How to unlock iPhone 5: Up-to-date guide to unlock iPhones 5S or 5C models online

Further types of iPhone unlocking

Getting rid of the network lock on your phone is a winner because it saves you money instantly and long into the future. But there are other types of phone locking challenges you might face too. The biggest of these is the iPhone screen lock.

How to unlock iPhone 5 without iPhone passcode

Time now to explore another familiar phone locking problem: The dreaded dilemma posed by a forgotten passcode.

It happens to us all.

But, however common it is, it never gets easier. If you’re locked out of your phone because you don't know the passcode or pin code, your life’s pretty much on hold.

Unless you know where to go for help. Fortunately, help’s not far away because, as well as providing a network unlock tool, Mobile Unlocked has a tool that can get you back into your iPhone 5 if you’ve disabled it or are stuck at the lock screen stage.

Ready for better news? It also works for other phone locking scenarios such as problems with your Apple ID login, your MDM lock and Screen Time password.

Let’s look at the process:

How to unlock iPhone 5S and 5C with iTunes

Apple, being Apple, has obviously created its own screen lock workarounds. One of which is its iTunes app.

As well as functioning as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store, iTunes has another super power. This iPhone feature can also be used to bypass the screen passcode lock.

It’s an ok option. And if you’ve got time to work your way through the various stages, should you give you back access to your phone.

But the steps are a bit fiddly. And it has one major drawback.

It requires you to perform a factory settings reset which erases all of the data from your phone at the same time as it erases the passcode. We’re talking photos, messages, files, settings, apps and passwords.

That said, if you’ve remembered to do a backup, you should be able to recover them afterwards.

Again, using an online tool like Mobile Unlocked takes all of the uncertainty and process-heavy approach away from you.

But here’s how it work if this approach works for you:

• Connect your iPhone 5 to your Mac or PC and launch with the latest version of iTunes installed
• Open iTunes
• Press and hold both the Home and the top (or side) buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the recovery mode screen.

NOTE: This method also works for an iPhone 6. But if you’re trying to unlock an iPhone 7 you need to press and hold the top (or side) and volume down buttons at the same time.

• Locate your device on your computer using iTunes. When you have identified it, you will see the option to Restore or Update.
• Click the 'Restore iPhone' button
• Click ‘Restore’ and ‘Agree’

What to look out for

This method will only work if you’re using macOS Mojave or earlier. For those running the operating system macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, the Finder tool should be applied instead. The same process applies.

How to unlock iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C using iCloud

Did you know, Apple’s ‘Find My’ app can also be used to wipe the passcode from your iPhone 5 and other iPhone models?

It's just one of its many functions, which range from being able to track its location, play a sound, lock it down and flag it up as lost or reported stolen. But it’s the ability to remotely erase data we’re interested in here.

‘Find My’ can remotely erase all of the data on the phone, even if you haven’t physically got the device. This global erase includes the screen lock passcode, which means it’s ideal for you if you’ve forgotten your passcode or didn’t know it in the first place.

On the surface, it appears a simple and effective solution. But there’s a downside. Because, similar to the iTunes unlocking method, this method also requires a factory reset. And this means the end of all the data, settings, photos, messages and other passwords and logins on your device.

If you’re prepared for this, it’s an effective approach which works as follows:

• Open a browser on an iOS device with ‘Find My’ installed
• Log in with your iCloud account, Apple ID password
• Click ‘All Devices’
• Select your locked iPhone 6 from the map
• Click ‘Erase iPhone’

What to look out for:

• Your device must be connected to wifi or the internet
• ‘Find My’ needs to have been actuated on your device before the phone was disabled

iPhone lockouts are a pain. But they don't have to be a problem. The only challenge is choosing the right option.