My 79-year-old mother is unable to access the many years’ worth of family photos stored on her original iPad because she has been locked out of her Apple iCloud account.
Since she has spent a lot of time in the hospital, her iPad is extremely valuable. She neglected to update the software on the outdated model of the device in question.
The device eventually locked her out despite her repeated attempts with her four-digit pin number. “iPad is disabled,” reads the display. Sync with iTunes.
Her @me.com account, which we are also locked out of, receives password reset links after being “disabled for security reasons” along with her iCloud account.
We bought her a new iPad, but trying to reset the password and get back into her old device and original iCloud account has proven to be impossible.
The staff at the John Lewis store where we bought both iPads tried their best to assist, but to no avail.
I called Apple technical support, but I was told there is nothing they can do. I tried our local Apple Store, but none of its Genius Bar staff could assist.
Exists a technical fix, or can any Guardian readers assist. In light of her advancing years, I’m anxious to try and recover her numerous photos.
Milton Keynes, SJ
Readers who have forgotten important password information are likely to identify with this technological nightmare. Your Apple ID is the account you use to log into all Apple services, and it may be locked or disabled if you enter your password or other information incorrectly too frequently.
People can find instructions to help them regain access to their accounts on the business’ website.
Unfortunately, your mother cannot access the account’s associated email either, so you have used all of the Apple-recommended fixes.
This third-generation iPad was acquired in 2012. Apple could unlock it if you had proof of purchase, but doing so would reset the device to its factory default settings and erase any important photos.
“Unfortunately, the customer cannot recall or retrieve the information necessary to access the iPad without erasing all data,” says Apple. These actions are the security precautions we took to safeguard user privacy in the event that their device ended up in the wrong hands.
Apple has made an effort to assist you, but it appears that there is nothing else it can do. You could try taking it to a data recovery expert, but this is a specialized area and could be pricey if the device needs to be disassembled.
Finding a trustworthy business could be done by using Trustpilot as a starting point. Why not bring it to a nearby computer repair facility? Nothing is lost if you do this.
