You can unlock your iPhone from your computer even if your screen is broken. iTunes provides a solution to restore your iPhone and unlock it by reinstalling the iOS operating system. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
1. Install the latest version of iTunes on your computer if you haven’t already. You can download it from the Apple website.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable. If you have never connected your iPhone to this computer before, you may need to unlock your iPhone and tap “Trust This Computer” on the device to establish a connection.
3. Once your iPhone is connected, launch iTunes on your computer.
4. If prompted, enter your device passcode or choose to “Trust This Computer” on your iPhone. If your screen is broken and unresponsive, you won’t be able to enter the passcode, but you can still proceed with the following steps.
5. In iTunes, locate your iPhone. It should appear as an icon in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window. Click on the iPhone icon to access its summary page.
6. On the summary page, you will see options for backing up or restoring your iPhone. Since your goal is to unlock the device, we will focus on the restore option. Click on the “Restore iPhone” button.
7. A pop-up window will appear asking if you want to back up your iPhone before restoring it. If you have a recent backup and want to restore your data after unlocking, choose the “Back Up” option. If you don’t have a backup or don’t need the data, you can proceed without backing up. Keep in mind that restoring your iPhone will erase all data on it.
8. iTunes will then download the latest version of the iOS firmware for your iPhone. This may take some time depending on your internet connection speed.
9. Once the download is complete, iTunes will begin the restore process. It will extract the firmware and install it on your iPhone. During this process, your iPhone may restart several times. Make sure to keep your iPhone connected to the computer throughout the process.
10. After the restore process is finished, your iPhone will restart and display the “Hello” screen, indicating that the restore was successful. At this point, your iPhone is unlocked and ready to set up again.
11. If you had a backup and chose to restore it in step 7, you can now select the option to restore from iTunes backup or iCloud backup on your iPhone. This will bring back your data, apps, and settings.
It’s important to note that restoring your iPhone using iTunes will only unlock it if you have already set up the “Find My iPhone” feature and have enabled the “Activation Lock.” This feature prevents anyone from using your iPhone without your Apple ID and password. By restoring the device using iTunes, it verifies your ownership and removes the activation lock.
In situations where your screen is broken and unresponsive, using iTunes to unlock and restore your iPhone is a practical solution. Just follow the steps carefully, and you should be able to regain access to your device.