How to Change iPhone Lock Screen Password

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How to Change iPhone Lock Screen Password

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The security of our iPhone is one of the most important aspects, and the lock code is our first line of defense. At some point, we've all wanted to change it: either because we want more security, or because we suspect someone knows… or, yes, because we simply forgot about it. In this guide we will cover all possible scenarios: from the simplest process, when we remember our current code, to what to do when we have completely forgotten the password.

Types of iPhone Lock Code and Password

For years, we rarely had the habit of entering our lock code or password on the iPhone. It's because We have facial unlocking systems (Face ID) or by fingerprint (Touch ID). It is precisely for this reason that we must choose a strong password for our iPhone. No use of our birthday, “1234”, etc. When we go to establish our new code, iOS offers us several security options.

Six-digit numeric code

This is the default and most used option by most of us. It's a good balance between safety and practicality, offering a million possible combinations.

Four-digit code

The classic among the classics, but one of the least reliable. For a hacker, the difference between cracking a four-digit or six-digit code is staggering. Therefore, although it is still available, Apple does not recommend this option, since its security level only offers 10,000 possible combinations.

Personalized digital code

You also have the option to enter a numeric code of the length you want. Is the number in your head five or seven digits? No problem, you can also set it up and use it as a lock password for your iPhone.

Alphanumeric password

If you are handling particularly sensitive information, or simply want maximum security, the alphanumeric code or password is the best option. This type of lock code allows you to combine letters, numbers and symbols.

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Steps to Change iPhone Lock Code or Password (If You Remember)

If we remember our current code, changing the password is a very simple process that will take us a little more than a minute. It is important to follow the steps and above all know the small differences that exist depending on the model of iPhone that we have.

  1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode.
  2. Scroll down where you will find Change Code.
  3. The iPhone will ask you for a six-digit passcode. If you want to change it to another of the previous options, just click on Code Options, which we saw earlier.

For 72 hours (three days), you will be able to continue using the old and new code. Yes, in case you don't remember. Of course, once these three days have passed, only the new one will be valid. Keep this in mind if you changed the code because you think someone might know.

Change iPhone passcode
Change iPhone passcode

How to change the passcode if you forgot the iPhone lock password

If you forgot the iPhone passcode, there is a solution. Of course, we recommend trying several times first, even if you have to wait several hours for security reasons. After several unsuccessful attempts, the iPhone implements increasingly long delays: one minute after six attempts, five minutes after seven, fifteen minutes after eight attempts and a full hour after nine unsuccessful attempts.

Forgotten iPhone code
Forgotten iPhone code

However, we recommend bringing it to “this limit” if you think you can remember your code. Because? Because otherwise, All internal information of the iPhone will need to be deletedi.e. restore it to its factory condition. If you have reached this point, the only method to change the iPhone passcode, if you have forgotten it, is to connect it to a computer.

  • If you have a MacConnect the iPhone and go to Finder.
  • If you use Windowsdownload iTunes and connect iPhone.

From here, the steps are similar on Windows and Mac to change the iPhone passcode if we have forgotten its password. The first thing will be to turn off our iPhone. Once turned off, we will have to put it in recovery mode (DFU), and to do this you need to press several buttons in a specific order:

  1. We are going to press the volume up button (one press).
  2. Next, the volume down button (also a single press).
  3. Finally, we will hold the lock button for about 15 seconds until we see that the iPhone asks us to connect it to the computer.

This sequence must be performed relatively quickly. Nothing happens if the iPhone turns on; try again until iPhone asks you to connect it to the computer.

Put iPhone in DFU mode
Put iPhone in DFU mode

Once this is done, all we have left to do is connect iPhone to Mac or Windows. iTunes and Finder will guide us through the process. In both cases we will select our iPhone when it appears on the computer we will choose the Catering option and we will wait for the process to finish. After the restoration, we can disconnect the iPhone and set it up as new, after which we can restore our iCloud backup (if we had one).

Restore iPhone
Restore iPhone

The iPhone will ask us to enter our Apple account and password. This is a method of anti-theft protection for the Search app to prevent them from using an iPhone that isn't yours. If you don't remember the passwordyou can restore it to use your iPhone again.

Now you know everything about how to passcode lock an iPhone. Our privacy and security always deserve a few minutes of attention. But if we don't remember the password, a simple restore from the computer is able to unlock our iPhone when we need it most.

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