How to fix when your iPhone is unavailable and timer not going down? Just get all things in this passage. You can choose the most suitable way to help you get out of the trouble.
My iPhone got disabled and the timer is stuck
My iPhone gave me the "iPhone Unavailable - try again in 15 minutes" message, so I didn't think much of it, and I turned it off and waited. After a coupleof minutes, I checked the message again and it was still stuck at 15 minutes. It's been about an hour and I'm still waiting... How can I unlock my phone? I still remember my passcode.
- Question from Apple Community
Due to the built-in security measures of the iPhone system, after entering the wrong passcode multiple times, your iPhone may be stuck in the "iPhone Unavailable" state, and the timer is not counting down. This guide covers proven fixes, from simple reboots to advanced resets, and you can even unlock your iPhone without data loss.
When your iPhone becomes unavailable, it shows a timer indicating how long you must wait before you can enter your passcode again. However, there are times when the timer fails to count down. Here are some common reasons for this issue:
No matter what the cause of this issue is, you don't need to worry anymore. In the following sections, we will introduce several useful methods to help you easily solve this problem.
Sometimes, performing a force restart on your iPhone can effectively fix some common iPhone issue.
Just press and release the Volume Up button > Press and release the Volume Down button > Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
As mentioned above, the SIM card on your iPhone may also be the reason why the unavailable timer is not counting down. Therefore, try removing and reinserting the SIM card. This action can restart the timer on the iPhone unavailable screen. However, this method does not apply to iPhones with eSIMs. In that case, you may need to turn to other methods.
To use the methods mentioned above to resolve this issue, you need to remember the unlock password for your iPhone screen. But what should you do if you forget the password? You may need to choose to erase your iPhone to make it.
This action will reset iPhone to factory setttings and wipe all your iPhone current data, so if you don’t have backed up your iPhone data before, it will not be a good way. And it requires you to remember the password of your Apple ID that is logged in on this iPhone. Here’s how:
Step 1. Click the Erase iPhone/Forgot Passcode option from the unavailable screen > On the next screen, tap on Erase iPhone/Start iPhone Reset.
Step 2. Enter your Apple ID password and start the reset process. Once the task is finished, the iPhone unavailable screen go away.
iTunes is an official free software provided by Apple. If the methods mentioned above do not work, restoring your iPhone through iTunes is your last resort. This process will reinstall the software on your device. However, this method will also erase all data on the iPhone.
Step 1. Run the latest version of iTunes from your computer and connect your iPhone to it. Click Trust on iPhone to continue.
Step 2. Tap the device icon on the upper-left corner > Go to Summary and then click Restore Backup under Manually Back Up and Restore.
Step 3. Select the backup you want to restore and click Restore to start the restoration process.
Except for the ways mentioned above, you can also choose a handy third-party tool named FoneTool Unlocker to help you unlock iPhones without a passcode to easily fix the times won't go away issue. With its powerful features, you can unlock various iOS devices efficiently.
Now you can download FoneTool Unlocker on your Windows PC and learn from the steps below to know how to unlock various iOS devices.
Step 1. Launch FoneTool Unlocker > Connect your iPhone to the computer via a USB cable.
Step 2. Go to Remove iOS Screen Passcode > Click on Remove Now.
Step 3. Confirm the on-screen instructions and click Next to continue. If your device is not detected or is experiencing issues, you can follow the on-screen guidance to put it into Recovery Mode first.
Step 4. Choose the firmware file you need > Click Download to begin the download process.
Step 5. Wait for a while, the firmware files will be downloaded. Now you can click Remove Now to start the unlocking operation.
Well, your iPhone says unavailable because you've made too many wrong passcode attempts and led to the security lock. If there is no erase option, that may be because your iOS system is older or some iOS glitches existed on your iPhone.
For iPhones with eSIMs, removing and reinserting the SIM is not applicable. You may need to reset your network settings or try other troubleshooting methods.
Yes, unless you've backed up your data. You can use iCloud, iTunes or FoneTool, a more advanced iPhone data management tool, to make a backup first.
Here are all things about the iPhone unavailable timer not going down issue. You can get reasons for it and find ways to solve the problem efficiently. Additionally, such issues may sometimes require erasing or restoring the iPhone to solve them. Therefore, it is essential to regularly back up iPhone data.