If your iPad is stolen and someone tries to hack the code, your iPad will be disabled to protect against further break-ins. An iPad will disable itself after too many bad password attempts, a security feature on the iPad that protects your privacy.
How long will you be disabled?
The iPad will initially turn off for one minute. If you retype an incorrect access code, it will be disabled for five minutes. If you keep entering the wrong passcode, iPad will be completely disabled.
My iPad is disabled and I didn’t enter a wrong password
If your iPad is disabled, someone typed the wrong passcode often enough to disable it. If you have a young child, or even an older child, the child may have entered the wrong passcode without realizing what could happen to the iPad. Usually, this behavior only results in one of the temporary disables, but with enough persistence, even a small child can brick an iPad completely. You may want to protect your iPad from children if you have children.
How to make a disabled iPad work again
If your iPad has been permanently disabled, your only option will be to reset it to its factory default state. This is the state it was in when you first received it. This may seem like a punishment, but it is actually for your own protection. If someone steals your iPad and tries to unlock it, the iPad will be permanently disabled, preventing the person from accessing the data on your iPad.
If you set up Find My iPad, the easiest way to reset iPad is through iCloud. Find My iPad contains a way to reset iPad remotely, and while iPad is not lost or stolen, this method can be used to reset iPad without resorting to iTunes. Here’s how:
-
Sign in to your iCloud account at www.icloud.com.
-
Click Find My iPhone .
-
Choose your iPad.
-
Click Delete iPadlink.
If you haven’t set up Find My iPad, the next best thing is to restore it from the same computer you used to set it up or to sync iPad with iTunes.
To do this, connect your iPad to PC using the cable that came with the iPad and launch iTunes. This should start the sync process.
Let this process finish so that you have a backup of all the stuff on your iPad and then choose to restore iPad.
What happens if I don’t sync my iPad with my PC?
The Find My iPad feature is important. Not only will it save you an iPad if you ever lose your device or the tablet is stolen, but it can also be an easy way to reset your iPad.
If you haven’t set it up and have never set up your iPad with your PC, you can unlock it by going through iPad recovery mode. This is a slightly more involved process than a normal restore.
After you restore your iPad, make sure Find My iPad is turned on in case you run into any issues in the future.
