7 Easy Ways to Fix the Must Change iPhone Passcode Issue

"Hi, I got a pop-up message from my iPhone 6 Plus, asking me to change my passcode within 60 min. Is this a legitimate message from Apple, or is it a virus or malware? I am ignoring the message at the moment. Kindly advise, please? Thanks."

- Apple Support Community

Many iPhone users report that they have recently received a prompt from Apple, "You must change your iPhone unlock passcode within 60 minutes" or "You must change your iPhone unlock passcode at this time". If you tap Later, the popup will appear again in some time.

I know you don't feel well about the iPhone passcode requirement message. And before acquiring how to stop the iPhone passcode change requirement, you may also wish to know why iPhone forces you to change the passcode. Here, we will introduce the possible reasons and several efficient solutions to resolve the error.

Part 1. What Happens if You Ignore the Passcode Requirement to Change Your Passcode?
Part 2. Why Is My iPhone Asking Me to Change My Passcode?
Part 3. How to Get Rid of iPhone Force Passcode Change?
Part 4. How to Make a Good Password?
Bonus: Other FAQs on iPhone Passcode

Part 1. What Happens if You Ignore the Passcode Requirement to Change Your Passcode?

If you click Later when iPhone asks you to change the passcode, you can continue using your iPhone for a while. Then the pop-up screen will turn up again with a countdown timer to force you to change the unlock passcode. If you hesitate or neglect until the time is over, the prompt will disappear, and your iPhone won't be locked. You can continue using your iPhone until the iPhone passcode requirement message shows up again.

The "must change iPhone passcode" requirement will reappear hourly, daily, or weekly after a restart or update, indicating that iPhone does not recognize the current screen passcode. Although it usually doesn't lock your screen, you'd better eliminate the error in case of any unexpected situations.

See more: Why did my bookmarks disappear on my iPhone suddenly? If you want to solve this problem, you can browse this post.

Part 2. Why Is My iPhone Asking Me to Change My Passcode?

There are some potential reasons for the iPhone passcode requirement message, such as:

• Safari browsing history caused the security issues.
• You are using a 4-digit easy-to-guess passcode rather than the 6-digit complex passcode.
• Email accounts and configuration profiles.
• iOS 10 security feature or system bug.
• MDM enrollment.
• You have just restarted, updated, or erased your iPhone.
• Other app configurations on your iPhone, like Facebook, Instagram, Microsoft Exchange, etc.

Learn more: When an iPhone clicks on its own, you'd better fix it without delay. Here's the guide for your reference.

Part 3. How to Get Rid of iPhone Force Passcode Change?

Feel annoyed by the prompt "must change the iPhone passcode"? You can stop the iPhone passcode change requirement with the following proven tricks.

Trick 1. Clear Safari Browsing History

The Safari browsing history arouses almost 90% of the iPhones asking to change passcode issue. If Apple thinks the websites you are browsing are insecure, it may require you to change the iPhone passcode. To help yourself out, you can clear the Safari browsing history with these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Find and click Safari > Clear History and Website Data.
3. It will quickly delete the saved caches and cookies from Safari.

Trick 2. Reinsert the SIM Card

You can also remove and reinsert the SIM card to halt the iPhone passcode requirement message. Below are the steps.

1. Use a pin to insert into the SIM tray on your iPhone's edge until the SIM tray opens.
2. Take out the SIM card from the tray.
3. Put back the SIM card into the tray a few minutes later.
4. Check if the problem is fixed or not.

Trick 3. Change the Password

iPhone wants me to change the passcode? What if you do as it says, especially when not using the 6-digit passcode? Here's how:

On older iPhone models:

1. Head over to iPhone's Settings.
2. Select Passcode > Change Passcode.
3. Please enter a new passcode and confirm it.
4. Save the new passcode.

On iPhone 7 or newer models:

1. Go to iPhone's Settings > Face ID & Passcode.
2. Input the old passcode.
3. Click Change Passcode and provide your current passcode again.
4. Select the preferred option in the given choices and enter the new passcode.
5. Verify the new passcode.

Guess you need: It is not difficult to retrieve text messages from your old phone number on your mobile phone, since there is a powerful tutorial.

Trick 4. Remove iPhone Passcode with iOS Unlock (Recommended)

The easiest way to remove the message "you must change your iPhone unlock passcode" is to use iOS Unlock. It can remove the current unlock passcode on your iPhone and unlock your device within a few clicks. Besides, it also bypasses iCloud activation locks, MDM, and Apple ID passwords in seconds.

The highlights of iOS Unlock:

• Unlock Face ID, Touch ID, Screen Time passcode, and 4-/6-digit passcode in a few clicks.
• Bypass Apple ID, iCloud activation lock, and MDM easily.
• Offer on-screen prompts step by step.
• Easy, fast, and reliable to use.
• Fully compatible with the latest iPhone 14/SE (3rd generation)/13 Pro Max/13 Pro/13/13 mini, and earlier models running iOS 9 to iOS 16.

How to skip the iPhone passcode requirement message in a few clicks?

Note: The unlocking process may erase the device content. If necessary, you can back up your iPhone without a passcode before removal.

1. Run iOS Unlock on your computer after installation and click Screen Unlock to continue.

2. Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable and tap Unlock iOS Screen.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to put your iPhone into Recovery or DFU mode. By default, you are recommended to boot your iPhone into Recovery mode to remove the lock screen passcode. If you cannot get the device into Recovery mode, click the link below to activate the DFU mode.

4. Confirm the device information and pick the correct information if needed. Later, click Download to download the firmware for your iPhone.

5. Click Unlock Now to remove the screen passcode immediately.

Further reading:

[Simple Guide] How to Delete Apple ID without Password on iPhone?

How to Unlock Apple ID without Phone Number or Password in 5 Proven Ways?

Trick 5. Remove Exchange Email Account

In our test, removing the Exchange email account also works for terminating the "must change iPhone passcode" problem. Thus, you can give it a try on your iPhone.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone > select Passwords & Accounts (or Mail, Contacts, Calendar > Accounts in earlier iOS versions).
2. Pick the exchange email account > tap Delete Account.
3. Check whether the iPhone passcode requirement message still pops up or not.

Trick 6. Delete the Configuration Profiles

As mentioned above, the configuration profiles of third-party apps or a beta iOS version on your iPhone will also cause the iPhone to ask to change the passcode. Thus, removing the configuration profiles may resolve the issue to a great extent.

1. Navigate to the Settings app > General on your iPhone.
2. Tap Profiles or Profiles & Device Management.
3. Delete the configuration profiles installed on your device.

Trick 7. Contact the Device Security Service

Do you use any third-party security service to manage your Apple devices? If yes, the "must change iPhone passcode" issue may result from the security update. Don't hesitate to get in touch with the service and state your problem, and follow any solution they suggest to you.

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Part 4. How to Make a Good Password?

It is important to set up a strong passcode in the digital era. For most iPhone users, Touch ID or Face ID is the most suggested passcode, also known as biological identification. But that's not enough. A good passcode should include:

• The mix of upper and lower cases.
• Certain length.
• Numbers.
• Symbols.
• No connection with your personal information or special date.
• No dictionary words.

And you should avoid using the following patterns:

• Any four same numbers, like 0000, 6666, etc.
• Any four numbers in sequence, like 1234, 5678, etc.
• Any sequent odd or even numbers, like 2468, 3579, etc.
• Any binary numbers, like 0101, 1010, 1001, etc.

By following the above principles, you can easily create a strong passcode that Apple accepts. After all, the more complex and unique the password is, the less likely you will receive the irritating request on your iPhone, "you must change the iPhone passcode".

Bonus: Other FAQs on iPhone Passcode

1. Can someone remotely change my iPhone passcode?

No, you cannot change the iPhone passcode remotely. If any parent wishes to restrict the child's usage of the iPhone, setting up a screen time passcode will help.

2. How to force my iPhone to passcode?

The following operations work for iPhone X and newer models.

1. Open Settings > Face ID & Passcode > enable Passcode.
2. Enter a 6-digit passcode or turn on the Passcode Options to change to a custom numeric code, custom alphanumeric code, or four-digit numeric code.
3. Type your passcode to confirm and activate.
4. Switch off Touch/Face ID.

3. How to delete the failed passcode attempts?

If you have enabled the erase data after too many failed attempts option when setting up a new passcode on your iPhone, your iPhone will automatically erase all data after ten failed passcode attempts.

If you wish to disable the option, you can set it from Settings > Face ID & Passcode.

Final Thoughts

We hope this tutorial will help you solve the "must change iPhone passcode" error. And you are highly recommended to try iOS Unlock to remove the passcode from your iPhone completely. It is easy, fast, secure, and has a higher success rate.

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