GoKawiilA university student in the US is in data limbo after Apple removed a character from its Czech keyboard, preventing him from entering his iPhone passcode.
Connor Byrne, 21, adopts the uncommon but security-minded approach to iPhone passcodes, using an alphanumeric string instead of the standard four-number passcode.
He updated his iPhone 13 from iOS 18 to iOS 26.4 on April 5, but in doing so lost the ability to enter his passcode. He has been locked out of the device ever since.
This is because iOS 18 was the last operating system version that allowed iPhone users to enter the special character – in this case, the caron/háček (ˇ) – using the old keyboard on the lock screen.
It has left Byrne without access to his device, which, given its age and chipped screen, does not hold much value, unlike the old photos stored on it, which carry sentimental importance.
The student has not backed up the files to iCloud either, so they cannot be retrieved via a separate device. Apple support staff have suggested the only way to regain access to the iPhone 13 is by restoring it, which would erase the files of value.
Byrne was hoping that the next update, 26.4.1, would introduce a fix for this, but its release this week has not helped.
"The phone's very cracked, so, at this point, the photos contained in it are more valuable than the ability to use the phone itself," he told The Register. "They're the main data that I care about and haven't backed up."
"I don't anticipate a bespoke solution being provided, but I'm hopeful that the issue will be resolved in the next iOS update."
When the háček could still be used in the iPhone's passcode, it sat on the bottom row of the keyboard, while just above it was an acute accent mark.
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