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How to Reset Restrictions Passcode on iPhone, iPad & iPod

By: Salman Patwegar | Jan 1st, 2016

You may have set a restrictions passcode on your iPhone or iPad to block websites on your device. However many people forget their restrictions passcode and are unable to disable restrictions. In this article we will be showing you how to reset restrictions passcode in case you have forgotten yours.

Reset Restrictions Passcode on iPhone, iPad & iPod

 

I Forgot my Restrictions Passcode?

As mentioned above, people forget their restrictions passcode and find out that there are generally 2 ways of resetting the restrictions passcode, which is to factory reset your iPhone, iPad or iPod or jailbreak it.  However, both these methods have their own disadvantages as mentioned below.

Factory Reset: In case you decide to reset restrictions passcode by factory resetting your device, you need to be prepared to lose all the data stored on your device (including all contacts). Factory reset will basically wipe all the data on your iPhone and you will either need to start building all data from scratch or make use of a backup stored on iTunes.

However, backing up your iOS device from an iCloud backup will once again enable the old restrictions passcode on the device. This happens because you will most likely will  be backing up your device from the most recent iCloud backup file (which will already have your restrictions Passcode in it).

Jailbreak Device: The other option is to jailbreak your device. However, not many people are comfortable with this option and jailbreaking your iOS device is not recommend from a security point of view and other reasons.

Third Option: In this article we will be showing you a simple method to reset restrictions passcode, without factory resetting your device or going with the jailbreak route.

Reset Restrictions Passcode on iPhone, iPad and iPod

This method makes use of third party tool called iBackupBot. Using this tool you can reset restrictions passcode on your iPhone, iPad or iPod without jailbreaking your device or resetting it to factory default settings.

1. Download iBackupBot onto your Computer

Open up your computer and download iBackupBot. You can download this free utility from here

2. Set up iBackupBot

Once iBackupBot has finished downloading, follow the instructions to complete the process of setting up iBackupBot on your computer.

3. Open iPhone and Try Restrictions Passcode

In order to make use of this method, you need to have a warning on your iOS device stating that you have a number of failed attempts. (See image below)

Restrictions Passcode Failed Attempts

If you have not yet seen a failed attempts message on your device, then follow the steps below to generate one:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap on General > Restrictions
  3. Try your restrictions passcode until you see a Failed Passcode Attempts warning.

4. Connect your iPhone to your Computer

In this step, you need to connect your iPhone to your computer, so that you can create an iTunes backup in the next step.

5. Open iTunes and Take a Backup

Once you have connected your iPhone to your computer, open up iTunes. Once iTunes has opened up, backup your iPhone to your computer.

After backing up keep your iPhone, iPad or iPod connected to the computer.

6. Open up iBackupBot

Once you have completed backing up your iPhone to iTunes, launch the iBackupBot software on your computer.

7. Navigate to System Files/HomeDomain/Library/Preferences

Next, from the left side of the iBackupBot window, double click on System Files. From the dropdown double click on HomeDomain and from the next dropdown double click on Library. (See image below)

Navigate to System Files using iBackupBot

Now, double click on Preferences from the right side of the iBackupBot window (See image above)

8. Locate a file called com.apple.springboard.plist

Now locate a file called com.apple.springboard.plist. Alternatively you can also search for this file instead of having to locate it. (See image below)

Locate File "com.apple.springboard.plist"

9. Open the file

Open the file that you located in step 8 above.

Note: You may have to download a plist editor in case you already do not have one on your PC. Windows will prompt you to download a plist editor.

10. Click on Cancel

Once you open the file (com.apple.springboard.plist) you will see a pop-up message from iBackupBot asking you to sign up for the full version.

In this step, you can either click on the Cancel button to continue with the process, or you can sign up for the full version to support the developer of this useful utility.

Register iBackupBot Pop-up Message

11. Locate This Line <key>SBParentalControlsFailedAttempts</key>

Once the file (com.apple.springboard.plist) opens up, locate the line <key>SBParentalControlsFailedAttempts</key>

Locate Parental Controls Failed Attempts Line

Underneath the above line you will see this line: <integer>Number</integer>. As you can see in the image above, the number is 5, denoting the number of failed attempts on our device.

The number can be any other number on your device, depending on the number of failed attempts on your device.

12. Enter Code to Reset Restrictions Passcode 

Now underneath the line <integer>Number</integer> add the following lines of code to reset restrictions passcode.

<key>SBParentalControlsPIN</key>
<string>1234</string>

Insert Code to Reset Restrictions Passcode

These two lines of code will reset the restrictions passcode to 1234 on your device.

13. Save File and Close Window

Once you have added the code in step 12 above, save the file by clicking on the save icon located at the top left of the window and close the file (See image below)

Save "com.apple.springboard.plist" File

14. Restore File Edited File to iPhone

Now you need to restore the edited/revised file (com.apple.springboard.plist) to your iPhone/iPad or iPod by clicking on the restore icon (See image below)

Restore "com.apple.springboard.plist" File to iPhone

15. Select Restore options

You will now be asked to select from the following 3 restore options:

  • Reboot device after restore
  • Don’t Copy backup
  • Remove items from device that will not be restored

From these 3 options make sure that you select the first 2 options and uncheck the third option.

Common Error Codes While Resetting Restrictions Passcode

After selecting the restore option in step 15 above you may come across the following error codes on your computer.

  • Error code -37
  • Error code -36
  • Error code 103 and 205
  • Error code 20

In case you encounter any of these error codes you can fix them by following the steps below.

Error Code -37

The most common cause for error code -37 is because you have Find my iPhone enabled on your device. Turn off find my iPhone by following the steps below.

  1. From the home screen Tap on Settings > iCloud.
  2. Browse to Find my iPhone and then toggle it OFF.

After turning off Find my iPhone, try to restore the device once again, and this time it should work. After the process to restore the device is completed you can turn Find my iPhone back On again.

Error Code -36 and -1

You may also run into error code -36, which basically means that you do not have enough free space on your device to complete the restore.

When you encounter this error, you will have to free up some space on your iPhone/iPad and try restoring again to see if it works.

Error Code 103 and 205

This error code is known to occur on devices having a passcode. While not all devices that have a passcode on them will encounter this error, this error can be usually fixed by disabling the passcode.

  1. Tap on Settings > Touch ID & Passcode
  2. Enter your current passcode to proceed
  3. Now tap on Turn Passcode Off option
  4. Enter your current passcode once again in order to turn off passcode.

Once you have turned off the passcode for your device, try finishing the restore process and this time it should work. After the restore process is finished you can Turn On the passcode on your device.

Error Code 20

Error code 20 is usually caused by third party apps and programs such as anti-virus and firewall programs on your computer. This error can usually be fixed by any of the following.

  1. Make sure your computer has the latest version of its operating system, latest version of iTunes and the latest version of the anti-virus program.
  2. Make sure that the time zone on your computer is correct.
  3. Login with an admin account and try the restore process once again.
  4. Another reason for this error is your data cable, USB port or network errors on your computer. Try completing this process again by connecting to a different port and/or by using a different data cable.

Note: Error Code 20 can also occur if you have incorrectly jailbroken your iOS device.

Related
  1. 10 Ways to Fix iPhone Cannot Connect to iTunes Error

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