5 Quick Ways to Fix iPhone Passcode Expired Issue

User Concern

“My iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18 just received a strange popup mssage stating 'Passcode Expired: Your iPhone unlock passcode has expired.' No matter what I did, the message kept returing. What should I do?”

Have you ever got the prompt message that says, “Passcode Expired: Your iPhone unlock passcode has expired.” You’re not alone. Many uses have faced the same confusing alert. How can an iPhone passcode expire? What does "your password has expired" mean?

This message usually appears for specific reasons, often linked to device management settings. In this article, we’ll explain why your iPhone says the passcode has expired and walk you through several practical ways to fix it and stop it from showing up again. Let’s get started.

Why is My iPhone Saying My Password Expired?

The iPhone screen passcode is typically a 4- or 6-digit number or an alphanumeric code used to unlock your device and keep your data secure. Normally, this passcode stays active until you manually change it.

However, in certain situations, your iPhone might show a “passcode expired” message. This can happen due to a few possible reasons, such as:

• If you haven’t signed into your Apple ID for an extended period (typically 90 days), your iPhone may require a new passcode as a security measure.
• If your device is managed by an organization (e.g. a school or employer), the administrator may enforce regular passcode updates for security compliance.
• Certain email services or security-focused apps linked to your iPhone may enforce password expiration policies that affect your device settings.
• Occasionally, iOS bugs or faulty updates may mistakenly trigger the “passcode expired” prompt, even when no policy requires it.

Do I Have to Change My iPhone Passcode Frequently?

The iPhone passcode no doubt helps protect your private data like financial history, emails, personal notes, etc. from unauthorized access. As such, constantly changing your iPhone passcode is necessary to avoid information disclosure.

So, regularly changing your passcode strengthens your device’s security by making it harder for anyone to gain unauthorized access. It also helps reduce the chances of data breaches and protects your personal information from potential threats.

How to Fix iPhone Passcode Expired Issue?

If your iPhone or iPad is stuck on the “Passcode Expired” screen, it can be quite frustrating. The good news is, there are ways to fix it quickly. In this section, we’ll show you how to turn off the passcode expired message and get your device working normally again.

1. Reset Your Expired iPhone Passcode

A straightforward way to get rid of the expired passcode prompt is to update the expired password on your iPhone. Changing your iPhone password in Settings is quite simple with the following steps:

• Once you open Settings, go to Touch/Face ID & Passcode.
• Type in your old passcode. Then, navigate down to the Change Passcode option and tap on it.
• Type in the old passcode once more when asked to do so.
• Finally, type in your new passcode. Enter it again to verify it. You can also change the format of the passcode by tapping on Passcode Options and choosing one of the formats from the list.

With that, your expired passcode is reset and all the apps on your iPhone should now be saved from loading.

2. Refresh iPhone by Force Restarting

If you changed the passcode but the same message still appears, then you can try to perform a force restart. This will refresh the iPhone and probably get rid of the issue. The steps to force restart an iPhone are pretty straightforward:

• For iPhone 8 or later: Quickly press and release the Volume Up button, then do the same with the Volume Down button. Finally, keep pressing the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
• For iPhone 7/7 Plus: Keep pressing the Power button plus the Volume Down button simultaneously until the Apple logo shows up on the screen.
• For iPhone 6 or earlier: Keep pressing the Home button plus the Power button simultaneously until the Apple logo pops up.

3. Update iPhone to the Latest iOS Version

Most of the time the iOS could start malfunctioning when your iPhone runs on old software or a recent update isn’t installed properly. This is something that many iPhone users have experienced and it can be fixed easily by just installing the latest iOS version. You can do it from your phone’s Settings app or through iTunes.

To Update iOS from the Settings:

• Open the General option in the Settings app. Then tap Software Update to search for newer iOS version.
• If there’s one, tap Download and Install. Once you do that, the latest iOS version will start downloading on your device.

To Update iOS through iTunes:

• Open iTunes on your computer after connecting your device to it using a USB cable.
• Go to the top left corner of iTunes and click the iPhone icon.
• Before you proceed to update your phone, ensure you’ve backed it up properly. Select the Back up now option from the prompt. In case you’ve already made the backup, just proceed to the next step.
• Click Check for update. A new version will show up here if it’s available.
• Now click Download and Update. This will install the newest iOS version on your device.

After the update finishes, restart the iPhone and confirm if the passcode expired iPhone message has disappeared.

4. Erase iPhone via iCloud and Reset Passcode

If you’re still seeing the iPhone passcode expired message, then you can use iCloud to resolve it. For this method to work, though, you must have already turned on the Find My iPhone feature on iCloud. Ensure also that you have all your data backed up properly as this method will delete all the data on your device and you’ll be able to reset another passcode.

• Go to your iCloud account by signing in and then choose Find iPhone.
• Tap on All Devices and select your device that says password expired.
• After selecting your iPhone, tap the Erase iPhone option. Once you do that, All your iPhone’s settings and data will get deleted.

After the process is done, you can open Settings and then reset your password.

5. Unlock iPhone with FoneGeek iPhone Passcode Unlocker

If the iPhone passcode expired prompt message still persists and you completely can’t unlock your iPhone, then we recommend you use the FoneGeek iPhone Passcode Unlocker. This powerful third-party unlocking tool is able to unlock iOS devices in nearly every scenario like forget iPhone passcode, iPhone screen broken, iPhone is disabled, etc. Moreover, this tool has an intuitive interface that makes it very simple to use and allows you to unlock your iPhone passcode quickly.

Key Features of FoneGeek iPhone Passcode Unlocker

• Remove 4- or 6-digit passcodes, Face ID, or Touch ID from any iPhone or iPad with ease.
• Bypass iCloud Activation Lock on both new and second-hand devices without needing the Apple ID password.
• Remove Screen Time passcodes and MDM restrictions, giving you full control over your iOS device.
• User-friendly interface compatible with all iPhone models and iOS versions, including the latest iPhone 16 and iOS 18.

Steps to using FoneGeek iPhone Unlocker to deal with iPhone passcode expired message:

• Once you have FoneGeek iPhone Passcode Unlocker installed on your computer, launch it right away and choose Unlock Screen Passcode.

• Get your iPhone connected to the computer via a USB cable and follow the displayed instructions to put the device into Recovery/DFU mode.

• Now download the best firmware package for your phone. Confirm that all the details on the screen match your iPhone model before hitting the Download button.

• When the software completes downloading the firmware, click Start Unlock to fix the iPhone unlock passcode expired issue. After several minutes, you’ll be able to access your iPhone.

FAQs about iPhone Screen Passcode

Do I have to change my iPhone passcode regularly?

No, it’s not mandatory. Apple won’t force you to change your screen passcode unless it’s considered too weak or easy to guess. However, if your device is managed through MDM (Mobile Device Management), the administrator may require periodic passcode changes.

How long until my iPhone gets disabled after entering the wrong passcode?

After six incorrect passcode attempts, your iPhone will be disabled for 1 minute. If you keep entering the wrong passcode, the lockout time increases - 5 minutes after the 7th try, 15 minutes after the 8th, and 1 hour after the 10th attempt.

How to turn off iPhone passcode lock?

Disabling the passcode on your iPhone is simple. Here's how you can turn off the passcode request:

• Launch Settings and head to Touch ID & Passcode or the Face ID & Passcode option.
• Type in your current passcode to continue.
• Tap Turn Passcode Off. Type in your current passcode to verify the operation.

When do you need to enter your iPhone unlock password?

• When you restart or switch on your iPhone.
• When you’re unable to unlock your iPhone using Touch ID or Face ID after more than five trials.
• When your iPhone was locked for more than 48 hours.
• When a remote lock command is sent to your iPhone.
• When you erase all your iPhone’s content and settings.

Conclusion

The methods and tips highlighted in this post will help to fix this iPhone passcode expired issue you’re facing. You just need to try them individually. We highly recommend FoneGeek iPhone Passcode Unlocker, though, especially if you can’t remember the passcode. It’s the best method as it will remove the iPhone passcode lock and solve the passcode expired error easily and quickly. The intuitive interface also makes it simple to use, plus it has a 100% success rate. So, get it and have a try.