A 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.
Post-update, when entering the passcode, the keyboard now displays an identical accent mark in the háček's place, a feature Byrne described as "pointless; they're encoded the same."
"I've bought a cheap Android phone to use while I wait for a fix," he added. "I'll give it a month or two and will buy a nicer Android phone if the dust settles without a fix."
Given that iOS 18 was released in 2024, and Apple has not reintroduced the háček since, it seems unlikely Cupertino will make good on the student's hopes, especially considering that he is not the only user to encounter the same issue in recent weeks.
During in-house testing, which involved taking an iPhone 16 from iOS 18.5 to iOS 26.4.1, The Register found that Apple has kept the háček in the Czech keyboard, but removed the ability to use it in a custom alphanumeric passcode. The OS will not allow users to input the háček as a character. The key's animation triggers, as does the keyboard's key-tap sound, but the character is not entered into the string.
If the student were able to get into his iPhone 13, he would find the háček in his keyboard as it used to be before he updated it. It is only the lock-screen keyboard that replaces it with a second acute accent mark.
Alas, Byrne has gone to great lengths to tinker and tease iOS into accepting or finding the háček, or to find tricky ways of bypassing it.
He tried entering the same accent mark that replaced the háček, in the hope that it was simply displaying incorrectly. He also researched downgrading to iOS 26.3.1, with a view to changing the passcode to one that's compatible with the new keyboard, to no avail.
Long-pressing every key to reveal a hidden háček did not work, nor did writing the password on paper (and also with a computer word processor to account for handwriting errors), and using AutoFill to scan it in. In this case, he said that the háček was only read as a quotation mark or degree sign.
Apple Support arranged for Byrne to attend a Genius Bar appointment, where the staffer behind the desk made no progress and even started restoring the phone without seeking the student's consent.
"He provided no recommendations before doing so," he said.
And if you're wondering "why not enable Face ID in the first place? Biometrics are pretty secure." Well, it's not secure enough for this user, and it wouldn't matter either, even if it did meet his standards.
"I don't consider Face ID secure enough because it provides no protection in cases where someone has control of both you and the phone – police or customs, for example."
"It wouldn't have helped anyway, since you have to enter the passcode once after updating to enable Face ID."
For the same reason, plugging in an external keyboard is also a no-go since freshly updated iPhones are placed in what's known as a Before First Unlock state, which prevents wired accessories from working until the passcode is entered.
The Register contacted Apple multiple times to get its side of things, but it did not respond. ®