I Tried FoneTool Unlocker and Here Are the Results

As an editor diving into software reviews, I recently engaged in the test of FoneTool Unlocker. I wanted to see whether it lived up to the hype for iOS users who were stuck on their locked devices.

In this hands-on review, I’ll walk you through its standout features. From unlocking screen passcodes to breaking iTunes backup encryption, you’ll see whether it could help you out of trouble.

Unlock Screen Passcode

I started with a locked iPhone 14 running iOS 18. After entering the wrong screen passcode multiple times, I was stuck at the timer countdown again.

Before the device became unavailable, I connected to my computer via a USB cable and let FoneTool Unlocker detect it.

The software quickly detected my device, Apple model, and iOS version. Then I clicked on the Unlock Screen Passcode model to get started

Then I followed the steps to download the matching firmware package and access the recovery mode. Thanks to detailed instructions, the process could be less tricky.

After about 5 minutes, it wiped my screen passcode, along with the data within my device.

Then I tried to unlock other types of screen locks like Touch ID and alphanumeric passcodes. FoneTool Unlocker worked on them!

However, FoneTool Unlocker encountered errors when it came to alphanumeric passcodes and Face ID locks alone. Besides, some users also reported that it might not unlock new iOS models like the iPhone 16 series, because of advanced Apple security.

Remove Apple ID

Next, I got my second-hand iPhone, which was linked to an old Apple ID. Multiple failed sign-out attempts triggered security alerts. I cannot sign out of the old Apple ID and sign in to the new one.

It was stressful because I failed to use my current iCloud account. Again, I connected it to my computer and let FoneTool Unlocker unlock it.

As it only worked on devices whose “Find My iPhone” feature was disabled, I checked out the status of the “Find My” feature.

Then I went back to the main interface and clicked on the “Remove Apple ID” mode. In roughly 7 minutes, I entered the recovery mode and got the firmware package that matched my device. However, it hadn’t supported upgrading to the latest iOS 26.

Finally, it rebooted to a setup screen, and I could log in to my current Apple ID. Another piece of good news was that my data was still there.

The whole process was smooth and effective, but it only worked when you had turned off the “Find My iPhone” feature.

Therefore, before using the feature, check its status. If the feature was enabled, you should toggle it off in Settings.

Notably, it may not be compatible with all iOS models and versions, as advertised on the product’s landing page. For this feature, the supported devices were up to the iPhone 16 series and iOS 18, instead of the latest iPhone 17 series and iOS 26.

Remove Screen Time Passcode

To restrict my kid’s usage of game apps during homework hours, I always set up Screen Time restrictions on my iPhone. However, I always forgot the Screen Time passcode after several months.

Wrong attempts only frustrated me further, but I didn’t want to reset my device. Then I plugged it into the computer and opened FoneTool Unlocker.

From the main interface, I chose the “Remove Screen Time Passcode” mode. Then it prompted and instructed me to turn off the Find My iPhone feature in Settings.

When the “Find My iPhone” feature was disabled, I could click the “Remove Now” button to initiate the process.

Then the process started automatically. I waited for about 5 minutes until it had completed.

Again, to use this feature, I should turn off Find My iPhone in advance. Besides, it might not work on new iOS versions, supervised iOS devices, or activation-locked phones

Remove iTunes Backup Encryption

As many unlocking features would lead to data loss, I need to restore from a backup. Normally, I like to restore from my iTunes backup.

However, when I launched iTunes and navigated to the backups, I found that most of them were encrypted. This bothered me because I had forgotten the password already.

I’d set it several months ago. After several wrong attempts, I was frustrated, staring at the endless “Incorrect password” error.

What was worse, there was no recovery option in iTunes. In iTunes, standard actions involved checking the keychain and recreating an iTunes backup. However, this did not work for my situation.

Then I grabbed my laptop and launched FoneTool Unlocker. Instead of recovering the iTunes backup password, it developed a mode to remove the backup password.

I connected my device to the laptop and selected the “Remove iTunes Backup Encryption” option.

After detecting my device, it scanned the encrypted backup files and folders. After several seconds, it decrypted the backup.

Then I could access the iTunes backup without a password and restore the data to my iPhone.

It was quite smooth to decrypt an iTunes backup with FoneTool Unlocker, but whether it would succeed relied on the backup file itself. If the files were corrupted, moved, or too old to open and read, FoneTool Unlocker would not detect and decrypt the files.

Additionally, the success rate might drop when working on newer iTunes versions (13+) or macOS Sequoia. This is because you might encounter compatibility glitches.

What Did I Find After Testing FoneTool Unlocker?

After using FoneTool Unlocker’s key features, I thought it indeed simplified the way of unlocking various iOS locks.

However, it might not work well on newer Apple devices and iOS versions, such as the latest iPhone 17 series and iOS 26. This might confuse users because it advertises that it’s compatible with all iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and iOS versions on the product’s landing page.

Besides, there were also some complaints about after-sales service and refunds. This suggests that you might have difficulty initiating a refund application if you’ve encountered a compatibility issue.

Why I Used BuhoUnlocker as an Alternative to FoneTool Unlocker?

Finally, I switched to BuhoUnlocker. Primarily, it was because of the compatibility issue that FoneTool Unlocker was not compatible with the latest iPhone series and iOS version. Besides, it didn’t support removing the MDM profile, which is also regarded as a core feature for most iPhone unlocking tools like BuhoUnlocker.

Before making a purchase, I also compared their price list. It was surprising to find that BuhoUnlocker is much more cost-effective than FoneTool Unlocker - the lifetime version of BuhoUnlocker is only $24.99, while the lifetime version of FoneTool Unlocker is up to $37.47.

Despite the core features of each tool, I also value the after-sales service. I’ve contacted BuhoUnlocker’s sales team before and after buying the software. I was quite impressed by their timely responsiveness and assistance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, FoneTool Unlocker is a user-friendly choice for unlocking iOS devices. Before using it to unlock your device, you’d better check the device compatibility. The status of the “Find My iPhone” feature, and your iTunes or iCloud backup.

Although it indicates that it supports all iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and iOS versions, it might not work in real cases. If you’re dealing with the latest Apple series and iOS version, try BuhoUnlocker as an alternative.