"I got my old iPhone 5 today after I found it in my desk. And I wanted to reset the date and time because it said the date was February 3rd. So, I put my SIM card in and now it says iPhone is disabled try again in 19 years. What to do when my iPhone is disabled for 19 years?" —— from Apple Support Community
How crazing it is to find that an iPhone is disabled for 19 years. But the bad thing happened to lots of iPhone users. Unfortunately, you would receive a message showing iPhone is disable for 19 years or more if you try to use an old iPhone or a second-hand one. In cases like that, many users get confused and don't know how to fix it. Don't fret! Here we are going to offer you four ways to fix the issue that iPhone is disabled for 19 years or more.
- Part 1. Why Is My iPhone Disabled for Years?
- Part 2. 3 Common Ways to Fix iPhone Is Disabled for Years
- Part 3. Quick Way to Fix iPhone Is Disabled for Years
Part 1. Why Is My iPhone Disabled for Years?
Most of users don't know why there appears an alert — iPhone is disabled, try again in 23614974 minutes. This often happens when you have filled the wrong passcode on your iPhone many times. Then you are not allowed to access your iPhone until you restore it with iTunes. In addition to this, when you recharge an iPhone that is unused for a long time, you would find iPhone is disabled for 47 years or more. Also, like the thread posted in the Apple Support Community, if you try to put an SIM card into your iPhone and reset the date and time, you would get a disabled iPhone. No need to be nervous, and you can find the solutions in the following part.
Part 2. 3 Common Ways to Fix iPhone Is Disabled for Years
To unlock an iPhone disabled for 19 years or more, you can make use of iTunes and iCloud. With the help of iTunes, you can restore a disabled iPhone in recovery mode, but all the data and settings on your device will be erased. Also, you can erase your disabled iPhone in iCloud.com, then you can set up your device again for use. Here's how to.
Method 1. Reset Disabled iPhone with iTunes
Whether you are using a Windows PC or a Mac, you can use iTunes on a Windows PC or the Finder on a Mac to access your iPhone. Make sure that you have made a backup of your device, then you can follow the below steps to reset your iPhone.
Step 1. Power off your iPhone and connect it to a Windows PC or a Mac.
Step 2. Press the correct button to take your device to recovery mode.
Step 3. Open iTunes or Finder, then select Restore to unlock your disabled iPhone.
Method 2. Erase Disabled iPhone via iCloud.com
With your Apple ID and password, you can remotely erase your disabled iPhone in iCloud.com. This method will clear up all the contents and settings on your device, including the lock screen passcode. Before using iCloud, ensure that you have enabled the Find My feature on your device.
Step 1. Open www.icloud.com in a browser on your device and select Find My iPhone.
Step 2. Click the All Devices button at the top of the screen, then select your disabled iPhone.
Step 3. Click the Erase iPhone button, then click the Erase iPhone button again to confirm.
Method 3. Wipe Disabled iPhone via Find My App
If you have more than one Apple device, you would have the chance to use the Find My app to remotely erase your disabled iPhone. But this way is only available for those devices with the Find My feature disabled. Follow the below steps to fix iPhone disabled for many years.
Step 1. Launch the Find My app on your Apple device and tap the Devices button.
Step 2. Select your disabled iPhone in the device list, then tap Erase This Device.
Step 3. Tap on Continue and enter your trusted phone number for your device.
Step 4. Tap on Erase iPhone, then your disabled iPhone will be erased.
Part 3. Quick Way to Fix iPhone Is Disabled for Years
In order to unlock a disabled iPhone for many years, you can use an unlocking tool, in addition to trying the above methods. MagFone iPhone Unlocker is a splendid unlocking tool that can unlock various screen locks on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This tool also can remove Screen Time passcode, Apple ID, and MDM without using a password. If you have a disabled iPhone, here you can use MagFone iPhone Unlocker to fix your device.
Key Features of MagFone iPhone Unlocker
* Security Verified. 5,481,347 people have downloaded it.
- Unlock various screen locks like Face ID and Touch ID on all iOS devices
- Remove Apple ID from iPhone and iPad without password and data loss
- Bypass Screen Time passcode and MDM restrictions without passcode
- Support the latest version of iOS and iPadOS, as well as, iOS devices
Step 1 Connect Disabled iPhone to Computer
Fire up MagFone iPhone Unlocker on your computer, then connect your disabled iPhone to the computer by using a USB cable. On the home page of MagFone software, select the Unlock iOS Screen option and click the Next button.
Step 2 Put Disabled iPhone into Recovery Mode
Then you need to put your disabled iPhone into recovery mode. Follow the onscreen instruction to boot your device into recovery mode. If it fails to make your device into recovery mode, then you can click the link to get your device into DFU mode.
Step 3 Download the Firmware Package for iPhone
After successfully putting it into recovery mode, you have to carefully check the device information, including the device model and series number. Then select the system version and click the Download button to download the firmware package.
Step 4 Start to Fix iPhone Is Disabled for Years
Once the firmware package is downloaded, click the Repair button to verify it. Then MagFone iPhone Unlocker starts to unlock your disabled iPhone. Wait for a while, and your disabled iPhone will be unlocked successfully.
Conclusion
There are several methods for you to unlock a disabled iPhone. You can choose to use iTunes, iCloud, Find My, or MagFone iPhone Unlocker. But if you want to quickly remove Lock Screen from your disabled iPhone, it's highly recommend that you use MagFone iPhone Unlocker to unlock your device within several minutes.