How to Recover Photos from a Disabled iPhone

When someone (maybe you) types the wrong passcode too many times (at least six) on an iPhone or iPad, or if you have gone too long without updating your Apple ID settings, company officials may disable your device. When that happens, you cannot use your iPhone until you find a way to unlock it without a password – but doing so erases everything on the phone.

That might not be what you want. To help, we've put together some specific tips and tricks for recovering files, including photos from a disabled iPhone, whether or not you have a backup.

Part 1: Fix Disabled iPhone without Backup

To restore photos from an iPhone that's disabled, you first need to unlock the device so other tools can access your iPhone and retrieve the photos. You can unlock your iPhone using iTunes, iCloud, Recovery Mode, or even Siri, though only Siri won't erase your content. However, this method only works on devices running iOS 8.0 up to iOS 13.

Step 1: Press and hold the Home button on your locked iPhone to activate Siri. If you have an iPhone without a Home button, say “Hey Siri” or press and hold the Side button for two to three seconds to activate Siri.

Step 2: Ask Siri, “What time is it?” > Siri displays the local time.

Step 3: After clicking the clock icon, you should see this information.

Step 4: You will then see the World Clock menu with some icons as shown below > tap on the Plus sign on the top right corner.

Step 5: A search box should appear. Type anything into the search box, then select all the characters.

Step 6: You'll then see a few options, just tap on “Share” to continue.

Step 7: Select the “Messages” app. A new message window will appear. Tap anywhere in the “To” field, then tap the “Back” button on your keyboard.

Step 8: Wait for a moment, then press the Home button. Your iPhone will be unlocked, and you will have access to your photos again.

Note: Variations between different iPhones and iOS versions may prevent this method from working 100% of the time.

Part 2: How to Retrieve Photos from Disabled iPhone without Backup

After unlocking your device as per the steps listed in Part 1, you can easily use the MobiSaver tool to recover photos without backup. Of course, if your pictures are stored in the Photo Library, skip these steps.

If you have lost your photos due to any reasons, then you can use this powerful iPhone Data Recovery Software – MobiSaver to recover photos from disabled iPhone via iTunes or iCloud backup. This software allows you to restore specific types of files like photos, music, or contacts from a backup without restoring all the contents of your iPhone.

Here, we will take the example of retrieving disabled iPhone photos from iTunes backup, using the tool MobiSaver.

Here, we'll show you the entire process of using the tool to recover photos from an iTunes backup to a disabled iPhone.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your computer

Launch MobiSaver, select “Recover from iOS Device” on the left, and then click “Start”.

Step 2: Scan for the Lost iPhone Photos

MobiSaver will scan your iPhone 13/12/11/X/XR/XS/8/7/6/5/4 automatically and find the pictures you have now, as well as some lost ones.

Step 3: Preview and recover photos

Click “Photos” in the left pane. You can preview your device's photos here and select the ones you want to recover. Click “Recover to Computer” or “Recover to Device” to start the recovery process.

Part 3: Warm Tips to Avoid iPhone Lock and Data Loss

Knowing how to fix the iPhone disabled error is not enough; you also need to know how to prevent your iPhone from getting locked and losing your data. Here, we've compiled some practical tips to help you:

• Regularly back up your iPhone data to iTunes or iCloud
• Back up your iPhone passwords on another device
• Set up Touch ID and add your fingerprint as another way to unlock your iPhone
• Use iPhone data recovery software like MobiSaver for assistance in case of data loss

Bottom line

This page gathers effective methods to recover disabled iPhone photos, unlock a disabled iPhone, and tips to prevent such issues from happening again. Hopefully, these suggestions will come in handy whenever you encounter this situation. Give them a try!