Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#21

Post by donatj » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 9:46 AM UTC

I assume you can use a physical keyboard on an iPhone like I can on Android via USB? Presumably you could buy a wired Czech keyboard to access the device?

Twice I have had the touchscreen fail on Android devices and been able to get what I needed off them using a USB mouse.

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#22

Post by GrayShade » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 9:47 AM UTC

donatj wrote: post #21

I assume you can use a physical keyboard on an iPhone like I can on Android via USB? Presumably you could buy a wired Czech keyboard to access the device? Twice I have had the touchscreen fail on Android devices and been able to get what I needed off them using a USB mouse.

You can, after you unlock it.

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#23

Post by PlunderBunny » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 9:48 AM UTC

Even if he did have a Mac with the continuity feature enabled, I suppose the lock-screen won’t accept a paste from the clipboard of a Mac. (If it did, he could enter the correct passcode in any text editor on his Mac, copy it to the clipboard on the Mac, then paste it into the lock-screen on his iPhone)

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#24

Post by tmjwid » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 9:49 AM UTC

donatj wrote: post #21

I assume you can use a physical keyboard on an iPhone like I can on Android via USB? Presumably you could buy a wired Czech keyboard to access the device? Twice I have had the touchscreen fail on Android devices and been able to get what I needed off them using a USB mouse.

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.

Makes sense why he didn't do this.

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#25

Post by terribleperson » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 9:55 AM UTC

eab- wrote: post #9

I used to have an emoji password for my Android phone, and had the exact same issue after a reset! It's an odd but pretty terrible failure mode for locking oneself out...

You say locking oneself out, but I decline to consider any situation where a password can be set but not later entered as one where the user bears even a modicum of fault.

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#26

Post by wolfi1 » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 9:59 AM UTC

there was a time when I used a simple "§" in my password. turned out, some Android keyboards don't have the "§". Since then I play it safe with my passwords, using only characters I don't need a specialized keyboard for

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#27

Post by halapro » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 10:05 AM UTC

userbinator wrote: post #18

nasretdinov wrote: post #11

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.

The "real mistake" is changing things that used to work.

You can use emojis as passwords, do you think that's a good idea? They work now, there's a good chance that they won't be the same forever. See what happened to the family emojis

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#28

Post by trinix912 » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 10:05 AM UTC

nasretdinov wrote: post #11

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.

But why should non-English speaking users be forced to use an ASCII password if the rest of the OS supports their language just fine?

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#29

Post by nasretdinov » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 10:06 AM UTC

userbinator wrote: post #18

nasretdinov wrote: post #11

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.

The "real mistake" is changing things that used to work.

Well, alphabets change (especially emojis), rules change, etc, so keeping a single subset of stable and known characters is unlikely to be a bad idea :)

Re: Apple update looks like Czech mate for locked-out iPhone user

#30

Post by inglor_cz » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 10:06 AM UTC

This really reads like a modern Ancient-Greek story about inscrutable gods who suddenly decide to complicate your life for some unclear reason and don't respond to any prayers and rituals.

People are afraid of AI, but human organizations can be quite opaque as well.

That said, as a Czech, I wouldn't use any accentuated characters in my passwords. Anything beyond 7-bit ASCII is just asking for trouble.