As a non-English speaker I can really relate to this. I think the real mistake was Apple allowing to enter a non-ASCII password in the first place. E.g. on macOS the password fields have been locked to English character set, and I'm not sure why it changed on iOS.
Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
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Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
#12Apple should get sued for this to oblivion, this is unacceptable.
Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
#13It’s an annoying workaround, but could he connect a USB keyboard (via a USB to lightning adapter) with the ability to enter the character? Does the passcode screen accept input from attached keyboards?
Why can't people read stuff before commenting?
Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
#14> Byrne was hoping that the next update, 26.4.1, would introduce a fix for this, but its release this week has not helped.
Even if Apple restores the háček in a future update, wouldn't he still need to unlock the iPhone to install it?
Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
#15after Apple removed a character from its Czech keyboard I wonder what the thought process (or perhaps lack thereof) at Apple was. Did no one of the likely-somewhat-large team who did that think "wait, this could lock out our users who may have used that character"? In the immortal words of Linus Torvalds: "WE DO NOT BREAK USERSPACE!" Now one of the ways in might be those companies who claim to be able to break iPhone…
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Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
#16> 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.
Sounds more like an actual bug than a decision to change the keyboard layout, if this happens only in the passcode screen?
Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
#17This is completely unacceptable from Apple. You CANNOT remove a key from the keyboard that's being used as a password.
as if they cared
Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
#18As a non-English speaker I can really relate to this. I think the real mistake was Apple allowing to enter a non-ASCII password in the first place. E.g. on macOS the password fields have been locked to English character set, and I'm not sure why it changed on iOS.
The "real mistake" is changing things that used to work.
Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
#19Well I only use alphanumeric US keyboard standards ever since I found out, that certain characters unique to a language different from yours causes you lock out or massive headaches on a used keyboard with almost no print ink left on the keyboard in a Internet cafe in an other country around 2002.
Be aware of characters not passwords. I feel bad for the guy but not really blame Apple here.
English is my second language and ANSI etc is following a basic character usage. Everything must boil down to 0 and 1 in the end or American English.
It is a de facto standard and maybe knowing about it is as crucial as recognizing the difference between the imperial and metric system before heading for the moon. It is a life saver.
Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user
#20I think the biggest lesson here is to back up. The reason for losing access to the phone is amazingly dumb but it could have fallen down the stairs for basically the same effect.
And do your could backups cross-provider. You never know what the "big players" are going to pull, and your lifetime customer value is less than the cost of a single support call.