Don writes: I have an Apple iPhone 5. I recently updated the iOS to iOS 7.0.4 I foolishly gave it a passcode, because no one said you didn’t have to have one, if you didn’t want one. It is a giant pain in the patootie. Is there anyway I can get rid of it?
Hi Don! Normally, I recommend always keeping your iPhone (or iPad) passcode enabled, namely because you’ll wish you did if your iDevice—along with all your stored messages, calendar, contacts, passwords, and other personal info—ever falls into the wrong hands.
Sure, you can deactivate your iPhone’s passcode lock—but you may want to think twice before doing so.
But if you set up a passcode during the iOS 7 update process and you’re really confident you don’t need one, then…well, sure, you can turn it off.
Here’s what you do…
- Tap Settings, General, Passcode.
- Enter your passcode at the prompt, then tap Turn Passcode Off.
- Your iPhone will ask you one last time if you’re sure you want to do this. Are you? If so, tap Turn Off.
That’s it—but remember, the next time anyone from a toddler to a complete stranger clicks the sleep/wake button at the top of your iPhone, they’ll have the run of your device…and all its precious data, too.
Bonus tip
A good compromise between constantly having to unlock your iPhone/iPad and turning off the passcode lock altogether is setting your device to lock itself after a set period of inactivity—anywhere between a minute and four hours.
- Tap Settings, General, Passcode Lock, and enter your passcode.
- Tap Required Passcode, then pick a setting. Four hours would be the most convenient for those who really hate passcode locks, but (as Apple notes) the shorter the time, the more secure.
Looking for more iOS 7 tips? Click here!