How do you unlock an iPhone 12 that is locked to the previous owner?
Even though you have set up and enabled Face ID, you may still encounter a situation where you are locked out of your iPhone 12. You forgot the lock screen passcode, or your phone is disabled. Sometimes, you find that your iOS device is tethered to a specific network carrier like AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. You want to break the digital chain and freely switch to other carriers.
Whether you are dealing with a carrier lock, iCloud lock, or the common phone screen lock, you can follow the guide to unlock your iPhone 12 with ease.
They are two standard ways to unlock an iPhone 12, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max. You can turn on your iPhone 12 screen and look at it to unlock instantly. Enter the device passcode to unlock the phone if Face ID fails. If you haven’t used Face ID in a while, after a reboot, or the TrueDepth camera is not working properly, you are required to enter the device passcode.
Your Face ID and any other method won’t let you bypass a forgotten passcode. You can’t change, reset, or remove the screen lock password without erasing the device.
After five incorrect passcode attempts, your iPhone will be disabled. You must wait for 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, and then a complete disable. On the iPhone Unavailable screen, tap Forgot Passcode to erase your phone. Tap the Start iPhone Reset button and enter your Apple ID password to sign out of your account. After that, you are allowed to reset the device and remove its screen lock.
You can also put your locked iPhone 12 or 12 Pro/Pro Max into Recovery Mode and then use Finder or iTunes to restore it. After restoring your phone to factory defaults, the forgotten passcode will be removed, and it will be unlocked.
Both methods above require your Apple ID passcode to confirm the reset. If you prefer a way to unlock your iPhone 12 with no passwords, turn to the easy-to-use Aiseesoft iPhone Unlocker. The software offers a straightforward way to remove your lock screen passcode and Face ID. You don’t need to provide any related passwords to proceed.
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The iPhone Unlocker allows you to unlock your phone on both Mac and Windows PC. You can simply connect it and start the unlock. Follow the onscreen prompts to unlock your iPhone 12 with ease. As you can see, it can also remove the Apple ID passcode and bypass various limitations. It can be a great helper if your iPhone is locked by a previous owner’s iCloud lock or a carrier’s SIM lock.
When you purchase an iPhone 12 directly from a carrier like AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile, often at a subsidized price or as part of a lengthy installment plan, the carrier typically locks it to their network. The SIM lock prevents the phone from accepting SIM cards from other carriers.
If your iPhone 12 is tied to a specific mobile network provider, you can unlock it to remove various restrictions. You should ensure your iPhone is fully paid off and its related service contract or minimum term commitment has expired. Then, you can directly contact your carrier's customer support and request an unlock. They will verify your identity and then initiate the iPhone 12 unlock remotely.
There are also some carrier lock removal services and tools offered on the market. They are especially helpful if you bought a used phone and the original owner is uncooperative. Generally, you are required to provide your iPhone's IMEI number to unlock it. If you don’t know the number, here’s a guide to help to get your iPhone's IMEI number.
When you want to turn off the iCloud Activation Lock on an iPhone 12 or a previous owner’s iCloud account that locks your phone, you should have the related Apple ID passcode.
Contact the owner to remove the iPhone from their account. If the device is linked to your account, you can go to the iCloud Find Devices page or use the Find My app to erase it.
After erasing your iPhone 12 from Find My, it will be erased remotely. All the files it stored, settings, and passwords will be removed. Set it up again or restore from a backup based on your needs. If you don’t have the password originally used on the phone to confirm the iCloud lock removal, try using the iPhone Unlocker introduced above.
Question 1. How do you check if a specific carrier locks your iPhone 12?
To quickly test and figure out if a carrier locks your iPhone 12, you can insert a SIM card from a different carrier. If it connects to the new network and you can make calls normally, that means the device is unlocked. However, if you get errors like SIM Not Supported or Invalid SIM, it is locked. Moreover, you can go to Settings, tap General > About to see if it lists a specific carrier. If you see Carrier Lock or Network Provider Lock, the device is also locked.
Question 2. Can I unlock my iPhone 12 Pro using Siri?
No, you cannot unlock your iPhone 12 Pro using Siri. When the device is locked, Siri can’t help you get into it without a password or Face ID. Moreover, Siri cannot remove other types of locks, including the iCloud lock and carrier/SIM lock. If you forget your passcode, Siri won’t help you bypass it.
Question 3. Can you jailbreak an iPhone 12 Pro Max to unlock it?
Yes, it is possible to unlock an iPhone 12 through jailbreak. Some jailbreak tools claim that they can easily bypass or remove the device password, carrier lock, and iCloud lock with a high successful rate. However, it is not suggested to jailbreak an iPhone for unlocking. Jailbreaking is not a reliable, safe, or legal solution for device unlock.
Conclusion
This detailed iPhone 12 unlock guide tells several effective methods to remove locks from your phone. You can follow the related steps to unlock your iPhone screen, remove the carrier’s SIM lock, or deactivate the iCloud lock. Before resetting your device or performing other unlocking operations, you’d better create a new backup of all the valuable files.
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To fix iPhone screen locked, wiping password function can help you a lot. And you also can clear Apple ID or Screen Time password easily.
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