What Does It Mean For an iPhone To Be Disabled?
An iPhone becomes disabled when it gets locked with a passcode and you can’t unlock it. This usually occurs if you enter the wrong passcode too many times, which triggers the iPhone to disable itself as a security measure (1).
Specifically, entering the wrong passcode 6 times in a row on newer iPhones running iOS 11 or later will disable the device (2). On older models, it takes 10 failed passcode attempts to disable it.
Once an iPhone is disabled, it essentially becomes unusable until you enter the correct passcode to unlock it. The screen will display “iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes.” This renders the iPhone inaccessible, preventing you from making calls, sending texts, accessing apps, or using any features until it’s unlocked again.
(1) How to unlock a disabled iPhone with or without a computer
(2) If you forgot your iPhone passcode
Why You Still Want Photos Off a Disabled iPhone
Even if your iPhone is disabled, the photos stored on it likely contain memories you don’t want to lose. Photos on your iPhone often capture important life events, family moments, travel adventures, and more. According to a study, the iPhone takes more daily photos than any other camera due to its convenience and quality.
Beyond sentimental value, the photos on your disabled iPhone may also contain images needed for practical purposes like work, insurance claims, or police reports. According to posts on Reddit, iPhone photos tend to look professional due to Apple’s image processing technology. Even basic iPhone snapshots often have sufficient quality for official documentation.
Rather than losing these memories and important images forever, it is worth exploring ways to recover photos from a disabled iPhone before taking any drastic measures like performing a factory reset.
Connecting the Disabled iPhone to a Computer
In order to access the photos stored on a disabled iPhone, you will first need to connect the iPhone to a computer using the appropriate cable. This allows the computer to interface with the iPhone even if the screen is disabled.
For newer iPhone models that use the Lightning connector, you will need a Lightning to USB cable to connect the iPhone to your computer. This is the same cable that came with your iPhone or that you use to charge it. Simply plug one end into the iPhone and the other end into a USB port on your computer.
For older iPhone models that use the 30-pin connector, you will need a 30-pin sync cable, sometimes called a dock connector cable. If you don’t have this cable, you can purchase a Lightning to 30-pin adapter to allow a Lightning cable to interface with the older 30-pin iPhone models.
Once connected via USB, the iPhone should be detected by your computer, allowing you to access the files and photos stored on it through various methods described in the following sections.
Using iTunes to Extract Photos
One way to get photos off a disabled iPhone is by using iTunes on a computer connected to the iPhone. Here are the steps:
First, connect the disabled iPhone to a computer that has iTunes installed. Use the iPhone’s original USB cable for the connection. Once connected, open iTunes on the computer.
If the iPhone is properly connected, it should show up in iTunes under the list of devices even though it is disabled. iTunes will still recognize the device.
In iTunes, you can browse the iPhone’s media contents and see the photos stored on it. Select the photos you want to transfer and click the Import or Download button in iTunes to save them to the computer.1 The photos will be stored in your computer’s photo library or a folder you specify.
This allows you to extract photos off a disabled iPhone through iTunes without needing to unlock or reset the iPhone. As long as the device is recognized by iTunes, the photos can be transferred to the computer for backup.
Using iCloud Photo Library
If you had iCloud Photo Library enabled on your disabled iPhone, your photos may still be accessible through iCloud. iCloud Photo Library automatically uploads photos taken on your iPhone to iCloud so they can be accessed from other devices like your computer or iPad. As long as you didn’t disable or delete the iCloud Photo Library from your account, your photos should still be stored safely in iCloud.
To download your photos from iCloud, go to iCloud.com and login with your Apple ID. Click on Photos to view your iCloud Photo Library. From here you can browse, search and download all the photos that were backed up from your iPhone. Keep in mind you need to have set up and enabled iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone previously in order for your photos to be backed up. If you never had iCloud Photo Library enabled, then your photos would not be stored in iCloud.
The key benefit of using iCloud Photo Library is that it provides an automatic backup of your iPhone photos. So even if your phone is disabled, as long as you didn’t delete the iCloud Photo Library, you still have access to your photos through iCloud. Just login online and download them to your computer or another device.
Using Third-Party Software
There are several third-party software programs designed specifically for iPhone data recovery. These programs allow you to recover photos from a disabled iPhone even if it is locked or unusable.
Some popular options include iMyFone D-Back and iSkysoft Toolbox. These programs can extract photos, messages, contacts, and other data from an iPhone, even without needing to unlock or access the phone’s operating system.
Many third-party recovery programs offer free trials so you can test them out before purchasing a license. However, the free versions usually only allow you to preview recoverable data, not export or save it. Paid versions cost around $50-60 to unlock the full recovery features.
Overall, using a dedicated third-party iPhone data recovery tool is often the most effective way to safely extract photos and files from a disabled iPhone. Just make sure to research reputable programs that specialize in iPhone recovery rather than general purpose data recovery software.
Resetting the iPhone
A full reset will wipe the iPhone and remove the passcode, but it will also delete ALL data including photos. This should only be done as a last resort if there are no other options for recovering photos from the disabled iPhone.
To reset the iPhone, you can connect it to iTunes and do a restore. iTunes will prompt you to restore the iPhone, which will wipe it clean and remove any passcode.
According to an Apple Discussions thread, “Unless you backed them up, [photos] will be lost when you reset the disabled phone.” So only choose this option if you have absolutely no other way to recover photos, and the photos themselves are not critical to keep.
Resetting should be the last option considered when trying to get photos off a disabled iPhone, since it will permanently erase them.
Taking the iPhone to Apple
One option to try unlocking a disabled iPhone without losing data is to take it to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. Apple technicians have specialized tools and access to internal Apple resources that may allow them to bypass the lock screen without erasing the device in some cases(1).
However, there is no guarantee that Apple will be able to unlock the iPhone while preserving its data. Their ability to do so depends on the specific iPhone model and version of iOS it is running. Older devices and OS versions generally have more potential vulnerabilities that Apple can exploit to remove the lockscreen.
If the Apple technician is unable to unlock the iPhone without wiping it, they may suggest restoring the device, which would erase all of its contents. There is always a risk of data loss when taking a disabled iPhone to Apple, so it’s important to weigh whether it’s worth trying or if backup solutions are a safer option.
Using a Backup
Another way to get photos off of a disabled iPhone is to use a backup that was created previously for the device. This can be either an iTunes backup to your computer or an iCloud backup.
Restoring from a backup will retrieve the photos, but it will also restore all of the iPhone data and settings from that backup. So this method works if you have a full backup of the disabled iPhone that you are willing to restore in order to access the photos.
To use an iTunes backup, you would need to connect the disabled iPhone to a computer, open iTunes, select the device, then choose to restore from the backup. This process will wipe the iPhone and restore its data and settings from that iTunes backup point.
For an iCloud backup, you can reset the iPhone to factory settings first if it’s not letting you restore. Then set up the device again, sign into iCloud and choose to restore from your latest iCloud backup during setup. Again this will wipe the iPhone and fully restore it.
The key point is that the photos must already be stored in either an iTunes or iCloud backup for this method to work. So if you routinely backed up the disabled iPhone before it became disabled, you should be able to recover the photos this way.[1]
Summary
If you have a disabled iPhone and need to recover photos, the best approach is to first connect the iPhone to a computer and try using iTunes, iCloud Photo Library, or third-party software to extract the photos. Resetting the iPhone through Recovery Mode or taking it to an Apple Store risks having the photos erased in the process. As a last resort, you can use a backup of the iPhone, either in iTunes or iCloud, to restore the photos. Avoid resetting or wiping the iPhone until you’ve exhausted extraction options, as that will likely delete photos stored on the device.
Connecting the iPhone to a trusted computer gives you the most control over the recovery process. iTunes and iCloud allow you to view and save iPhone photos to the computer or cloud storage without altering data on the device. Third-party software provides additional extraction capabilities in case the default options don’t work. Resetting the iPhone through Recovery Mode or having the Genius Bar perform a restore should only be used as a last ditch effort, as these options often wipe the iPhone back to factory settings.
The best way to guarantee iPhone photo recovery is by regularly backing up to either iTunes or iCloud. Both services store copies of photos that can be restored to a working iPhone or viewed online through cloud access. As long as you have a recent backup, you have multiple ways of getting photos off a disabled iPhone before resorting to resets or wipes. Just be sure to exhaust software extraction methods first.
