I would believe it is everyone’s nightmare when your iPad or iPhone gets locked FOR GOOD. There’s a moment of panic where our heart drops when we type in the wrong password (for whatever reason) and we can’t try again till about 5 minutes later. This is a safety mechanism for iPads and iPhones, which will automatically disable the device after too many failed login attempts.
But can you imagine if it gets locked longer than that? A few weeks? A few years? FOREVER?!
Nightmare came true
This nightmare came true for Evan Osnos, a father, when his iPad was accidentally locked by his three year old toddler who entered the wrong password repeatedly.
Unfortunately for Mr Osnos, his ‘locked out’ experience was a jail-sentence worthy length of 25 million minutes which comes out to about 48 years!
Evan Osnos’s iPad was locked for about 48 years by his toddler. | Source: Twitter
Imagine only being able to login again in the year 2067!
Netizens who picked up on his predicament found it more amusing than tragic.
Fortunately, all was not lost for Mr Osnos, and he managed to undo the situation by putting the iPad on Device Firmware Update mode, which allowed him to restore the device.
He posted on Twitter that he finally found a solution, and that all was well. | Source: Twitter
It has happened before
This was not the first incident. A mother from Shanghai, known as Lu, experienced a similar situation when her two year old son managed to get his little hands on her iPhone.
Her phone was also locked for over 25 million minutes – or 47 years!
In Shanghai, a woman experienced the same problem when her son played with her iPhone. | Source: China Times
She went to the Apple store and asked for help. They told her that the only way she could unlock her phone was by formatting the whole device but she would lose all the data stored inside.
She was reluctant to do so as she had not backed up her information.
“Guess I’ve got no choice and have to format the device! I really don’t want to do so but I can’t wait that long. Am I supposed to show this phone to my grandchildren next time and tell them this was what their father did? In another 47 years, I probably can’t even play on my phone!” she said.
One of the staff at the store said that this problem was usually seen in iPhones that were operating on iOS 10.1 or lower. After upgrading the iOS, this problem was eradicated.
If this should happen to you (God forbid!), here’s something you can try, according Apple’s support page:
- Connect your device to your laptop or PC that has iTunes
- Force restart it and click ‘restore’
- Wait for the process to finish so you can set up your device again
For a full explanation and more details, you can find out more here.
It’s always a good idea to backup your data periodically just to be safe.
After hearing these “horror” stories, you know you should always supervise your kids when they are using your iPad or iPhone!
Source: CNBC news
Read also: 5 things your kid can safely do on an iPad