanently, and the only remedy at that point is to erase it and restore it.
If she was doing regular iCloud or iTunes backups, then you would be able to restore it from the last backup, but if she wasn't, you would end up in the same place as you would with the 10 failed attempts - the device would be wiped.
If instead, you are running into the Activation Lock which shows part of her Apple ID and is asking for the password to Activate the device, you would need to know her Apple ID password to get past that screen. If you know her Apple ID email, then you could go to: Apple - My Apple ID, and click on forgot password, then you could see if you are able to answer her Security Questions. If you are, then you can reset the password, and then use the new one to sign in and Activate the device.
Did she have a Mac or PC that she had her iTunes library and Photos library on? If she did, then you might want to try the Photos apps or My Photos location (if it is a PC) there to see if you can see the photos you are looking for.
I hope you will be able to find a way to get her photos. I'm sure they mean a lot to you.
Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.
Best of luck,
GB
Need passcode
